Religious Education 

GOSPEL         Mk 7:1-8. 14-15. 21-23 

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 

You forget the commandments of God and hold on to human tradition. 

The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the marketplace they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So, these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture: 

This people honours me only with lip-service, 

while their hearts are far from me. 

The worship they offer me is worthless, 

the doctrines they teach are only human regulations. 

You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ 

He called the people to him again and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’ 

A beginning point for discussion of this week's Gospel with children 

• What are some favourite things you like to wear? 
• When do you wear them? 
• Can you tell if a person is good inside by the clothes they wear? 

In today’s Gospel Jesus talks about being good on the inside. He says that our hearts should be pure. 

• What does it mean to have a pure heart? 

Jesus asks us to be good on the inside, in our thoughts and in what we do. 

Let us pray that we will have pure hearts and love others as Jesus has shown us.