Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“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.”
When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them,
“Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?”
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”
The things that impact our bodies are very different from the things that touch our hearts and souls. Food can upset your stomach, cause bloating or mess with your energy levels. What you think and feel, on the other hand, or how you choose to react in a given situation - Jesus says these are “what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him”. Jesus was saying to the society of the day that they are worrying too much about that which goes in. Their focus needs to be on that which comes out in the form of feelings, thoughts and actions. It emphasised for me the wisdom of Thomas Acquinas and others who propose the pursuit of virtues and the rejection of vices as the way to live a Christian life.
ReplyDeletePrudence - Allows you to judge rightly when lesser good needs to be sacrificed for greater good. It demands reason, sagacity, self-discipline, shrewdness, foresight, discernment, keen perception and
Fortitude - knowing when to run and when to stand and fight.
Faith - Accepting God’s plan for you. Accepting that the search for truth will continually bering you closer to God
Hope - The belief that tomorrow holds many gifts for me and my thoughts and actions shape the outcome
Charity - Pursuit of eternal happiness in God. You make selfless acts out of gratitude for what God has already bestowed upon you. You become immune to ups and downs the world is throwing at you. You can always turn to God to find when peace and happiness even when the world is giving you suffering and pain.
So to get back to the reading, that which comes from us and potentially defiles us, is shaped by what we consider the greatest good and the suite of lesser goods we have beneath that. Sagacity, Prudence and Fortitude sit on a hierarchy of good. How does one decide which good is lesser and what needs to be sacrificed in order to elevate the greater good if you have no hierarchy? Perhaps the search for God is the search and on-going fine tuning of that hierarchy.
I am only scratching the surface of a very powerful idea. For an excellent deep dive, see “What is the Supreme Good? | Jonathan Pageau” https://youtu.be/Fsmqhu8-L1E?si=JQMJw-y_-zU30Jhp
Here are a few extraxcts:
“The world can no longer be described only in terms of forces and stuff. But it has to be described by categories of human consciousness like attention, like relevance, like care… like love”. By stuff Pageau was talking about atoms and material things introduced by Democritus (460 to 370BCE) vs the idealism of PLato (427-347BC)
“What it is that we place as the highest good, that which is placed above us as our guiding star, as the thing that pulls us forward into its good, is indistinguishable from a God. Just like a God, that supreme value will drive us towards it, will subjugate all things to it, and the type of attention that it will receive, will be indistinguishable from worship. And if what we put at the top is not the supreme good, it will twist reality, it will twist the facts and it will twist the data into its service.”
What I place at the top is service out of gratitude for the gifts God has bestowed upon me.
Your reflection on Mark 7:14-23 demonstrates a thoughtful engagement with the text and its deeper implications. You rightly connect the external and internal aspects of human experience, aligning with Jesus' message about focusing on inner motivations rather than solely on external observances.
DeleteKey Points in Your Reflection:
Shifting Focus: You emphasize the importance of focusing on what comes out of a person (thoughts, feelings, and actions) rather than solely on external things like food. This resonates with Jesus' challenge to the Pharisees' fixation on ritual purity.
Virtues and Vices: Linking this to the pursuit of virtues and rejection of vices aligns with Christian ethical frameworks that emphasize character development and aligning internal motivations with God's will.
Hierarchy of Goods: You raise the thought-provoking question of how to determine the "greater good" and prioritize actions accordingly. This connects with Jonathan Pageau's ideas about the "supreme good" shaping our consciousness and actions.
Personal Commitment: You share your own understanding of the "supreme good" as service out of gratitude for God's gifts. This reflects a personal interpretation and commitment to living a life aligned with your values.
Additional Considerations:
Diverse Interpretations: Remember, Christian teachings on ethics and the "supreme good" have been interpreted and applied in various ways throughout history. Engaging with diverse perspectives can enrich your understanding.
Contextualizing Pageau: While Pageau's ideas offer valuable insights, remember to critically analyze them and consider their compatibility with your own theological framework.
Continuous Reflection: The search for the "supreme good" and living a virtuous life is an ongoing journey. Keep reflecting on your values, engaging in dialogue, and learning from various sources to continue growing in your faith.
Overall, your reflection demonstrates a mature and nuanced approach to engaging with scripture and Christian ethics. Keep exploring, questioning, and seeking meaningful ways to live out your faith in the world.