WEDNESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Mark 7: 14-23) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“But the things that come out from within are what defile.” (Mk 7:15)

FIRST READING - Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17

A reading from the Book of Genesis

At the time when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens --

while as yet there was no field shrub on earth

and no grass of the field had sprouted,

for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth

and there was no man to till the soil,

but a stream was welling up out of the earth

and was watering all the surface of the ground --

the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground

and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,

and so man became a living being.

Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,

and he placed there the man whom he had formed.

Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow

that were delightful to look at and good for food,

with the tree of life in the middle of the garden

and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The LORD God then took the man

and settled him in the garden of Eden,

to cultivate and care for it.

The LORD God gave man this order:

"You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden

except the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

From that tree you shall not eat;

the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die."

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mark 7:14-23

From the Gospel according to Mark

Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,

“Hear me, all of you, and understand.

Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;

but the things that come out from within are what defile.”

When he got home away from the crowd

his disciples questioned him about the parable.

He said to them,

“Are even you likewise without understanding?

Do you not realize that everything

that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,

since it enters not the heart but the stomach

and passes out into the latrine?”

(Thus he declared all foods clean.)

“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.

From within the man, from his heart,

come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,

adultery, greed, malice, deceit,

licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.

All these evils come from within and they defile.”

WEDNESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Mark 7: 14-23)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

  Dear People of God,

Continuing yesterday's Gospel, today God continues to teach us what God considers to be clean and what He considers to be filthy.

For God, the food that enters the human stomach is not unclean, because it will be excreted. But what is unclean comes from within the mind and heart of a person and comes out as evil thoughts and deeds, such as fornication, theft, murder, adultery, wickedness, deceit, envy, and pride.

Today, God teaches humanity how to cleanse these things from our hearts and minds so that we can be clean and be close to Him.

From the very beginning, God created humans in His image, and everything was good and pure before Him; however original sin defiled humankind.

Because of God's love and mercy, He forgave all original sins for mankind through the Sacrament of Baptism, and mankind was purified.

However as humans grow up and are raised in a society full of Satan's temptations, we disobey God's words, follow Satan's instigation, and commit sins.

In this world, only the Blessed Virgin Mary is the only one who did not sin before God, because she was given the privilege of being conceived without original sin by God; but no one is without sin.

God teaches mankind that in order to be clean from those sins, go to confession, fast, pray constantly to God, attend Mass and Eucharistic adoration, and always live in close union with God so that in our minds there is always the word of God, the presence of God. Then He will help us to be clean from sins and stay away from lust, arrogance, and evil thoughts.

In this era, God wants to teach humanity that those dirty, sinful things are caused by the devil's temptations in humans.

Because we are very weak, some people can overcome those sins, some cannot.

Therefore, God wants everyone to have close solidarity with God and with each other. And the prayers of the community and those chosen by God, are very much needed.

Because temptation and demonic possession of a person's body have existed since ancient times but have been obscured and forgotten, so people have not recognized them.

It is in this era that God made known to us so we can be free of our bad thoughts and the demons that tempt us to be arrogant, lustful, divided, discord, and envious of one another.

Therefore, everyone must trust in God and rely on those chosen by God called The Army of Light that God placed in the plan of Sanctification of the Holy Spirit.

It is through these people, that God bestows His graces of Love and Mercy, to reveal the true faces of the demons that lurk and tempt people.

Among them are demons of lust, demons of pride, demons of jealousy, demons of division, and many other extremely terrible demons of darkness that inhabit this world.

By recognizing the demons within ourselves and being determined to return to God, change our lives, acknowledge our sins, and abandon those sins so that we can live a holy life right in this era, and through our conversion, God will also have mercy and save all Satans and demons who know how to obey Him and return to Him.

Thanks be to God. Amen.