Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes

There is no record of Saint Peter Julian ever visiting Lourdes, which did not become a pilgrimage site until 1876, 8 years after his death. But his own deep devotion to Our Lady might have drawn him in prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes!

In today’s Gospel, Our Lord focuses on one point: “Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” In other words, nothing you eat or drink can make you a sinner, but what comes out of your mouth from your heart, some of those things can make you a sinner. Saint Mark adds, parenthetically, “Thus he declared all foods clean.”

Jewish dietary laws are based on the idea that some food or drink can render us ritually impure or sinful. I have never forgotten that during Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021, one of his lawyers put one hand on top of his head every time he drank some water. Why? I consulted a strictly Orthodox Jewish friend to ask if, in fact, the lawyer was putting his hand on top of his head because he wasn’t wearing a yarmulke.  Ron confirmed that eating or drinking is wrong unless you are wearing a yarmulke, the skullcap that Jews wear to acknowledge something over them, a power greater than themselves, as their Lord. This incident reinforces what Jesus is saying.

We must avoid sinning with what comes out of us, from our hearts, sins like theft, greed, deceit, blasphemy, and arrogance.

How can we stifle such sins before they are committed?

Prayer:

Bless us, O Lord, and your gifts of food and drink, which we receive through Christ Our Lord. Amen.