February 10, 2021, Wednesday
MEMORIAL OF SAINT SCHOLASTICA, VIRGIN (White)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
RDGS: GN 2:4-9. 15-17/ PS 104:1-2. 27-28. 29-30
GOSPEL: MK 7:14-23
Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“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.”
GOSPEL REFLECTION:
Jesus directs our focus to what is inside us. We find good and evil inside our hearts. Harsh judgments, retaining of past hurts, thoughts of greed, and misuse of others are part of the human heart as well as the love that dwells there. Prayer purifies the thoughts and desires of the heart as we allow the love of God in Jesus Christ to flood our personalities.
PRAYER:
Lord, you see into my heart. A pure heart creates in me. Take away my heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, so that I may become as compassionate as you are.
No comments:
Post a Comment