Wednesday 8 February 2017
Wed 8th. St Jerome Emiliani; St Josephine Bakhita, Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17. Bless the Lord, my soul!—Ps 103(104):1-2, 27-30. Mark 7:14-23.
Readings
‘It is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge.’
The Pharisees had been criticising Jesus’ disciples for not following Jewish traditions of washing before preparing food. He quoted Isaiah’s words: ‘their hearts are far from me … their doctrines are human regulations.’ In this reading Jesus goes further by saying that nothing from the outside can make a person unclean. It is only the things within, avarice, malice, deceit, slander which make someone unclean. And yet, if we draw on God’s spirit within ourselves we can enrich the lives of those we meet, for the fruits of the spirit come forth from the heart of the true follower of Jesus. Let us seek ways to be true to the spirit within and not be blinded by the demands of laws which do not work for the common good.
Email this Print This Page
