By Praveen Bandula, CSC –
Readings: 1Kgs 10:1-10; Mk 7:14-23
The Catholic Church invites us through the readings of the day to be pure in heart. Usually we judge a person by his outer appearance, but the Lord Jesus is asking us to judge a person not by what goes inside rather what comes from within the person. We can know if a person is good or bad by his attitude or the language he uses.
The person who is full of evil will not show positive attitude. For example, we have King Solomon in the Old Testament, who found favor with the Lord and received the wisdom as gift from God. His name was known even in outside Israel. When queen Sheba heard and met with Solomon she was amazed at Solomon’s wisdom. She praised Israel’s God as the true and highest among gods, because he blessed Solomon that no one could attain such wisdom before or after him.
In the gospel today we see Jesus, the Son of God filled with full of Holy Spirit spreading the love of God by preaching, healing and teaching. Let us fear the Lord God and be faithful to his commandments so that the Lord who sees the heart of humans will look favorably on us. Once we succeed to please God, we will be bearing only good fruits. Let us be aware of what is going inside us also; here I am not talking about the food but the attitude or behavior because we can also receive what is not holy. Never be open to the evil attitude, because sometimes we bring forth what we hear and see. So let us be mindful and conscious about our behavior and attitude.