Daily Reflection for Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners!
We encourage you to reflect on Wednesday’s readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021220.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: 1 Kings 10: 1-10
Responsorial: Psalm 37: 5-6, 30-31, 39-40
Gospel: Mark 7: 14-23
Our reflection on Wednesday’s readings:
“Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile since it enters not the heart . . .? But what comes out of a person, that is what defiles. From within people, from their hearts, come evil.” Mark 7:18, 20, 21a.
The readings today concentrate on the value of what we hold in our hearts. What lives deep inside, the core of who we are.
In the first reading, Solomon’s wisdom and success came from staying focused on God.
The responsorial psalm says, “Commit to the Lord your way” and “the law of his God is in his heart.”
In the Gospel, Jesus says, “From within people, from their hearts, come evil …”
We are receiving a very clear message today! What we allow to live in our hearts determines the power of evil in our lives and in the world.
We MUST guard the thoughts, judgements, values, ideas, and opinions we hold in our hearts! As Christians, we must measure what we hold in our hearts with the teachings of Jesus. Jesus came to show us the way to the Father. We need to carefully and purposely follow his direction at every turn.
Christians follow Christ. It’s pure and simple. We ponder Jesus’ words and hold them in our hearts. And we must let those words of Jesus guide our lives.
This is a timeless message from Jesus and following him is direction for all time. When writing this reflection, I thought the readings were timely considering the current state of the world (pandemics, wars, global climate change, human trafficking, corruption, etc.) and the divisions within our country. Jesus in our hearts and guiding our lives is still the answer.
For me, when forming a position or opinion, I measure it with Jesus. When making a decision or choosing a direction, I try to follow Christ. Not what someone else claims to be Christian but to really follow Christ . . . to ponder Jesus’ teachings and measure it with any topic at hand.
God bless you+
Ruth Mytty