Image from lds.org, images of the life of Jesus Christ.
First reading 1 Kings 10:1-10
Solomon prays to the Lord in the Temple
The fame of Solomon having reached the queen of Sheba, she came to test him with difficult questions. She brought immense riches to Jerusalem with her, camels laden with spices, great quantities of gold, and precious stones. On coming to Solomon, she opened her mind freely to him; and Solomon had an answer for all her questions, not one of them was too obscure for the king to expound. When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built, the food at his table, the accommodation for his officials, the organisation of his staff and the way they were dressed, his cup-bearers, and the holocausts he offered in the Temple of the Lord, it left her breathless, and she said to the king, ‘What I heard in my own country about you and your wisdom was true, then! Until I came and saw it with my own eyes I could not believe what they told me, but clearly they told me less than half: for wisdom and prosperity you surpass the report I heard. How happy your wives are! How happy are these servants of yours who wait on you always and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God who has granted you his favour, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because of the Lord’s everlasting love for Israel, he has made you king to deal out law and justice.’ And she presented the king with a hundred and twenty talents of gold and great quantities of spices and precious stones; no such wealth of spices ever came again as those given to King Solomon by the queen of Sheba.
Responsorial Psalm 36(37):5-6,30-31,39-40
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
Commit your life to the Lord,
trust in him and he will act,
so that your justice breaks forth like the light,
your cause like the noon-day sun.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom
and his lips speak what is right;
the law of his God is in his heart,
his steps shall be saved from stumbling.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord,
their stronghold in time of distress.
The Lord helps them and delivers them
and saves them: for their refuge is in him.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
Gospel Mark 7:14-23
It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean
Jesus called the people to him and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’
When he had gone back into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, ‘Do you not understand either? 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?’ (Thus he pronounced all foods clean.) And he went on, ‘It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’
_____________________________
Blessed the pure in heart
Today’s gospel is a continuation of the one from yesterday. The Pharisees and the scribes were concerned with external rituals. For Jesus, the state of the heart is more important because it determines how we relate to God and others. What matters is not the ritual washings or the type of food we eat but whether our heart is clean or dirty. Thus, it is pointless if we scrupulously abstain from meat on Fridays and fast on other days, but we harbour hatred and speak badly of others. Food goes to the stomach and exits from our bodies. It cannot affect our relationship with God and others. Therefore, in the gospel passage, Jesus declared, “For it is from within, from the heart, that evil intentions emerge”.
Our judgemental thoughts, ugly words, discriminatory attitudes, and uncaring actions come from a tainted, defiled heart. In this time of prayer, let us look deep into our hearts and see if we have jealousy, envy, pride, anger, etc., embedded within. We humbly turn to God and ask Him to purify our hearts to be more loving, compassionate, and forgiving.
Question for reflection:
What emerges from my heart?
What emerges from my heart?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
