“That which comes out of a man is that which defiles a man” (Mark 7:14-23)
Biblical reflections by Mauro Leonardi*, priest and writer
We must find the strength to manifest our heart externally, make it exposed so that there is nothing hidden, but everything is in the light. And if there is something to purify, let the heart be purified by the very humility of offering it as it is before the gaze of people, and above all before God. This means being poor in Spirit: offering one's heart to God and to one's brothers so that it then enters within us pure again and does not remain hidden. Because it is in the shadow of loneliness, fear, selfishness, pride that sin is born and grows.
From the Gospel according to Mark 7:14-23
At that time, Jesus called the crowd again and said to them: «Listen to me, all of you, and understand well! There is nothing outside man which, by entering into him, can make him impure. But it is the things that come out of a man that make him impure." When he entered a house, away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “So you are not able to understand either? Don't you understand that everything that enters a man from outside cannot make him impure, because it does not enter his heart but his belly and goes into the sewer?". Thus he made all foods pure. And he said: «What comes out of a man is what makes a man impure. In fact, from within, that is, from the hearts of men, evil intentions come out: impurity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deception, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come out from within and make man impure."
* Mauro Leonardi (Como 1959) has been a priest since 29 May 1988 and has lived in Rome since then. He spends many hours of his day as a priest and prefers building bridges rather than raising walls. For years he has been writing stories, articles, essays and books that revolve around the relationship between man and God. Author of the blog Like Jesus. Abelis (Lindau) is his latest novel. The volunteers of the Gionata project thank him for sharing these reflections on the word with us.
