13 February 2019
Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
You have probably had the experience of eating something that made you sick. While the memories of such an illness are certainly not pleasant, they probably don’t elicit much of a response inside your heart. On the other hand, a memory of being hurt or mistreated by another can certainly have a huge effect on our hearts, even years later. This is what Jesus is getting at when he says that “the things that come out from within are what defile” not what enters from outside.
It’s easy to know what it feels like when we are the victims of an evil act, but how can we know what impact our acts can have on others when we are the offenders? There is no way. We must tread carefully, avoiding any act that might defile our own hearts and hurt the hearts of others. And for the times we have already failed and the times we will fail, let us not lose sight of the all-encompassing mercy of God, which works in ways we cannot fully grasp. Let us ask that his mercy be upon us all.