It's not about the food

On weekdays of Ordinary Time, the first reading and the Gospel each follow their own track, as part of a plan to cover all of Scripture within the multi-year cycle of the Lectionary. This week, the first readings are stepping through the book of Genesis and the Gospel readings are continuing through the Gospel according to Saint Mark. Sometimes these "twin tracks" provide interesting juxtapositions.

Today, the first reading (Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17) appears to connect eating with condemnation to death while the Gospel (Mark 7:14-23) appears to disconnect eating from condemnation.

Of course, it was never really about the food: it was a matter of tangible, actual conformity to God’s will.

We cannot play games with God. Some people are intensely scrupulous about some things while neglecting charity and other aspects of a moral life. Other people think just being "charitable" or an outspoken Christian excuses all manner of moral failures.

None of us are perfect (I myself am a walking quagmire) but all of us are called to be more and more conformed by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to the loving and pure will of God in everything we say and do.