As Instruments of Goodness not Evil

February 27, 2025 – Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022725.cfm)

Human as we are, we fail and sin. However, this is not an excuse not to desire perfection and holiness before God. In fact, the Gospel of Mark today reminds us to be more aware of our selfish tendencies and evil desires so that we will be able to respond to the temptations that may come to us.

What Jesus told us in the Gospel is not meant to be understood literally. “if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off… if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off…  If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out,” – if this is to be understood literally, then, each of us here will have no hands or feet or eyes or even more than that.

Jesus actually wants us to cut off sin from our system that only separates us from Him and from others.

The Book of Sirach also reminds us of the danger to solely rely on human strength, power and wealth that feed our selfishness. Having such desires to only cloud our mind and heart will make us indifferent to the needs of others.

Thus, when our thoughts are filled with lust and evil thoughts, then, Jesus wants us to stop that, and instead fill our thoughts with God’s Living Word that will inspire, challenge and confront our hearts. Read the bible, then.

When our heart is filled with anger, hatred and bitterness, fill it with God’s forgiveness and peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

When our hands remained close to those who need our help, then, open them and express your gratitude to God by extending help and kindness to people around us.

When our feet remained paralyzed with fear in taking risks, then, be embraced and be confident in God’s love for you so that your feet will be free from fear and take the risk of building close and intimate relationship with others. Go and come nearer to your loved ones, spend more quality time with them.

When our eyes will only tend to see what is ugly, negative and imperfect, then, open our eyes wider to see and realize the beauty of others, the wonders of the world and the goodness of our neighbors.

In this way, we lessen our tendency to nurture our insatiable desire for self-gratification. We begin to see others rather than ourselves alone. We become more self-giving rather than self-serving.

This will hopefully allow us to deepen our relationships, whether in marriage, or in the context of a family with children, or among our friends and colleagues.

Indeed, Jesus calls us to become persons not driven by selfish desires, but to become persons driven by the desire to love and to give oneself for the sake others. In this way “we keep the salt in ourselves and have peace with one another” because Spirit of God dwells in us and among us. Hinaut pa.