From the REC
TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B
First Reading Dt 4:1-2, 6-8 By obeying God, Israel shows wisdom.
Second Reading Jas 1:17-18, 21-22, 27 All truly valuable gifts come from above.
Gospel Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Jesus confronts the Pharisees, who pay only lip service to God.
Historical Context – Pharisees
Pharisees were mostly lay men (i.e. generally not Priests) who were characterised by a strict observance of the Torah as well as an oral tradition of teaching and interpretation.
They believed that the Torah required interpretation – by engaging in this interpretation they participated in God’s ongoing revelation. They also had a strong belief that all Jewish people were called to be a priestly people.
This belief naturally put them at odds with the Priests of the Temple. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the teachings of the Pharisees gained prominence and eventually developed into Rabbinic Judaism that continues today.
Today we take this opportunity to recognise and celebrate the ecological conversion journey of our school community through the awarding of Level 3 Certification from Catholic Earthcare. We the community of Mount Carmel Catholic College have been recognised as a Catholic Earthcare School.
This certificate acknowledges that our school is demonstrating a strong commitment to ecological conversion and dialogue through a documented journey of environmental change actions.
This is a wonderful acknowledgement of the many environmental actions that we engage in at our school and it inspires us all to continue doing what we can to care for our common home.
Mrs Christine Meharg
REC Coordinator