Reflection:
Jesus' words in today’s gospel shatter the carefully constructed walls of external purity we often build around ourselves. He declares, "Nothing that enters one from the outside can defile that person; but the things that come from within are what defile." (Mark 7:15) This is a radical statement, dismantling the intricate systems of rules and rituals we cling to in an attempt to keep ourselves clean.
Think of the countless ways we scrub, polish, and filter the surface of our lives. We curate social media feeds, control our diets, and strive for the perfect image. Yet, beneath the meticulously arranged facade, festering thoughts, unkind judgments, and selfish desires often lurk. It's a familiar scene, played out in our daily dramas of gossip, envy, and unbridled anger. We blame the hurtful words on the rude driver, the anger on the traffic jam, but Jesus challenges us to look inward. The source of impurity, Jesus reminds us, lies not in what we consume, but in what we generate from within. Jesus calls us to turn inwards, acknowledging the shadows that lurk beneath the surface and actively tending to the garden of our hearts. Like weeding a neglected plot, we must root out prejudice, nurture generosity, and water the seeds of forgiveness. Only then can we truly radiate a genuine purity that surpasses outward appearances.
This realization is both sobering and liberating. It exposes the futility of chasing external cleansings while neglecting the fertile ground within where true defilement takes root. But it also opens the door to a more profound kind of purity, one cultivated not through outward restrictions but through inward transformation. True transformation demands tending to the hidden garden of our hearts, uprooting the weeds of resentment and cultivating seeds of compassion and forgiveness. It's a messy, internal battle, but one that offers the only true path to inner peace and genuine connection with the world around us.
Prayer:
Guide me, God, to see beyond the polished surface of my life. Reveal the shadows within, the hidden corners where negativity festers. Grant me the courage to uproot these weeds and nourish the seeds of love, compassion, and forgiveness. May true purity blossom from within, overflowing into every aspect of my being. Amen.
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