8 February 2012, Wednesday
Gospel: Mk 7:14-23
On Clean and Unclean
Jesus called the people to him again and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’
When he had gone back into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, ‘Do you not understand either? Can you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot make him unclean, because it does not go into his heart but through his stomach and passes out into the sewer?’ And he went on, ‘It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’
Reflection
God created us good. How, then, does evil exist in us? Perhaps, the answer lies in the strength of the bond between our hearts and the Heart of Goodness; a bond that is strengthened by prayer and the decision to seek God sincerely. The looser this bond, the more evil seeps into our unguarded hearts.
Jesus unveils the cleanliness of our hearts through our relation with others, be they family or a beggar calling out to us.
What have you or have you not said and done today that reveals to you the hidden state of your heart?
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