Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the Gospel
of Matthew, Chapter 15, and the Gospel of Mark,
Chapters 7 and 8. Matthew, Chapter 15. Then the
scribes and Pharisees, who were from Jerusalem,
came to Jesus, saying, Why do your disciples
transgress the tradition of the elders? For they
do not wash their hands when they eat bread.
He answered and said to them, Why do you also
transgress the commandment of God because of
your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor
your father and your mother, and he who curses
father or mother, let him be put to death. But
you say, Whoever says to his father or mother,
Whatever profit you might have received from
me is a gift to God, then he need not honor his
father or mother. Thus you have made the commandment
of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites,
well, did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying,
These people draw near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips, but their heart
is far from me, and in vain they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
When he had called the multitude to himself,
he said to them, Hear and understand. Not what
goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes
out of the mouth, this defiles a man. Then his
disciples came and said to him, Do you know that
the Pharisees were offended when they heard this
saying? But he answered and said, Every plant
which my heavenly Father has not planted will
be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders
of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind,
both will fall into a ditch. Then Peter answered
and said to him, Explain this parable to us.
So Jesus said, Are you also still without understanding?
Do you not yet understand that whatever enters
the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?
But those things which proceed out of the mouth
come from the heart, and they defile a man. For
out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders,
adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
blasphemies. These are the things which defile
a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not
defile a man. Then Jesus went out from there
and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that
region and cried out to him, saying, Have mercy
on me, O Lord, son of David. My daughter is severely
demon -possessed. But he answered her not a word.
And his disciples came and urged him, saying,
Send her away, for she cries out after us. But
he answered and said, I was not sent except to
the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then she
came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, Help me.
But he answered and said, It is not good to take
the children's bread and throw it to the little
dogs. And she said, Yes, Lord, yet even the little
dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's
table. Then Jesus answered and said to her, O
woman, great is your faith. Let it be to you
as you desire. And her daughter was healed from
that very hour. Jesus departed from there, skirted
the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain
and sat down there. Then great multitudes came
to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute,
maimed, and many others. And they laid them down
at Jesus' feet, and he healed them. So the multitude
marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the
maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the
blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
Now Jesus called his disciples to himself. And
said, I have compassion on the multitude, because
they have now continued with me three days and
have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send
them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.
Then his disciples said to him, Where could we
get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such
a great multitude? Jesus said to them, How many
loaves do you have? And they said, Seven and
a few little fish. So he commanded the multitude
to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven
loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them
and gave them to his disciples. And the disciples
gave to the multitude. So they all ate and were
filled. And they took up seven large baskets
full of the fragments that were left. Now those
who ate were four thousand men besides women
and children. And he sent away the multitude,
got into the boat and came to the region of Magdala.
Mark chapter 7 When they come from the marketplace,
they do not eat unless they wash. And there are
many other things which they have received and
hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper
vessels, and couches. Then the Pharisees and
scribes asked him, He answered and said to them,
This people honors me with their lips, but their
heart is far from me, and in vain they worship
me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of
men. For laying aside the commandment of God,
you hold the tradition of men, the washing of
pitchers and cups, and many other such things
you do. He said to them, All too well you reject
the commandment of God, that you may keep your
tradition. For Moses said, Honor your father
and your mother, and he who curses father or
mother, let him be put to death. But you say,
if a man says to his father or mother, whatever
profit you might have received from me is qurban,
that is, a gift to God, then you no longer let
him do anything for his father or his mother,
making the word of God of no effect through your
tradition which you have handed down, and many
such things you do. When he had called all the
multitude to himself, he said to them, Hear me,
everyone, and understand. There is nothing that
enters a man from outside which can defile him,
but the things which come out of him. Those are
the things that defile a man. If anyone has ears
to hear, let him hear. When he had entered the
house away from the crowd, his disciples asked
him concerning the parable. So he said to them,
Are you thus without understanding also? do you
not perceive that whatever enters a man from
outside cannot defile him because it does not
enter his heart but his stomach and is eliminated
thus purifying all foods and he said what comes
out of a man that defiles a man for from within
out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts
adulteries fornications murders thefts covetousness
wickedness deceit lewdness and evil eye Blasphemy,
pride, foolishness, all these evil things come
from within and defile a man. From there he arose
and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon, and
he entered the house and wanted no one to know
it, but he could not be hidden. For a woman whose
young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about
him, and she came and fell at his feet. The woman
was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she
kept asking him to cast the demon out of her
daughter. But Jesus said to her, Let the children
be filled first, for it is not good to take the
children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.
And she answered and said to him, Yes, Lord,
yet even the little dogs under the table eat
from the children's crumbs. Then he said to her,
For this saying, Go your way, the demon has gone
out of your daughter. And when she had come to
her house, she found the demon gone out and her
daughter lying on the bed. Again, departing from
the region of Tyre and Sidon, he came through
the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea
of Galilee. Then they brought to him one who
was deaf and had an impediment in his speech,
and they begged him to put his hand on him. And
he took him aside from the multitude and put
his fingers in his ears, and he spat and touched
his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed
and said to him, Effata, that is, be opened.
Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment
of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.
Then he commanded them that they should tell
no one. But the more he commanded them, the more
widely they proclaimed it. And they were astonished
beyond measure, saying, He has done all things
well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the
mute to speak. Chapter 8 In those days the multitude
being very great and having nothing to eat. Jesus
called his disciples to him and said to them,
I have compassion on the multitude, because they
have now continued with me three days and have
nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry
to their own houses, they will faint on the way,
for some of them have come from afar. Then his
disciples answered him, How can one satisfy these
people with bread here in the wilderness? He
asked them, How many loaves do you have? And
they said, Seven. So he commanded the multitude
to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven
loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them
to his disciples to set before them, and they
set them before the multitude. They also had
a few small fish, and having blessed them, he
said to set them also before them. So they ate
and were filled, and they took up seven large
baskets of leftover fragments. Now those who
had eaten were about four thousand, and he sent
them away. Immediately he got into the boat with
his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanuta.
Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute
with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven,
testing him. But he sighed deeply in his spirit
and said, Why does this generation seek a sign?
Assuredly I say to you, no sign shall be given
to this generation. And he left them, and getting
into the boat again, departed to the other side.
Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread,
and they did not have more than one loaf with
them in the boat. Then he charged them, saying,
Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees
and the leaven of Herod. And they reasoned among
themselves, saying, It is because we have no
bread. But Jesus, being aware of it, said to
them, Why do you reason because you have no bread?
Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your
heart still hardened? Having eyes do you not
see, and having ears do you not hear? And do
you not remember? When I broke the five loaves
for the five thousand, how many baskets full
of fragments did you take up? They said to him,
Twelve. Also when I broke the seven for the four
thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments
did you take up? And they said, Seven. So he
said to them, How is it you do not understand?
Then he came to Bethsaida, and they brought a
blind man to him and begged him to touch him.
So he took the blind man by the hand and led
him out of the town. And when he had spit on
his eyes and put his hands on him, he asked him
if he saw anything. And he looked up and said,
I see men like trees walking. Then he put his
hands on his eyes again and made him look up.
and he was restored and saw everyone clearly.
Then he sent them away to his house, saying,
Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in
the town. Now Jesus and his disciples went out
of the towns of Caesarea Philippi, and on the
road he asked his disciples, saying to them,
Who do men say that I am? So they answered, John
the Baptist, but some say Elijah, and others
one of the prophets. He said to them, But who
do you say that I am? Peter answered and said
to him, You are the Christ. Then he strictly
warned them that they should tell no one about
him. And he began to teach them that the Son
of Man must suffer many things and be rejected
by the elders and chief priests and scribes and
be killed and after three days rise again. He
spoke this word openly. Then Peter took him aside
and began to rebuke him. But when he had turned
around and looked at his disciples, He rebuked
Peter, saying, Get behind me, Satan, for you
are not mindful of the things of God, but the
things of men. When he had called the people
to himself, with his disciples also, he said
to them, Whoever desires to come after me, let
him deny himself and take up his cross and follow
me. For whoever desires to save his life will
lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake
and the Gospels will save it. For what will it
profit a man if he gains the whole world and
loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in
exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed
of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, of him the Son of Man also will be
ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father
with the holy angels. I hope you enjoyed today's
reading as much as I did and I look forward to
seeing you again tomorrow to continue on our
journey. God bless you and have a great day.