10 February 2021
Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin
If you’ve ever had food poisoning, you know how unpleasant the experience can be. While you might only be sick for 24 hours, it might take years for you to want to try the same food again. You can even go about life without ever having it again.
Something similar happens when someone hurts us. It may be the smallest thing: a word, an interaction that stays with us for years, if not forever. We might try to always avoid the person who harmed us, and at times this is the best option, but it’s not how Jesus wants us to live.
Perhaps this is why Jesus warns us today that it is not what goes into a person that defiles, but rather what can come out of the human heart: evil thoughts, arrogance, envy, deceit, to name a few. We have a responsibility to love and care for one another.
May we find in Christ the healing that we need. And may the thoughts, words, and actions that come from our heart be those that build up, reconcile and unite God’s family.