GROW: Experience, education, and brainpower give parents wisdom and foresight. They can see the bigger picture and determine, for example, that eating an entire box of cookies will make their child sick – no matter how appetizing the cookies appear. God, likewise, has a perspective that is infinitely broader and deeper than our own. This divine perspective is the lens through which we must understand the strong language Jesus uses in today’s Gospel.

GROW:How often does ambition get in the way of holiness? In today’s Gospel, Jesus foretells his death, and the Apostles respond by arguing over who among them is most important. But the Apostles’ aspirations and motivation stand in stark contrast to the humility necessary for discipleship; their lack of understanding signals a need for instruction. “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all,” Jesus explains.

GROW: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel don’t leave much room for “secondary interpretation.” Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. At first glance this may sound intimidating, but let’s think about it in the light of today’s readings. By denying ourselves, we are able to turn more fully toward God and toward others. Isn’t that what James is asking of us in his letter? He says this of faith: “if it does not have works, [it] is dead.” He even uses an example that might sound like something we would hear in a homily today: he asks, if you see someone who doesn’t have proper food or clothing and you simply wish them well without offering assistance, what good are you doing?

GROW: My first thought upon reading today’s Scriptures is that by healing the deaf man, Jesus is fulfilling what God had said he was going to do since the time of the prophet Isaiah: “making the eyes of the blind see and opening the ears of the deaf,” as we heard in the first reading. And indeed this is what Jesus did. But when I re-read the Gospel I was intrigued by the line: “[Jesus] took him off by himself away from the crowd.” Jesus had a reputation as a healer and a teacher, so it stands to reason that he healed people in front of the crowds often. Why, then, does Jesus remove the man from the crowd?

Dt 4:1-2, 6-8; Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27; Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

GROW: Traditions are so important to us! They help define and preserve our heritage and our communities while also offering comfort and stability. They shape our human world as we see and live it. But in today’s Gospel, Jesus scolds the Pharisees and scribes for allowing “the tradition of the elders” to drive them to hypocrisy: “In vain do they worship [the Lord], teaching as doctrines human precepts.” He accuses them, saying “You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition.”