THE TEXT BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPTION OF THE VIDEO COMMENTARY BY FR. FERNANDO ARMELLINI

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A good Sunday to all. 

For five Sundays in a row, the reading of the Gospel according to Mark has been interrupted because the liturgy has made us meditate on the discourse that Jesus pronounced in the synagogue of Capernaum, after giving the sign of the distribution of the loaves and fish. Today, we resume reading the Gospel according to Mark, which will accompany us until the beginning of Advent. 

We meet again with Jesus, who is in the middle of his public life, and the evangelist has already pointed out that since he moved to Capernaum after he left Nazareth, he had some very heated disputes with the scribes and Pharisees about the forgiveness of sins, which he freely granted; he did not even ask whether a person had repented, also about fasting and severe criticism of his behavior, as he ate with tax collectors and sinners, feasted with them, and did not observe the Sabbath prescriptions. 

The evangelist Mark tells us in chapter 3 that, in Jerusalem, the religious authority began to worry and sent a group of scribes to verify what was going on and to warn the people about the spiritual danger they were running, which was diverting them from the right path, telling them that Jesus was teaching heresies. The people responded, ‘But Jesus heals the sick; he performs miracles,’ and the spiritual guides answered, ‘He heals people because he is in league with Beelzebub.’ Beelzebub is not our demon; it was a pagan god worshipped by the Philistines. His very famous shrine was at Ekron, in the Mediterranean plain, the plain of Sharon. He was famous for curing diseases, so much so that even the Jews went there secretly when they were sick. When their God did not heal them, they turned to this Beelzebub. This is what the religious authorities said. He heals, but because he is in league with Beelzebub. Beelzebub wants to divert them from the right path and adherence to the true God; he wants to lead them astray. 

Today, these spiritual leaders feel compelled to come down from Jerusalem for the second time because they heard in Jerusalem the news that Jesus is violating a very serious precept and is teaching his disciples to do the same. Let’s hear what he did that was so serious: 

Now, when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.

This is the scandalous behavior of Jesus: he did not perform ritual purifications, and he taught his disciples not to give this practice importance. Let’s make it clear at the outset that it was not a hygienic practice; all purifications are done after washing well. These purifications were used to cleanse oneself of impurity after coming into contact with something impure. The book of Leviticus has six chapters devoted to this distinction between pure and impure. Pure animals are certain animals that can be eaten, and impure animals are other animals, such as swine, camels, hares, and so on, which should be avoided. In the conditions of impurity, everything that in any way reminds us of death is also indicated. Blood, death, and diseases like leprosy. There has been an evolution in the concept of pure and impure in the bible, but at the time of Jesus, we can say that it was considered impure everything that had any reference to death, the estrangement from the God of life. Those who had contracted any impurity clearly could not approach the Lord; they had to purify themselves. 

In the book of Exodus, it is established what they had to do to purify themselves, but the dispositions applied only to the priests of the temple, who, living in constant contact with God, the holy and the pure, should always keep themselves in a state of purity. Therefore, they could not have any contact with death; they could not go to bury a dead person and then go to the temple to serve the Lord; they could not even wear sandals; they had to always go barefoot to the temple, even in winter. Why? Because sandals are made of leather, and leather is from a dead animal, they couldn’t wear them. 

At the time of Jesus, the Pharisees had succeeded in inculcating in the minds of people that these relative prescriptions to the priests were to become a regular practice in the daily life of all Israelites, for the Israelites are a pure people; the pagans are unclean. Here is today’s discussion between Jesus and the scribes who came down from Jerusalem about a particular purification: that of the hands, which were washed before meals and called נטילת ידייים (netilat yadayim), meaning “to raise one’s hands.” And this gesture had a beautiful meaning; it was to remind the Israelites that when he took bread, he touched something pure, concerning life, it was a gift from God, and we know that gifts have another meaning besides their economic value because inside is affection. Let’s think of a wife who looks at her engagement ring, which perhaps doesn’t have great economic value, but for her, it holds great meaning because it reminds her of her many years of love with her husband. 

This washing of hands reminded the Israelites he was to take that bread as a gift from heaven and then share it with all the sons and daughters of God. Of course, the sons of God were those of his people, not the unclean pagans. It is a rite that, however, at the time of Jesus, had become a semi-magical rite for protection from the forces of evil that could enter when one was eating and protect oneself from these forces of death; it had lost its original meaning, which was beautiful. 

And now, the evangelist Mark, who writes for an audience in Rome that does not know these customs of the Jews, feels the need to explain to his readers this obsession of the Jews with purifications. Let us listen: 

For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as washing cups and pots, copper vessels and dining couches. 

The one who goes to the market inevitably encounters people, objects, food, etc., that can be carriers of impurity. They may have inadvertently touched a pagan, an idolatrous object, or a woman during her cycle. And returning home, he must do the purifications. It is the rite of netilat yadayim, which must be performed meticulously, as prescribed by the Talmud. I will describe it, and if you ever go to Jerusalem, you will understand what you see. The vessel with which the purification is to be performed must have two handles, as you can see in the background, and it must have a smooth and undamaged upper rim. The water should be poured over the person’s hands. One cannot place the hands directly into the container. The water must be clean and clear, and the minimum amount is a quart per hand. And first, the water should be poured into the right hand with the left hand; and should be poured three times, and the fingers should remain wide open so that the water penetrates well; there must be no rings. And the purification must reach at least to the wrist. In Jesus’ time, it reached the elbow. After the right hand has been purified, the vessel is taken with the right hand to purify the left hand; at this point, the person may also hold the vessel with a napkin. The napkin could not be touched with the left hand. And then, in the end, the left hand should be left with a little water to be spread into the right hand; then both hands are extended upwards. 

This is the netilat yadayim, the raising of the hands to pronounce the beautiful blessing: “Blessed are You, our God, Lord of the universe; You sanctify us with Your commandments and have prescribed the purification of the hands.” In Hebrew: “Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, shehecheyanu v-ki’y’manu v-higianu la-z’man ha-zeh.” This blessing is beautiful. Only after that can you dry your hands, and from that moment on, you should not pronounce a word before you have eaten the bread; otherwise, you must repeat the rite. 

Why did I insist so much on this attention to the very meticulous execution of the rite? Because when this attention becomes excessive to all the details, when one insists on its scrupulous execution, the rite loses its value… because perhaps one is concentrating on the external aspect of the rite, on the perfect execution, and loses sight of its meaning. I mentioned the meaning of this rite, but in Jesus’ time, it had become an expression of the fear that something impure could enter a person through food. 

We must also be careful about these scrupulously executed rites, because they can be dangerous: the meaning can be forgotten; the conscience may be calmed because a rite has been performed, but the value of this rite’s memory is lost. And this also happens to us. Let’s think about a sacred rite that we often do: the sign of the cross. Do we think about what it means when we know it is a somewhat superstitious gesture for many people? 

Let us listen to how Jesus responds to the accusation directed at him of neglecting the tradition of the ancestors: 

And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders but eat with defiled hands?’ And he said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.’

The hands symbolize the actions of our deeds; with the hands, one can do good or evil, give life or give death. Does touching an object, shaking hands with a pagan, caressing a leper, or burying the dead make the hands unclean? Jesus answers NO, because no creature or person is impure in God’s eyes. Then, how are the hands made pure? For the Pharisees, the hands that have carefully performed the rite of netilat yadayim are pure. Jesus does not accept the idea of purifying the hands with a rite because that rite calms your conscience, making you think that your hands are pure. For Jesus, the hands are pure that have fed the hungry, given drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, sheltered the homeless, and healed the sick, the hands that lifted those who had fallen. 

In the eleventh chapter of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus continues arguing with the scribes and Pharisees about purification and says: ‘You purify the outside of the cup and the platter. I will tell you how to make the cup and the platter pure: Everything becomes pure by giving the poor person what is inside the cup and the dish.’ Here is the difference between the pure hands of the Pharisee who performed the ritual and Jesus, who goes to the essential: works of love purify the hands. 

And then Jesus continues, “How well did Isaiah prophesy of your hypocrisy.” The term ‘hypocrite’ does not carry the moral meaning we associate with it. For us, the Pharisee and the hypocrite are identical. We refer to the Pharisee as a false person who preaches well and does evil. No, this is not true. The Pharisees were not bad people. Paul, who was a Pharisee, says in chapter 10 of his letter to the Romans, “I give them credit that they are zealous people before God, people who carefully observe the Torah.” But they were slaves to their religious traditions, and not even Jesus was able to set them free and lead them to the freedom and joy of God’s unconditional love. 

What did this term hypocrite mean then? ‘Hypocrites’ refers to the actors of the theater. The actor was hypocritical because, at that time, in theatrical performances, the actor never showed his face; he was always wearing a mask and, therefore, pretended to be what he was not. Perhaps he was a poor peasant and presented himself as a philosopher. 

When Jesus refers to the Pharisees and the scribes, he does not say they are bad people, but that they are comedians. He says God does not need their religious comedies; he feels sorry for them. This is very different from what he expects, and he refers to the prophet Isaiah: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart (i.e., their mind, their thoughts, the decisions they make) are far from me.” At the beginning of his book, in the first chapter, the prophet Isaiah presents the religious comedy taking place in Jerusalem: ‘God says: When you perform your religious comedy, I look the other way; when you perform your prayers, I look the other way. I close my ears; the smell of incense and burnt offerings makes me nauseous.’ Why? ‘Because your hands commit violence, they drip blood, and then you come here to do your liturgies. I am not interested in them; what you do is a farce.’ 

Here, Jesus takes up this prophecy to say that he expects another relationship with him, another purification. It is the purification of those who do works of love, the only ones that interest God, the only worship that pleases him. And now Jesus explains to all what makes a person impure. Let us listen: 

And he called the people to him again and said to them, ‘Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’

Jesus is very concerned that there be no confusion between what is pure and what is impure; that certain things are considered impure, such as certain foods like pork or certain persons, such as pagans or lepers, and that these may communicate their impurity from the outside. This fear of contamination was deeply rooted not only in Israel but among all the peoples of the Ancient Middle East. This created many problems. Even the disciples found it difficult to detach themselves from their conception and adhere to that of the Master. Let us remember Peter in Jaffa, who, during prayer, had a revelation from heaven: “Peter, eat; all animals are pure because they are God’s creatures.” Immediately after that, Peter goes to Caesarea and enters the house of Cornelius, and baptizes his household. But when he returns to Jerusalem, his brethren of faith reproach him severely. They say to him, ‘Peter, what have you done? You have entered into the house of a pagan; therefore, you have made yourself unclean.’ 

Jesus wants to clarify the concept of purity and impurity. He had a dispute with the scribes and the Pharisees, and immediately afterward he met with the disciples. The dialogue with them is not mentioned in today’s Gospel passage, but Jesus is angry with them. At one point, he says: “But do you also still not understand?” says our translation, but ‘asúnetoi’ in Greek means ‘but you are so foolish that you do not understand that what goes into a person ends’ (the translation reads: expelled from the body). But Jesus was outraged. ‘Mephedrone’ in Greek means the latrine, so he used strong words. 

He wanted to make himself understand that this idea of purity had to be made clear; and then he calls the multitudes, and among the multitudes, there are also we, because we need a reminder of this subject of purity, of what is pure and what is impure. Still today, some are afraid to take communion in the hand because they think their hands are impure; some come with a napkin… NO. Enough of these things. All creatures are pure, especially the hands of the people. 

Jesus says: listen to me, all of you, and try to understand what I am saying. Nothing outside of a person can make him impure; impurity comes from within the heart of the people. By heart is not meant the seat of the affections as we understand it today, but the mind, the consciousness, and the origin of choices and decisions. 

And now, he presents 12 behaviors that come from within, from the person’s heart, which make him impure. Impure means that it kills the person, that destroys them as a person. There are twelve behaviors, six in plural and six in the singular. Let us examine them quickly, one by one, to have a reason for meditation for the whole week, and to verify whether purity or impurity comes from us. 

The first: ‘Prostitutions’ in the plural because there is not only one form of prostitution that we know of, but many; all situations in life in which one sells oneself for interest are prostitution, and that’s why there are many prostitutes. If, to advance in the race, to get some advantage or favor, one sells one’s conscience and dignity; when one stoops to empty flattery, this is selling oneself for interest; it is prostitution, comes from the heart, and dehumanizes you. 

Secondly, the thefts. Not ‘theft’ because there are many forms of stealing. It’s not just taking something from someone else; managing the goods of this world as owners is theft, because the goods of this world are all of God. It is also stealing when one has extra things when others suffer destitution. Damaging the excellent name of a person is also steaaling, or steeling the job, the place that belongs to another, because one knows influential people. There are many ways of committing theft that come from the heart, those robberies that dehumanize you. 

Homicide: Not only is murder, which is taking a person’s life with a gun, homicide, but any reduction of another person’s life is murder. One can take away a smile, the joy of life, with a curse, with slander; one can kill with the tongue. Many homicides are born in the heart and do not come from outside. 

Adulteries. There are so many betrayals, unfaithfulness to love, all the pursuits of selfish pleasure that presuppose the submission of the other is adultery, betrayals of love. 

Covetousness (plural). It is greed that leads you always to want to have more, to accumulate, to put happiness in having more; it is insatiable greed. For Jesus, the joy of a person does not consist in having more but in giving more; ‘there is more joy in giving than in receiving’ is a phrase of Jesus found in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 20:35), but not in the gospels, but from Paul. We know very well that a child often says, ‘All is mine,’ everything he sees is his or hers. It is the impulse that leads you to have everything for yourself; it is the child’s impulse; you have not grown up. The child of God in you grows when you give the goods you have available to make your brother or sister happy; then you grow as a child of God; otherwise, you remain a child. Let us not forget that we accumulate, but this is madness; we always long for more and forget that all that we have and is not given will be taken away very soon. 

The sixth behavior that comes from within: Malice (plural) is evil thoughts, always thinking evil of others and always looking for evil in others. How many pious and devout people feel this uncontrollable need to keep a close eye on others’ lives! They suspect, harbor ill will, and take a morbid pleasure in sharing their suspicions with their friends, even going so far as to slander them. The effect of these rumors on the Christian community’s life is devastating. These are people who look with suspicion at others’ actions, always observing evil and hidden intentions. 

And now, we come to the singular behaviors. Deception. The behavior of those who act in their own interests and are willing to do anything to achieve their goals. In Greek, this is called δόλος, ‘dolos,’ meaning deceit. 

The eighth behavior is wantonness. The Greek term is ἀσέλγεια (asélgueia). What is meant by this wantonness? Unbridledness, not so much in the sexual field but in all senses. To have no restraint in anything: in drinking, in eating, in having fun; it is the lack of self-control; it is the behavior of one who has as the rule of life, ‘I do whatever I want.’ This is the ἀσέλγεια, the lack of control. 

The ninth behavior is envy. In Greek, it is the evil eye: ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός – ‘oftalmós ponerós,’ an expression found in the Old Testament that means the fear that someone will always take something from me. So I keep an eye on him, and I feel sad when someone else has what I can’t have. That is envy. Let’s be aware that we experience an unutterable joy when we envy someone successful. Life smiles at him, and then something bad happens to him. When we have those feelings in our hearts, it’s envy; it’s the evil eye. 

Tenth: blasphemy. ‘Blasphemy,’ our translation says, but in Greek, blasphemy is the rejection of the truth, the opposition to the truth because it does not suit me, and so I try by all means to obstruct and hide the truth. This is blasphemy. 

Eleventh behavior: arrogance. When one wants to be the center of attention. When we open our mouths, others must listen to us in religious silence because only oracles come from our mouths. This is arrogance. 

The last behavior that comes from the heart and ruins a person is foolishness and stupidity. In Greek: ἀφροσύνη – afrosine. A stupid person may not even be guilty; the poor thing is like that, but this is not the stupidity spoken of here. The ἀφροσύνη – afrosine in the gospels is the failure to orient the choices of one’s life in the right way. In the Gospel, ‘ἀφρον’ is the rich man in Jesus’ parable in Luke chapter 12. He is the one who has accumulated goods; he is not called evil or lazy, but foolish because he has accumulated instead of distributing the goods he has been fortunate to have in his hands, and he has enlarged the storehouses to keep them for himself. He is foolish… ‘everything will be requisitioned from you this very night.’ Here is the foolishness: the sacrifice of all existence to accumulate instead of giving, and then you have built nothing; you are a person who has ended up in nothing because you have not built love. 

All these things—Jesus concludes—are bad because they come from within; they contaminate the person and make the person unclean; they mean that you will die. It is this impurity, this inner death, that we must purify, and you do not purify it with the water of purification. What purifies the heart is the voice of the Spirit that Christ gave us; his word purifies us. 

I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week.