Mk 7:14-23
14[Jesus] summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. 15Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” [16]
17When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. 18He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, 19since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20“But what comes out of a person, that is what defiles. 21From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, 22adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. 23All these evils come from within and they defile.”
From their hearts: What is the opposite of the evil things the Lord enumerates? We can have instead: 1. Grateful hearts. A grateful heart is always happy. There are so many things to thank the Lord for. If you can list even three blessings a day, that will change how you look at things. 2. Sincere hearts. If we can be true to what our hearts say, we will find goodness within. The Lord will speak to us and show himself if we are sincere in our longing for him. 3. Joyful hearts. We can choose how we feel. We can decide to be kind. We can opt to wear a smile instead of a frown.
The Lord looks at our hearts. And it is in our hearts where we can be ourselves. We can train our hearts to be true and then let our hearts teach our whole being to be truly human and fully alive creatures of God. For it is only through the heart that one truly sees!