Conquered
Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Mark 7: 14 - 23 Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.”
When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, “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 the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“… evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit. Licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
To understand this Gospel correctly, we need to understand that Jesus is having a discussion about the Jewish Law. We catch Him in the middle of it. According to the Law, Jews were forbidden to eat certain foods that were “unclean” (eating these foods would make a Jew unfit for ceremonial worship). Jesus is stressing that what actually makes someone truly unfit to come before God is not their diet, but their sin.
Sin is very dangerous, and we have to know that. It is dangerous not simply because it hurts us and others, but because by sin we distance ourselves or separate ourselves from God. Many people today try to fool themselves into thinking that sins aren’t bad because they seem so “normal” or “legal” or “private”. But Jesus Christ tells us our sins are serious and that they “defile” us. We don’t conquer sin by ignoring it. We conquer sin by admitting it and turning to Christ who conquers sin for us on the Cross. It is worthwhile to examine our consciences every night and ask for Christ’s to forgive us. Do we do this daily? During prayer now, let’s each consider our recent sins and bring them to the Lord to be conquered.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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