22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
You must do what the Word tells you
God of might, giver of every good gift,
put into our hearts the love of your name,
so that, by deepening our sense of reverence,
you may nurture in us what is good
and, by your watchful care,
keep safe what you have nurtured.
After several weeks of reading St John’s Gospel, we return once more to hearing St Mark. The focus this week is on the Law, and the tensions that can exist between the Commandments of God as fulfilled in Jesus and human traditions.
Of course, in the first place the Law was a gift from God to help us show wisdom and understanding, leading to our own happiness (First Reading).
The Psalm describes the person who will live in the presence of God.
As God’s children we must accept and submit to his word, not just in what we say, but also in what we do (Second Reading).
However, if the Law becomes a God in itself and leads the follower to be obsessed with its human interpretations, then the focus is no longer on the Lord at the centre of our life, and a change of heart is needed (Gospel).
This week, then, we might want to pray particularly for a greater balance in our lives between the Lord and his Word and a legalistic approach to life and its man-made institutions.
