When Jesus got home and was away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about this saying, and he replied, “So even you are dull?
Do you not see that whatever comes from outside cannot make a person unclean, since it enters not the heart but the stomach,
and is finally passed out?” Thus Jesus declared that all foods are clean.
And he went on, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him, for evil designs come out of the heart: theft, murder, adultery,
jealousy, greed, maliciousness, deceit, indecency, slander, pride and folly. All these evil things come from within and make a person unclean.”
REFLECTION:
Our morning prayer begins with the phrase “O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall proclaim your praise” (Psalm 51:15).
This reminds us that the purpose of our gift of speech is to praise the Lord. Once evil words are spoken, they can no longer be taken back.
The effects of evil words on others are irreparable. It is similar to feathers of chicken, which cannot be returned to their skin once they are removed.
What comes out of our mouth reveals what is in our heart. “From the fullness of ones’ heart, the mouth speaks.” According to Saint Basil the Great,
one way to avoid evil thoughts, which is the source of evil speech, is to keep the word of God in our mind. With the psalmist we pray,
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
© Copyright Bible Diary 2020
