Feast of St. Jerome Emiliani
Gn. 2:4b -9, 15-17 |Ps. 104:1-2, 27-30 | Mk. 7:14-23
The story of creation continues. God creates out of love; and, everything and everyone created is therefore good. God creates a garden for Adam with all that he needs to survive. God asks one thing of Adam: “Do not eat of the tree of Good and Evil.” Remember that humans are created in God’s image and have free will. God places a decision before Adam to choose to say “yes” or “no” to God’s request. There is nothing difficult about the choice. But Adam must make a choice. So, too, we have the gift of choosing each day, each moment, to say “yes” or “no” to God. Jesus is teaching His followers the very same lesson. Food is not unclean. What makes a person clean or unclean is the person’s choices. Does the person choose to live a life of love, or does the person choose to live a life of hate? These choices come from within us. Our choice to follow Jesus and the way of love will enable us to make loving choices despite their cost or their difficulty. Jesus calls us to follow Him on the path to Goodness, Love, and therefore to God.
Today, consider the depth of your love for God. Look over the past month and see the times you responded to God with love. What enabled you to do so? See the moments when your response was unloving, selfish and self-centered. Why did you make that choice? What can you do to help yourself make better and more loving choices? Decide to do so today.