Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 7, 1-13
When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.)
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?”
He responded,
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,
as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
In vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
He went on to say,
“How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said,
Honor your father and your mother,
and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.
Yet you say,
‘If someone says to father or mother,
“Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’
(meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God
in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.
And you do many such things.”
Religious structuralism alienates rather than binds
1) Religion. It is a term that means to bind, or to return to. In our case it means to return to God or to bind ourselves to God. This is vital in the role of Christianity because everyone must be attached to God. It is a way of life, because when you find Jesus, it changes your life and the life of others.
2) The rules. In our religion there are norms about the acts of love. For example, when people fall in love, the lovers show acts of love. This is why mass, or the rosary are religious catholic norms that must not be seen as a burden, but rather as acts of love to forge and secure our relationship with God. This is what also happens in marriage, there must be acts of love because if not husband and wife can become strangers, and even enemies.
3) Structuralism. When all religious things and norms become suffocating. And many times, you turn against religion for this reason. Instead of reconnecting your life to God, you end up cutting all ties because they have become a heavy burden. This leads you to lose your perspective on what is essential like speaking to God and telling Him from your heart everything you think and feel. You question everything in your life. Structure is good because it shows you a path to take. On the other hand, structuralism is bad because it is centered around excessive norms that suffocate. Please do not asphyxiate others with structuralism, rather, bring your loved ones closer to God from the freedom we enjoy as children of God.
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Always remember, Heaven is our Goal.
