Gospel of 2 September 2018

Book of Deuteronomy 4,1-2.6-8.
Moses spoke to the people and said:
«Listen, Israel, to the laws and norms that I teach you, so that you put them into practice, that you live and come into possession of the country that the Lord, God of your fathers, is about to give you.
You will not add anything to what I command you and you will not take anything away from it; but you will observe the commands of the Lord your God that I prescribe you.
You will therefore observe them and put them into practice because that will be your wisdom and your intelligence in the eyes of the peoples, who, hearing of all these laws, will say: This great nation is the only wise and intelligent people.
In fact, what great nation has the divinity so close to itself, as the Lord our God is close to us every time we invoke him?
And what great nation has just laws and norms like all this legislation that I am exposing you today?

Salmi 15(14),2-3a.3cd-4ab.4-5.
Lord, who lives in your tent?
Who will dwell on your holy mountain?
He who walks without guilt,
acts with justice and speaks loyally,

He who does not say slander with his tongue.
does not say slander with the tongue,
It does no harm to your neighbor
and does not insult his neighbor.

In his eyes the wicked is despicable, but he honors those who fear the Lord. Even if he swears to his detriment, it does not change;
In his eyes the wicked is despicable, but he honors those who fear the Lord. Even if he swears to his detriment, it does not change;
Who lends money without usury,
and does not accept gifts against the innocent.

He who acts in this way
will remain firm forever.

Letter of St. James 1,17-18.21b-22.27.
every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above and descends from the Father of light, in whom there is no variation or shadow of change.
Of his will he begot us with a word of truth, so that we could be like a firstfruits of his creatures.
Therefore, having laid aside all impurities and all remnants of malice, accept with docility the word that has been sown in you and that can save your souls.
Be those who put the word into practice and not just listeners, deluding yourself.
A pure and spotless religion before God our Father is this: to help orphans and widows in their afflictions and to remain pure from this world.

From the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Mark 7,1-8.14-15.21-23.
At that time, the Pharisees and some of the scribes from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus.
Having seen that some of his disciples took food with unclean, that is, unwashed - hands
in fact, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they have washed their hands up to their elbows, following the tradition of the ancients,
and returning from the market they do not eat without having done the ablutions, and they observe many other things by tradition, such as washing of glasses, dishes and copper objects -
those Pharisees and scribes asked him: "Why don't your disciples behave according to the tradition of the ancients, but take food with unclean 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 hearts are far from me.
In vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines that are precepts of men.
By neglecting the commandment of God, you observe the tradition of men ».
Calling the crowd again, he said to them: "Listen to me all and understand well:
there is nothing outside of man that, by entering into him, can defile him; instead, it is the things that come out of man to contaminate him ».
In fact, from within, that is, from the heart of men, bad intentions come out: fornications, thefts, murders,
adultèri, greed, wickedness, deception, shamelessness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.
All these bad things come out from within and contaminate man ».