💖 HOMILY - FEBRUARY 8 💖

First Reading - Genesis 2:4-9,15-17 

Gospel - Mark 7:14-23

Saint Augustine writes in his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” The deep quest of the soul, as St. Augustine, discovers is God. Therefore, it's vital that each one should aspire for it. The readings of today remind us that in our quest for God, we also need to avoid that displeases God.

The first reading narrates the second creation story. This creation story also holds Adam as one of the beautiful creations of God fashioned and breathed to life by Him. This account of creation lays out two important roles of the man; firstly, to take care of the garden (this refers to the responsibility of the man) and secondly, to watch out not to fall into temptation by eating the forbidden fruits. The passage in fact is a reminder for us as well; to take care of our responsibility that is to do what God expects from us and watch out our inclinations to sins. 

In the gospel passage, Jesus explains about the root cause of evil after the controversy over the written law and oral religious law. He stresses on guarding our hearts. He explains that nothing from outside that can defile a person but what emerges from within or heart. Regarding biblical anthropology, the 'heart' is regarded as the seat of emotions and intellectual activities; even thinking and reasoning. Jesus employes this understanding of the audience to explain and underscore the need of the education of heart. He further explains that evil things emerge from the heart and that is realized in our action. Hence, Jesus emphasises that it's by weeding out the root cause of evil from the heart and cleansing it, hence, the real purity can be achieved and not merely by eating food which are defined as pure or impure. 

Dear friends, our life is a journey. It's like a garden of Eden where we have the responsibility to do as God expectes from us and also an obligation to avoid that can lead us astray. The first reading tells us that Adam was entrusted with a responsibility and also warned of the avoidance of eating the fruit from the tree located at center of the garden. Both the options for him were in the same place or in the same garden. This reminds us that God gives us options either to do His will in our lives or shirk from it; to obey Him or disobey Him. It's our personal choice and freedom to respond to the options given to us. In order to do what God expects us to do, we need to avoid our second option that is to fall into temptations. In order to do so, the gospel of today encourages us to guard our hearts which, if not guarded, can become devious and inamicable to God. The root cause of evil must be sorted out to fulfill what God expects from us.

Let's try our best to remain faithful to God in carrying out our duty faithfully.