Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Pure and Sincere Hearts
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
The Old Testament heaps praise on Solomon as the typical wise man, who understood the meaning of life, of the world, of right and wrong. People came to him from distant countries to seek his advice. And yet, as we know, in later life at least, his wisdom was not powerful enough to keep him humbly oriented towards God. His heart became divided.
Gospel. Divided too, were the hearts of the Pharisees, as Jesus points out in the Gospel; their interior attitude did not correspond to their outward practices. The question of pure/impure was very important for the early Church, as it was one of the strongest traditions of the Jews and a point of contention for them. Hence, the Christians coming from Jewry asked themselves whether they could eat from the same table as non-Jews. According to Mark, in the light of creation that sees all foods as good and pure, in the kingdom, the rules about food are abolished.
Opening Prayer
Father, God of the ever-new covenant,
you have tied us to yourself
with leading strings of everlasting love;
the words you speak to us are spirit and life.
May your Spirit make us look at the commandments
not as a set of observances.
May they move us to serve you
not in a slavish way, but as your sons and daughters
who love you and whom you have set free
through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (30a) The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.
Commit to the LORD your way;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make justice dawn for you like the light;
bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.
R. The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.
The mouth of the just man tells of wisdom
and his tongue utters what is right.
The law of his God is in his heart,
and his steps do not falter.
R. The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
R. The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth:
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Prayers of the Faithful
– For families plagued by quarrels and division, that the Lord may bless them with peace, we pray:
– For all the Churches that invoke the name of Christ, that they may accept the invitation of our Lord to eat with him from the table of unity and love, we pray:
– That the Spirit may keep lawmakers today distinguishing between good and evil, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we bring before you our readiness
to respond to your love.
We ask you that these gifts of bread and wine
may become the body and blood
of your Son, Jesus Christ,
that with him we may be dedicated to you
with our whole mind and heart,
and that we may be capable
of communicating your love and justice
to all those around us.
Grant us this through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
Your Son, Jesus, has shared himself with us
in this Eucharistic celebration.
Purify our hearts and intentions,
that we may also share in his attitude
of openness to your will
and to the needs of people.
May we thus fulfill more than the law
and serve you as your sons and daughters,
in whom you recognise Jesus Christ,
Your Son and our Lord forever.
Blessing
Commandments are not just observances that guarantee our salvation. They are a response to all God has given us. We ask God not what we are obliged to do, but what he expects us to do to respond to his love. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTION:
Mark 7: 14-23
Change from Within
The journey of faith always begins with a transformation—not from the outside, but from within. True change is not about fixing the world around us but allowing God to work in the depths of our hearts.
We often focus on the exterior—the people, circumstances, and situations that surround us. When life doesn’t go our way, we’re tempted to blame others, using them as scapegoats for our frustrations and negativity. This approach is dangerous and unjust. It blinds us to our own need for change and risks harming those around us. Take a moment to reflect: Am I venting my internal struggles onto others? Be mindful of this tendency and ask for God’s grace to confront what’s within.
The true work of transformation happens in the interior. This is where Jesus longs to dwell, not to condemn us but to illuminate us with His love and truth. Often, we judge others through the lens of our own weaknesses, failing to see their goodness. Instead of taking the time to know others deeply, we rely on shallow impressions. How crucial it is to fill our hearts with God! His love empowers us to live with compassion, objectivity, and strength. When we discover God within us, we can share Him with hearts that are empty or burdened. Remember, no matter what, God never abandons you—He loves you infinitely.
Finally, there are things in life that will not change. These are the crosses we must bear and learn to endure. Let us pray for the patience to handle these challenges and grow through them.
Let us ask our Blessed Mother to help us to change from within. Teach us patience and guide us to endure life’s challenges with grace.
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Mark 7:14-23
God has taken a huge gamble
Where does evil come from? In today's Gospel, Jesus teaches us that our heart is the source of all human behaviour, whether goodor bad. Jesus focuses on the human heart, the abode of all good and bad choices. Outward observance of rituals and traditions does not make us holy, nor do they help us to please God.
Jewish traditions insisted on ritual purity to protect God's chosen people from everything associated with pagans – non-Jews or unclean animals. People observed them out of fear of God's punishment.
Do our religious observances, prayers, or even attending Mass arise out of fear of God’s punishment? If we go to Mass to fulfil the days of obligation, how are we different from the religious scholars of Jesus’ time?
The greatest gift of God to human beings is the gift of "freedom."Humans alone have the ability to choose. The Book of Genesis presented the problem of freedom within the poetic context of the forbidden fruit. Care should be taken not to envision a literal tree or even a literal apple. The author presents the tree as a symbol of the fact that we are called to choose real good, not what looks like good.
God took a huge gamble when he granted the humans with the gift of freedom. He ran the risk that we would abuse our freedom, yet God granted us freedom because he wants us to return his love voluntarily.
The fact that we are at this Mass shows that we have freely chosen to show our love for God by celebrating it. The same is true of all evil behaviours: it is up to us to choose from the heart whether we want to be good or bad.
God has taken a huge gamble - Youtube