September 3, 2006 At Saint Mark Norman, OK
Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8 + James 1:17-18,21-27 + Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23
“Labor Day” this is called. It’s an odd idea these days when you stop to think about it. I went to the U.S. Department of Labor web site to find out more about how this all got started. It would appear that they are a little fuzzy about that which is no surprise given how “fuzzy” this nation has become about labor. It would seem that “unions” which we as church continue to support have been demonized nearly out of existence: if not, certainly out of power in a “right-to-work” state. I remember how we were assured that changing that law was going to flood Oklahoma with good paying jobs and investment. Since then, GM closed, and judging from the calls for help with rent and utilities, those companies standing at the state line ready to rush in have not done so. In the meantime, the real laborers in this country are threatened with deportation. Families of those who labor are subject to the nightmare of having the working member held for months in a detention cell until they are hauled over the border. We want laborers to roof our homes, lay bricks, mow grass, change sheets in hotels they could never afford to stay in, and wash dishes in our restaurants While above all, we must keep the cost of these thigs as low as possible. So, we have “Labor Day” mostly celebrated by employers rather than employees. It has become a day tolerated but hardly “celebrated” by far too many in a country where the minimum wage guarantees poverty for labor while politicians attack each other and dither about trivia instead of health insurance o transportation costs.
As Jesus once challenged external behavior that did not match internal values, we might apply the same question/and/challenge process to ourselves. The issue in the Gospel of Mark today is purity. This is not a virtue that has anything to do with dirty hands or sex. It has to do with right thinking and right behavior. This is the conflict Jesus exposes with the Pharisees. Their shallow thinking is about trivia. Unable to look into the heart, they would rather inspect hands, but Jesus looks to the heart where ironically, both good and evil are first found. Evil comes from within. If our minds are full of envy, greed, anger, adultery, pride, or if we lie to ourselves, we shall not ever know truth, be free, or be pure. The intent of Jesus is to find the driver of immoral behavior. In truth, this evil is not easy to discover, especially if you are trying to find your own. The pursuit of it will never be successful for the shallow who are distracted by trivia.
Going inside takes courage. It’s dark in there, and there are things that make us uneasy and uncomfortable. It is more fun to be entertained. Knowing, naming, recognizing the hidden holdings of the mind and heart is often a blow to the scrubbed up and idealized self image we like to project. Mow the lawn, edge the sidewalk and rake the leaves in the yard, while inside the house there is abuse, neglect, and a life-time of unforgiven ugly memories.
There are five markers of true religion.
1) Closenes to God, or rather, God’s closeness to us.
We heard that in the first reading today.
2) The pursuit of Justice is the second.
It is the way God’s closeness is best experienced.
The Psalm of this day speaks to this truth.
3) Action which bares witness to faith is the third
because words without deeds are shallow and empty.
The Epistle of James speaks with simple eloquence of this truth.
4) Knowing the difference between what is marginal from what is essential
marks true religion. Piety is not to be mistaken for holiness.
5) Finally, what is within matters most.
Therefore, in true religion, the really holy avoid evil thoughts.
Those who look good or do good things
while their hearts are filled with darkness are far from the light of Christ.
What makes holiness is attitude, not behavior.
When the Word of God has taken root in us, everything becomes a religious practice. That Word comes through the teachings of our faith, the example of good people around us, and through the wonder and beauty of creation. However, it comes, when it does take hold of us, our inner eye is opened, our hearts are softened, and we turn to God like a flower turns to the sun. When we are brought to birth in this way, covenant law becomes sacred, religious practices are cherished and we are filled with a wonder that saves.