An LGBT+ friendly Bible study for the Twenty-Second Week of Ordinary Time, based on Jesus being confronted by the Pharisees and Scribes about hand-washing rituals, in Mark 7:1 - 23.

To get the most out of this Bible study, download the sheet (First Look Sheet 20210824.pdf) from here: http://tiny.cc/29pysz

Questions to ponder:

1) Have you ever fallen foul of expectations which come from ‘the way we do things here’ rather than from God? How did you respond?

2) Why do think Jesus called the Pharisees and Scribes hypocrites (Mark 7:6)? What was it about their question that caused this reaction?

3) In 7:15, Jesus talks about what comes from the heart of a person being what defiles. How do the list of things in 7:21 – 22 harm relationships?

4) Are there traditions in the Church that get in the way of being faithful to God? How can we decide what traditions are helpful and which are not?

5) How is this reading good news for today?