The WORD
today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/020817.cfm)
reminds me that what makes me clean or unclean comes from inside of me,
not outside.
People generally want instant
and visible results for their efforts. People who go to the gym often work on
their upper body, since it is relatively easier to see the results on the arms
and shoulders, plus it can be easily seen by other people, unlike the lower
body which is almost always covered (Except when one is always wearing shorts).
However, in the gospel, Jesus reminds us that sometimes, what is not seen is more important than what
is seen.
There were many laws and
regulations on food during the time of Jesus, so people follow a lot of things.
They take in clean food to remain clean. They are careful what to eat, what to
take in. However, Jesus reminded them in the gospel that what makes a person
unclean is not food which goes inside a person, but things that are already in
him and go out of him. Unlike food, these things are not easily seen, but they
are actually more important than those readily seen.
The inner state
of a person determines the outer state.
A person full of hatred, greed
and evil may not be easily spotted just by looking at the appearance. The
appearance may seem nice and normal, but the important things, the inner
attitude and state of a person which affects the entirety of someone, are not
immediately visible or obvious. In fact, other people may not see them, for
evil people can do things to hide their real intentions and actions. But God
sees.
in
the first reading, we know what will happen next. Adam and Eve eventually ate
food from the forbidden tree. They were created by God, they were normal and
nice on the outside, but their inner state gave way to them committing sin
against God. This is what Jesus meant in the gospel.
May we take time to check the
inner state of our souls, of our beings, and do our best to improve them as
well, even if people may not see the effects of it.
Father God,
Thank you for
today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another reminder of
what is important in life. Thank you for reminding me how important the state
of my soul is. Sorry for the times I ignore the importance of this. Sorry for
focusing on the outside. Sorry for not having the will to clean my heart and my
life. Help me be sensitive and to take time off to improve and clean my heart,
so that what will come out of me and how I will live my life will always be
pleasing to you. Amen.
Blessed
day!
In
Christ,
-g-
Ps
See
related reflections:
February 8, 2017
Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 331
Reading 1 Gn 2:4b-9, 15-17
while as yet there was no field shrub on earth
and no grass of the field had sprouted,
for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth
and there was no man to till the soil,
but a stream was welling up out of the earth
and was watering all the surface of the ground—
the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being.
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and he placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The LORD God then took the man
and settled him in the garden of Eden,
to cultivate and care for it.
The LORD God gave man this order:
"You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden
except the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
From that tree you shall not eat;
the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die."
Responsorial Psalm Ps 104:1-2a, 27-28, 29bc-30
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
All creatures look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
Alleluia SEE Jn 17:17b, 17a
Your word, O Lord, is truth:
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mk 7:14-23
"Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile."
When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
"Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?"
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
"But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile."
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