What Truly Defiles Us - Mark 7:14–23

In today's Gospel, Jesus gathers the crowd and delivers a teaching that must have startled many who heard it. He declares that nothing entering a person from outside can make them unclean. Instead, it is what comes from within — from the human heart — that truly defiles. When his disciples press him for clarity, Jesus explains that food passes through the body, but evil intentions are born in the heart: things like greed, deceit, envy, pride, and foolishness.

Reflection

We live in a world that pays extraordinary attention to appearances. We curate our social media profiles, we dress carefully for certain occasions, and we often judge others by what we see on the surface. Jesus cuts through all of this with a disarmingly simple truth: what matters most is the condition of your heart.

This is both liberating and challenging. It is liberating because Jesus is telling us that holiness is not about rigid dietary codes or outward rituals performed without love. It is challenging because there is nowhere to hide. We cannot mask a bitter heart with beautiful words. We cannot cover jealousy with generosity that is only for show. God sees what others cannot.

The list Jesus offers — fornication, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, envy, slander, pride, and folly — is not meant to overwhelm us with guilt. It is meant to invite honest self-examination. Each of us carries some struggle within. The first step toward freedom is acknowledging what lives in the hidden rooms of our hearts.

Today, on the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, we are also reminded of healing. Mary appeared to St. Bernadette at a time when the young girl was poor, overlooked, and considered unimportant by the world's standards. Yet her heart was pure and open. Lourdes has since become a place where millions seek healing — not just physical healing, but the deeper healing of the soul. That is exactly the kind of healing Jesus points us toward in today's Gospel.

Living It Out

Take a quiet moment today to sit with this question: What is living in my heart right now? Not what you show the world, but what is actually there. Is it resentment toward someone? Is it anxiety you have not surrendered? Is it pride that keeps you from asking for help or offering forgiveness?

Whatever you find, do not be afraid of it. Bring it to God honestly. That honest offering is the beginning of the interior cleansing Jesus is calling us toward. He does not ask for perfection. He asks for sincerity. A heart that is willing to be examined is already on the path to being made whole.

A Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, You see what no one else can see. You know the thoughts and intentions of my heart even better than I do. Give me the courage to look within honestly, and the grace to let You heal what is broken. Through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes, grant me a clean heart and a renewed spirit. Amen.