Fr. Gerald Musa Homily for Wednesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time Cycle II (1)

Fr. Gerald Musa Homily for Wednesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time Cycle II

Theme: Stomach and Heart

By: Fr. Gerald M. Musa

Homily for Wednesday February 9 2022

We tend to care so much about food for our stomach and care less about the vile words and negative attitudes that come from our hearts and innermost being. The Jews judged people by what they eat or drinks, but Jesus debunked this fallacy of hasty conclusion. He asked them a question to help them reflect deeply: “Do you not see that whatever goes into a man cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and so passes on?… What comes out of a man is what defiles a man.” It is the evil that comes out of the heart of a person that defiles him” (Mark 7:18, 20). Jesus gives examples of the evil inclinations of the heart, namely: evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, wickedness. Conversely, a heart that is controlled by the spirit of God is full of love, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is wrong to measures the worth of people by what they eat or drink. Beyond watching what we eat and drink, we should “Watch our thoughts, for they become words, watch our words, for they become action, watch our actions, for they become habits, watch our habits, for they become character, watch our character, for they become our destiny.” Are we so obsessed about what goes into our stomach without paying attention to the words and actions that come from our hearts?

Mark 7:14-23; Wednesday, 5th Week