Gospel “You have set aside the commandment of God and held to the tradition of men” (Mk 7:1-8.14-15.21-23)

 Gospel

“You have set aside the commandment of God and held to the tradition of men” (Mk 7:1-8.14-15.21-23)

Alleluia. Alleluia.

The Father has willed to beget us by his word of truth,

to make us like the firstfruits of all his creatures.

Alleluia. (Jas 1:18)

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark

At that time,

    the Pharisees and some scribes who had come from Jerusalem 

gathered around Jesus, 

    and saw some of his disciples eating their meals 

with impure hands, that is, unwashed hands. 

    – The Pharisees in fact, like all the Jews, 

always wash their hands carefully before eating, 

by attachment to the tradition of the elders; 

    and when returning from the market, 

they do not eat without having sprinkled themselves with water, 

and they are attached by tradition 

to many other practices: 

washing cups, pitchers and dishes. 

    Then the Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus, 

“Why do your disciples not follow 

the tradition of the elders? 

They eat their meals with impure hands?” 

    Jesus answered them, 

“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, 

as it is written:

This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me.

    In vain do they worship me; 

teaching 

only the commandments of men.

    You also have set aside the commandment of God and 

held to the tradition of men.

    Calling the crowd together again, he said, 

“Listen to me, all of you, and understand. 

    Nothing from outside a person 

that enters into him 

can defile him. 

But what comes out of a person, 

this defiles a person.”

    He also said to his disciples, standing apart from the crowd:

“From within, out of the human heart, 

come evil thoughts: 

sexual immorality, theft, murder, 

    adultery, greed, wickedness, 

deceit, debauchery, envy, slander 

, pride and excess. 

    All these evils come from within 

and make a person unclean.”

    – Let us acclaim the Word of God.