8 February 2017 - nothing that enters

[ Today's Readings ]

"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."

Jesus is telling us that the external world does not have any power to make us pure or impure. If that is true then what is all this about the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil? Isn't that the perfect example of something from without that can kill our spiritual life? Aren't there many such things in the world which are toxic to us, which, just to be near them, causes us harm? No, not the things themselves. It is always about ourselves, our choices, and our relationship to the things around us that make us pure or impure, holy or unholy.

But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.

Isn't it the fruit that defiles Adam and Eve? No. The fruit has no power over them unless the reach out and take it. They have the choice to believe and trust in God or to decide for themselves what to do. We know all to well what they choose.

Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God's command. This is what man's first sin consisted of. All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness. (See Catechism of the Catholic Church #397).

We still wonder about the presence of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We're suspicious of it. We're suspicious of anything we are told we cannot have as if it is put there to trap us. But why are we so suspicious of limits and rules? It seems like we expect to be gods ourselves, falling after the pattern of Adam and Eve. Why the tree, then, if not a trap? Perhaps for beauty. Perhaps the fruit would be given later but not yet. Who can say. It is not our right to be able to say.

If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
Let us therefore keep watch over what comes out of us from within, from our hearts. By grace we have control over these things. Instead of evil fruits leading to doom we can produce good fruit thirty, seventy, and even one hundred fold. By the Spirit we can produce good fruits leading to life within ourselves. We become a sustainable ecosystem not threatened by the wider world. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (see Galatians 5:22).

The secret to bearing the fruit of the Spirit is faith. It is trusting in God rather than wickedly stretching out our hands to take fruit which is not for us. So, then, let us trust him!

All creatures look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

 This may just make your morning: