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.”
Reflection:
We read this Gospel passage tonight and my husband asked us, “so are we inherently good, or bad at our core?”
“What comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.”
I do not know about anyone else, but for me, I battle the bad everyday. When something happens at work where mistakes are made, do I own up to those mistakes, or do I try to pawn them off as someone else’s mistakes? Everyone has decisions to make everyday. When I look into my heart and choose the good, I know that Jesus is there helping me.
So how do I battle the bad? Well I utilize spiritual nourishment as my weapons. The Rosary daily, reading scripture, and other prayers help me to try to stay on the right track as far as fighting off evil thoughts, greed, selfishness, etc… Those things that are in the heart that could come out if I let them.
The Lord helps those who help themselves. We have choices to make every minute of the day. We have to take the initiative to feed ourselves the good that we need, that feeds the heart, our spirit, and helps us to survive in a wicked world.
Reading and meditating on the Word of God is a great way to feed our souls with the good we need to battle the bad that can comes from within. However, the best weapon is going to Mass. The only way for us to continue to have Mass is to have good holy priests to celebrate Mass for us. We all are in need of prayer and our priests are no exception. Let us continue to say the PAPA Priests Prayer daily for our priests, so they make good choices daily.
I don’t think anyone is immune to the evils of sin, we all need to feed our soul, so that what comes from our heart, shines with the love that Jesus pours into us.
What spiritual weapon do you have in your wallet?
May God bless us all!
