How well we all know that it is not want presses upon us from the outside that makes us unclean and defiles, but rather what comes out from within us, from our hearts .

It is the malice, it is the spite, it is the resentment, it is the bitterness, it is the searing jealousy – there are many forms of evil that can come from within us, from our hearts, and these make us unclean and unworthy of calling ourselves Christian.

In the Gospel Jesus gives his own list of things that come from within the heart that makes us unclean. Jesus’ list is quite familiar because they find their source in God’s Ten Commandments (Mark 7:21-22).

The last three evils that come out from within listed by Jesus warrant special consideration: blasphemy, arrogance and folly (v. 22). Whenever spewed from within ourselves, these particular toxins damage community, beginning with the first Church which is the community that is the family.

Blasphemy or slander, be it untrue gossip or ugly detraction when we speak ill of others to make them look poorly and discredit them. Arrogance or pride keeps at the center and alienates those around us. Folly or recklessness is an egoism that puts others on edge and at a distance.

As a parish of intentional disciples it is our task to keep together, to keep close and not to harm one another by blasphemy, arrogance and folly. We are made unclean by breaking God’s Law and we can be made unclean whenever interactions with others is absent charity and without empathy. Let us dare to chose to be a parish community that, with God’s help, grows faith, hope and love by uniting, including and elevating others.