Homily for Wednesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time Cycle I
Theme: THE HEART OF MAN….”Nothing that enters one from out¬side can make that person unclean”
By: Fr. Norbert ESTARRIOL i Seseras
Homily for Wednesday February 10 2021
Today, Jesus teaches us that God made everything good. But our intentions —which are not always right— may contaminate what we do. This is why Jesus Christ says: «Nothing that enters one from outside can make that person unclean. It is what comes out from within that makes unclean» (Mk 7:15). The experience of the offence against God is very real. And we Christians can easily discover the evil’s deep mark in a sin’s enslaved world. The mission Jesus charges us with, is to clean —with the help of His grace— all this contamination men’s bad intentions have spread all over the world.
The Lord wants all our activities to be carried out well: He expects us to show in them intensity, method, science, know-how, eagerness for perfection, not looking for anything else but reinstating God’s plan for Creation. For God made everything for man’s benefit: «Purity of intention. —You will always have it if, in everything you do, you only look forward to pleasing God» (Saint Josemaria).
Only our will can spoil the Divine Plan. And we must watch that this is not so. Quite often we let in vanity, pride, despondency for lack of faith, impatience when our aims are not attained… This is why saint Gregory the Great warned us: «Be not seduced by any flattering prosperity, for only the foolish traveler stops along the way to admire the beautiful landscape while forgetting where he is heading for».
It will, therefore, be convenient to pay attention to how we offer our deeds to God, to always be aware of His presence and to frequently consider the Divine Filiation. Thus, all our days—through work and prayer— will be fortified and begin in our Lord, and whatever we start in his name will reach its desired ending.
For we can make great things if we realize that each one of our human actions is a co-redeemer when joined to deeds and actions of Christ.
Fr. Norbert ESTARRIOL i Seseras
(Lleida, Spain)