In an episode of the sitcom Yes Minister, a new hospital has been built. It is well equipped and a large support staff is in place. On a visit to the administrative office of the hospital the Health Minister sees the staff hard at work.

 There are all the external signs that the hospital is functioning. The planners and union leaders are making financial demands of the Minister and there is even the threat of strike action.

As the debates continue, representatives of the government and those of the unions are able to refer to the relevant rules and regulations. All this, although there is neither medical staff nor patients and no plans to even start admitting patients.

The Health Minister is confounded and keeps reminding his associates “but there are no patients.” His pleas are ignored; what is considered important is that the machinery keeps functioning whether or not it is serving the purpose for which it exists.

Today’s gospel reading brought that episode of the sitcom to mind. The Pharisees and scribes have come to Galilee from Jerusalem. They have left the city, have come into the village and notice that the rules as they know them are not being followed by the disciples of Jesus.

For the scribes and Pharisees these rules are important. The external signs, upholding the tradition of the elders are the benchmarks used to measure their devotion to God. These become more important than the people they are meant for – much like the planners and union leaders in that episode of Yes Minister.

The disciples are at home in Galilee. They are comfortable in the company of Jesus - comfortable enough to eat their food with unclean hands. They do not allow the tradition of the elders to confine their interaction with each other. They have Jesus on their side and he comes to their defense.

When they are under scrutiny by those in authority he reassures them, dismissing any doubt they may have picked up about themselves. He speaks to them with authority saying: “listen to me, all of you and understand.” Jesus reminds me here of community workers who tend to abused children or abused women. They spend time getting the victims to “listen” and “understand” that they are not “unclean”, their situation does not make the unclean.

As the new school year begins this week those of us who are teachers face the challenge of upholding the tradition of our schools, along with all the rules and regulations, while being mindful of the sacred responsibility of nurturing the students placed in our charge.

Rules, regulations and codes of conduct are means of lifting up those students who need to be lifted up. If they become benchmarks of the potential of the student then teachers would be like the scribes and Pharisees asking why the disciples eat with unclean hands; only, in our case we would be asking why are they misbehaving, why are they not performing at the level they should be at. 

Father God, there are times when we are like the scribes and Pharisees, standing in judgment over those with whom we live and work.
We find our students indisciplined; we recall that we did not behave
the way they now do when we were students.
Sometimes we make them feel unclean.
We thank you that you are harsh with us
and sometimes you send one of those students to point
out to us that we are hypocrites and that our hearts are far from you.

We pray for those of us who are responsible for guiding young people today.
We think specially of teachers, and school administrators.
Help us to be defenders of the most vulnerable ones in our care,
and be able to see the good hidden beneath the insolence and indiscipline we sometimes face.
Often we are strangers to our students
Unable to understand the experiences they go through.
Send us someone like Jesus who will explain the experiences to us
And say to us, “Listen to me all of you and understand.”
Help us to make them comfortable in our presence.

Lord, we pray for our country as we celebrate our Independence.
Send us leaders like Jesus who will speak up for those who feel unclean.
Leaders who will help us to understand the difference
between the commandments of God and human tradition, leaders who will help us to find all that is pure deep down in our hearts.

Helena Allum teaches at Mucurapo Senior Comprehensive and is a freelance writer with the Catholic News.