[Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8; Psalm 14; James 1:17-18,21-23,27; Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23]

In the first reading today, we hear Moses tell the people about the laws given by God to enable them to have life, enter and take possession of the land that God was giving them. They were instructed to obey those laws and not to remove anything or add anything to them. They are also told that by obeying these laws they will be envied by other nations, and they will truly keep God close to them and be recognised as a mighty nation.

In the Gospel we hear Jesus turn criticism of his disciples back on to the critics, accusing them of adding to these same laws given to the Jewish nation by God via Moses. It was through this same passage that Jesus declared foods to be clean and insisted that it isn’t what we put into our bodies which makes us unclean, it is the things which come from the heart, which are evil, that make us unclean. Jesus lists a whole range of sins which we may recognise that can come from within us. The emphasis here is that if we obey the laws given by God then we are less likely to fall into evil ways, because the laws of God are perfect and the human regulations and traditions which were inserted over the years by the Jewish religious leaders, allowed ‘work arounds’ or ways of bending God’s laws, and if we remember the original statement given by Moses we know that they were not allowed to add or take away any of the law.

The second reading today, comes from the letter of St James, here we are reminded that what God gives us is perfect because it comes from the Father of all light. He never changes and He made us first fruits of all that He created. St James goes on to tell us that we must accept and submit to the word that has been planted in us and this means obeying God’s words; not looking for our own ‘work arounds’ to try and convince ourselves that what we are doing doesn’t really matter or that the sin we want to commit doesn’t harm anyone. The reality is that it harms us and our relationship with God and hardens our hearts; so that we are unable to love God and our neighbour in the way we are called to do.

This idea of first fruits is used elsewhere today, as we enter the Season of Creation. In our Pastoral Area there is a service at 3 pm today [Sunday 1st September], in Christchurch in Chineham where we will celebrate an ecumenical service with our brothers and sisters from the other Christian denominations, as well as local politicians and dignitaries. The theme of the service is “To hope and act with Creation” and we are asked to keep in mind the first fruits of hope. I will be part of the Ecumenical Service and during it I will use a story from a nun, whose mother was a Native American from the Seneca Iroquois tribe. The story talks about the Native American tradition of looking back seven generations and forward seven generations, recognising who we came from, the sacrifices they made for us and that it is our responsibility to think about those who will come after us; by only using the resources we need to use and ensuring that future generations have what they need; through us making responsible decisions.

However, to mark the Season of Creation, I’m going to use another story this morning from Sister Jose Hobday which also looks at creation. She said that when children were born in her family, they were given a special birth gift. Her father made each of them a little leather pouch, which they referred to as their own little medicine bag. It was a tradition passed down from her mother’s family. In the bag her mother put two things in and so did her dad. They were then given the medicine bag and told to put it in a special place. The tradition was that if they died without their medicine bag then it would be buried separately. This happened with some family members who served overseas during a war. Otherwise, the medicine bag would be buried with the owner.

When they were old enough to understand, they were told what was in their medicine bag. Sister Jose said that her mother had placed inside her bag, a pinch of soil from the state of Texas because she had been born there. She had also placed a piece of umbilical cord from her birth, about two inches of it had been dried in the sun and crumbled it into the soil. She was told that these two things, the cord and the pinch of Texas, symbolised that she had come from the land and her parents. They were to help her remember that she didn’t start out by herself; that she was dependent upon the land and upon family.

She continued by saying that her dad had placed a feather into each child’s bag; he had burned a small piece of the feather and mixed it in with the things her mother had put in. The reason for this was that birds were of the sky. They can soar to the horizon and beyond. The feather said that each of the children were also to soar and find their own place in the world. Her dad would never tell any of the children what other item he placed into their bags. It represented the unknown, the mystery in life. No matter how much pleading or probing or guesses they made; he never revealed the mystery item.

Sister Jose said that to have a mystery like that set before her from an early age proved to be a big help once she began to work with the mysteries in her life, which came along later. It also helped her to understand that God is the centre of all mystery. She still has her medicine bag and describes it as a wonderful gift from her parents; she added that it has shown her the importance of making symbols that tie us to places and to people and to God.[1]

The Season of Creation prompts us to think about our Creator; what He has created and reminds us of the responsibilities God gave us to look after all that He created. This includes all life, the land, the seas and rivers. Everything He has made has a profound beauty; even if we can’t see it or if we consider it to be a pest. Everything created by God has a purpose. The symbols we use during this time remind us of the first fruits. The first fruits in nature are a sign of hope that there will be more fruits provided by our bountiful Father. At our Baptism we become new creations, if we are baptised as young children, our parents make the promises to bring us up in the faith. As parents, Godparents and as Grandparents we have a sense of joy as the youngsters start to say prayers alongside us, joining in and even making their own petitions. These are first fruits, that the seeds of faith we have sown are starting to bear fruit. So, as we begin this Season of Creation, may we always remember that God gives us everything we need and more, it is up to us to only use what we need, to share what we have been given with those who are in need and to protect our planet for those who will be around for seven generations and beyond.

Further Reading

Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 577-582: Christ and the Law
CCC 1961-1974: the Old Law and the Gospel

Please keep in your prayers this week

  • The sick and housebound, those who are dying and those who are grieving.
  • Father Jean-Patrice that he makes a full recovery.
  • The pupils and staff returning to our schools this week and those who are starting school for the first time or are moving to new schools or colleges
  • Those with mental health issues.
  • The Season of Creation which starts 1st September and continues to the Feast of St Francis on 4th October.

Deacon Tony

30th August 2024

[1] Sr Jose Hobday, The Medicine Bag, taken from A World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers by Fr William J Bausch, [Twenty-third Publications, Mystic, CT, 1998] 240.