5th Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday – 10th February 2021 — Gospel: Mark 7,14-23
Have a Heart of Right Relationship
Jesus declared to the crowd that the source of holy living is from within, not from without. Actually, he was declaring null and void the entire Mosaic system of “clean and unclean foods”. But at that time, he did not explain this radical truth to the crowd. Later, he explained it in private to his disciples. However this declaration was surely understood by his enemies. They realized that he was breaking down one of the “walls” that separated the Jews from the Gentiles. For Jesus, the kingdom of God is not merely for the chosen race of Jews alone but for all. Of course, the law itself was not set aside until Jesus died on the cross (Eph 2,14-15; Col 2,14), but the principle Jesus announced had been true throughout the ages. In every period of history, true holiness has always been a matter of the heart, a right relationship with God by faith. If the heart of the person dwells in God then one will live an authentic life with responsibility. To enter into the kingdom of God what we need is the purity of the heart. Ceremonial purity was a matter of external obedience to the law as evidence of that faith (Ps 51,6.10.16-17). In Deuteronomy, Moses made it clear that God wanted love and obedience to come from the heart, and not be merely outward obedience to rules (Deut 6,4-5; 10,12; 30,6.20).
