WEDNESDAY, FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Gn 2: 4-9, 15-17 Ps 104: 1-2, 27-30 Mk 7: 14-23
“BLESSED ARE THE PURE OF HEART”
When we think about ‘purity of heart’, we realise it is not just about doing good things on the outside. It is about what is inside our hearts – the love, the kindness, and the choices we make. In the gospel, Jesus teaches us that what truly defiles a person is not what we eat or what we do on the outside, but what comes from our hearts. This is a reminder that the heart is the centre of everything – our thoughts, our words, and our actions. The first reading reminds us that God created us with a purpose. Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden, not just to live but also to take care of the world around him. God gave him moral responsibility – to love, protect, and care for creation. This responsibility was not just an external task; it was to start in the heart.
The same is true for us today. Our actions matter, but from where they come, i.e., our heart, matters even more. Pope Francis, in his encyclical Delexit Nos, shares a beautiful message about love. He says that God’s love is not just a feeling we experience but also something we are called to live out. God loves us deeply, and in return, we are called to love others. This love is what purifies our hearts. It changes the way we think, speak, and act. When our hearts are full of love, they overflow with kindness, patience, and compassion.
This is the most important lesson: purity of heart comes from love. It is not about being perfect; it is about loving others the way God loves us. Every day, we have a choice: Will we let our hearts be filled with love, or will we let anger, pride, and selfishness take over? Delexit Nos calls us to choose love, to let our hearts reflect God’s love for the world. Purity of heart is more than solely avoiding sin. It is about living with a heart that loves. It is about letting God’s love change us from within so that we can be a light to others and instrument of peace in the world.
Response: Bless the Lord, O my soul!
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