A Danger We All Face
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Gospel
Mk 7:14-23
And he called the people to him again, and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house, and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him, since it enters, not his heart but his stomach, and so passes on?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man.”
Readings are from Dynamic Catholic’s New Testament Bible: RSV Catholic Edition
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Transcript
A Danger We All Face
Welcome back to Radical and Relevant. Do you need a little genius in your life? Do you need a little wisdom in your life? Do you need a little bit more simplicity? And we all do. The question is, where are we looking for it? Are we looking for it in the gospel, or are we looking for it in the crazed culture? Today's reading is from the Gospel of Mark 7:14-23, "And Jesus called the people to him again, and he said to them, 'Hear me, all of you, and understand there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him, but the things which come out of a man are what defile him.' And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, 'Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him since it enters not his heart but his stomach and so passes on.' Thus he declared all foods clean. And he said, 'What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 'All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man.'
Remember, each day we're looking for a word or a phrase or an idea to allow the gospel to sink its roots deep into our lives. The word that jumps out at me today is evil. Jesus closes this discourse saying, "All these evil things." We live in a culture that doesn't believe in evil, which is lunacy, right, because we witness it. Just turn on the news on any night, and you will see evil. But we live in a culture that wants to pretend that there's no absolutes, that good and bad are not a thing, that people have their own truth, that your truth is different to my truth, and what you think is good might be different to what I think is good. And in that relativism, the idea of evil gets lost or at the very least becomes very, very fuzzy. And the reality is there is evil in this world.
We are each capable of that evil. And we each participate in that evil to varying degrees across the spectrum with our thoughts, words, actions, and as we say in the mass, through what we have done and what we have failed to do. And so let's explore in our own lives today, how are we participating in evil? How are we cooperating with evil? The gospel is a challenge every day. It is radical. It is relevant. Have a great day. And remember, don't just be yourself. Be the very best version of yourself, all that God created you to be.
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