All these evils come from within and they defile. (Mk. 7:14-23)

Today’s Gospel is a continuation from yesterday.  Jesus wants to make it perfectly clear that what defiles one does not come from the outside or some failure to follow exactly the hundreds of customs that had developed in Judaism over the centuries.  To make his point, Jesus uses food as the example and through it, declares all food clean, reminding us that it is from within that evil comes.  What might we find within us, that causes the harm of which Jesus spoke? Let us pray that God purifies our heart so that what comes out of us, the words and actions, will uplift others and bring goodness to them.