Evil is from within, not from without

 

‘LORD, THAT I MAY SEE.’

A SHORT COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF THE DAY ACCORDING TO THE CATHOLIC LECTIONARY.

 

Gospel

Mark 7:14-23

It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean

1.      Jesus called the people to him and said,

2.      ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand.

3.      Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean;

4.      it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean.

5.      If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’

6.      When he had gone back into the house, away from the crowd,

7.      his disciples questioned him about the parable.

8.      He said to them, ‘Do you not understand either?

9.      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?’

10.  (Thus he pronounced all foods clean.)

11.  And he went on, ‘It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean.

12.  For it is from within, from men’s hearts,

13.  that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly.

14.  All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’

 

We may live in a very sinful situation, but that does not make us a sinner. It is the condition of our heart that determines whether we are sinners or not, clean, or unclean. What is in your heart? Or rather, who is in your heart? If Jesus truly lives in your heart through your faith and love, you will be clean indeed.

If Jesus lives in your heart, then from your heart will come all the goodness of Jesus.

 

From our words and actions, we can tell what is in our heart.