Matthew 15:11
“It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles the man; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.”
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What we eat today may harm us. Saturated fats can cause high blood pressure that can lead to stroke or heart attack. Then there are the artificial flavorings that can cause cancer. And of course, the tar and nicotine from cigarettes have been proven to kill millions of people annually. All these things, when absorbed by the body, could have harmful effects someday.
But if these things can defile your body or kill you, the things that comes out of it can defile others and ourselves. In today’s gospel, Jesus is very clear that what really defile a person are not the things that comes into his mouth, but those that comes out of it.
Jesus wants us to understand that the things we say are more important than the things we eat, and that our actions, thought, and statements are what really defile or corrupt us.
How many times have we talked about our neighbors and even friends that put them into a bad light? We not only corrupted his being in the eyes of others, but corrupted our own being in the eyes of God.
These things we say or do many times are not evident to those around us – but God can see them. Our actions may even seem pure and good, but when they are done for the wrong reasons, they really corrupt us.
True purity is the purity of the heart!
Let us pray +
Almighty Father, I earnestly wish to be pure in thought, word and deed in imitation of your own holy purity. Obtain for me, then, a deep sense of modesty which will be reflected in my external conduct. Protect my eyes, the windows of my soul, from anything that might dim the luster of a heart that must mirror only Christlike purity. Heart of Jesus, Fount of all purity, have mercy on us. Amen +
…the peoples gather together and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
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