Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Mark 7:1–8,14–15,21–23

Whenever Jesus addresses the Pharisees in Scripture, my conscience is pricked, and my heart is stirred. My love for tradition, ritual, and rules can lead me to be overly scrupulous of myself and others, to be pharisaical. And if there is one thing I detest, it is a pharisaical heart. 

If I’m honest, one of my greatest fears is that when I reach my judgment, I’ll find out that I missed the point—that I was too focused on other's unwashed hands, so preoccupied with carefully washing my own hands, clutching tightly to the comfort of human precepts as if they were doctrine, that I failed to notice how far my heart was from God. 

This week’s gospel should cause us to pause and take a step back. Jesus gives us a list of what truly defiles us and makes us impure, serving as a serious examination of conscience: 

From within people, from their hearts,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile. (Mark 7:21–23)

It’s easy for me to breeze through that list, pat myself on the back, and breathe a sigh of relief: “Nope, no theft, no murder, no adultery. Check, check, check. Good to go.” But if I pause and really pray over that list, examine the root of those sins, and the subtle ways they creep into my heart, things are no longer so simple. 

Have I harbored resentment against someone? That’s the seeds of malice. Have I scrolled on social media and coveted another person’s life? There’s envy creeping in. Have I spent money unnecessarily while ignoring the needs of the poor? Greed is beginning to take root. 

Suddenly, I’m not doing so great. 

And I think that’s the point Jesus is trying to make. 

He is inviting us to go deeper and seek true purification—the kind only He can provide. 

In the Beatitudes, Jesus proclaims, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Indeed, “the ‘pure in heart’ are promised that they will see God face to face and be like him. Purity of heart is the precondition of the vision of God.”[1] 

But what does it mean to have a pure heart? 

Being pure in heart means aligning our intellect and will with all that God requires of us, particularly in three important areas: loving others, living with sexual integrity, and holding fast to the truth and orthodoxy of faith. There is a profound connection between the purity of our heart, our body, and our faith.[2]

Of course, saying what it means and actually achieving it is a whole different story. When we are baptized, we are purified of original sin, but the wound of that sin remains. Thus, we battle against the desires of the flesh. It’s up to us to fight for this purity, to safeguard and nurture this virtue. This demands the practice of chastity (no, that’s not just for unmarried people!), seeking to find and fulfill God’s will in everything, disciplining our feelings and imagination, and grounding ourselves in prayer.[3]

Battling sounds a little intimidating, doesn’t it? But here’s the thing: we’re not in this fight alone. We have been given the amazing gift of the sacraments. We have direct access to God’s abundant mercy and grace. Every time we go to confession (psst...it’s Saturday, which means confession is probably happening in a church near you), we are forgiven and reconciled to God and the Church. Each time we receive the Eucharist, we receive Christ Himself, food for our journey that strengthens us and further conforms us to the image of God. 

So, let’s embrace this worthy battle. Yes, we’ll stumble and trip along the way. There will be moments when we choose poorly and say or think the wrong thing. But the next time we’re tempted to focus on someone’s unwashed hands, may we remember this gospel and ask Jesus to purify our hearts. Every time we choose edification over gossip, love over anger, forgiveness over resentment, generosity over greed, we come a little closer to the promise of seeing God face to face. And that is a promise worth holding onto, a journey worth every effort, every tear, every prayer. 

Food for thought or journaling... 

Reflect on the list Jesus provides in Mark 7:21–23. Which of these sins subtly creep into your life? How do they impact your relationship with God, others, and yourself? How can you turn to God for strength in these areas?

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit (Psalm 51:10–12). Amen.

[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd edition (Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2012), #2519.
[2] Ibid, #2518.
[3] Ibid, #2520, #2532.