In today’s Gospel reading, some Pharisees and Scribes come to Jesus and argue with him about the observance of the Jewish Law. They were Jewish legal experts who interpreted the “Torah” for the people. The Torah is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible and is known as the Pentateuch or the Five Books of Moses. When the ordinary people needed clarification on the commandments, the Pharisees and the Scribes came to their rescue. According to them, observing the Law to the letter was the way to please God. They often neglected the fact that God gave the Law not as a burden but as a sign of his love for the people. This Law was the Lord’s most precious gift and the basis of a love story between God and his people.
In the New Testament, Jesus gives a new meaning to the Jewish understanding of the Law. Jesus understands and interprets love as the foundation of all laws. St. Paul continues this theme in his writings, saying: “Love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rm. 13:10). When Pharisees and Scribes accuse Jesus’ disciples of “eating bread with unclean hands”, they are not just complaining about unhygienic behavior. Washing one’s hands before a meal was a religious act that made someone holy. That is why Jesus tells them: “You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition” (Mark 7:8). It means that one should work towards achieving holiness rather than observing the religious ritual of washing hands.
What is important before God is the conversion of the heart rather than mere lip service. A person becomes unclean because of his way of living rather than neglecting to perform some external observances. Purity is not a matter of hygiene but a matter of the heart. Fr. Franz Reinisch was an Austrian-born priest belonging to the Schoenstatt Movement, who lived in Germany during the time of the Nazi Regime. He was in charge of conducting retreats and youth conferences of the Movement. But in his speeches, he openly addressed the issue of Christian love and conscience above the prevailing laws of his time. He was banned from preaching in 1940, but he defied the orders and continued to preach. He publicly declared: “As a Christian, I can never take the oath of allegiance to a man like Hitler. … I feel called to protest the abuse of authority.”
He was arrested and brought before a court-martial for failing to take the oath of allegiance. Even the prison chaplain denied him communion for not performing his duty to the government. In prison, he wrote the poem “You are the Great People” in anticipation of his death. On 7 July 1942, he was condemned to death by the Reich Court Martial. His death sentence was read aloud, and he calmly responded: “I am a Catholic priest with only the weapons of the Holy Spirit and the Faith, but I know what I am fighting for.” In Brandenburg, on 21 August at 5:03 am, he was beheaded by guillotine. His body was cremated, and his ashes are buried next to the Original Shrine in Schoenstatt. Many other prisoners, including Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, were influenced by his brave example and followed his path to martyrdom.
My dear brothers and sisters, our religious practices come to life and serve their true purpose when we follow the rule of love preached and practiced by Christ. What we need today is a personal encounter with Jesus leading to a deep transformation of our hearts and minds. Let us try to become holy by our acts and deeds, and thus fulfill God’s commandments in our day-to-day life.
Rev. Dr. Mathew Charthakuzhiyil