Both of the readings for mass today are about understanding. The Queen of Sheba came from a great distance to ask King Solomon to answer many questions that she had. He had been blessed by God with such great wisdom and understanding of things, that he was able to answer every question she had, to her satisfaction. She was impressed with the great temple King Solomon had built, the food at his table and the dress and manners of those who waited on them, but most of all she was impressed with King Solomon’s great wisdom.
The scriptures say that the Queen of Sheba was “breathless” over the whole experience and could not help but exclaim “Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours…Blessed be the Lord, your God, whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel. In his enduring love for Israel, the Lord has made you king…” The Queen of Sheba recognized the truth of the reality of God’s grace and King Solomon’s deep witness to his faith by the manner in which he lived. His actions spoke for themselves and the blessing of wisdom that God had bestowed upon him, was born through Solomon’s deep and abiding faith, long before he was made the King of Israel. The manifestation of his faith that the Queen of Sheba experienced did not happen overnight and it did not happen without King Solomon’s open heart and God’s deep and abiding grace.
In the gospel today, Christ’s disciples did not understand about the things that defile a person, mainly the food that they ate. Unlike the Queen of Sheba, they were focusing on the food instead of the heart and character of a person. Jesus seems surprised at their lack of understanding. They really were not all that different than us though. We often notice the outward appearances of people and things, without seeing with God’s eyes, what is of real value in life. The heart matters. Not the quality of our meals, our clothes, our home, our possessions, education, or status in life. The heart is the only thing we will be judged by, and sometimes that can seem a little scary because none of us are perfect.
We all commit venial sins and have shortcomings and weaknesses. Most good Catholics already know that venial sins add up and can lead to mortal sins though, if they aren’t kept in check. Catholic confession is not meant to be a “guilt trip”. It is a way of regularly paying attention to the small things, so that we aren’t inadvertently led into mortal sin and lose our salvation.
Teenagers and young adults often shrug off confession, because “they believe” it isn’t important or necessary because God already knows their hearts. But, it isn’t just young people who do this. Many practicing Catholics also disregard going to confession, sometimes for many years because they don’t agree that it is necessary either. Some are uncomfortable confiding to a priest, who is not a perfect person either. Others don’t want to admit their behavior is wrong. They have beliefs which are in contradiction to our Catholic faith. But, in order to be a practicing Catholic, we are required to make a good confession once a year, and confess any mortal sin, immediately in order to remain in a state of grace.
From Christ’s words in today’s gospel, we know what serious sins are: evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance and folly. Christ said these are the evils that come out of the human heart and defile it. There are varying degrees of some of these sins, but they all started out as a venial sin, because it is our thoughts that become actions.
After reading these words in the gospel today, confession might be in order this weekend, to nip the buds of these sins before they ever take root in our hearts.
Daily Mass Readings:
1 Kgs 11: 4-13 / Ps 81: 10-11ab, 12-13, 14-15 / Mk 7: 31-37
