"Halin Sa Tagipusuon Nagagikan Ang Malain Nga Mga Painuino"

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Marcos 7:14-23)

Dayon ginpanawag liwat ni Jesus ang mga tawo kag ginsingganan niya sila, "Pamati kamo tanan sa akon, kag hangpa ninyo.

Wala sing butang nga nagasulod sa tawo nga makadagta sa iya, kundi ang nagagwa sa iya.

[Gani, kon sin-o ang luyag magpamati, magpamati sia!]"

Sang mabayaan ni Jesus ang mga tawo nagsulod siya sa isa ka balay. Dayon ang iya mga gintuton-an nagpamangkot sa iya sang kahulugan sining palaanggiran.

Si Jesus nagsiling sa ila, "Wala gid kamo sing kinalis sa iban nga indi makahangop! Wala sing bisan ano nga nagasulod sa tawo nga makadagta sa iya, tungod kay wala ini nagakadto sa iya tagipusuon kundi sa iya tiyan kag dayon nagaguwa sa lawas." (Ini nagakahulogan nga si Jesus nagakabig nga ang tanan nga pagkaon bagay kaunon.)

Kag nagpadayon siya sa pagsiling, "Ang nagaguwa sa tawo amo ang nagadagta sa iya.

Kay halin sa tagipusuon sang tawo nagagikan ang malain nga mga painuino nga amo ang nagatulod sa iya sa paghimo sang mga imoralidad, pagpangawat, pagpatay, pagpanginlalaki ukon pagpanginbabayi, pag-ibog, pagbuhat sang tanan nga sahi sang malain nga mga butang, pagdaya, pagbinastos, paghimo sang butang nga malaw-ay, paghisa, pagpasipala, pagpabugal, kag pagbinuang.

Ini tanan nga kalainan nagahalin sa sulod sang tawo kag amo ang nagadagta sa iya."

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Meditation:

Where does evil come from and can we eliminate it from our personal lives? Jesus deals with this issue in response to the religious leaders' concern with ritual defilement – making oneself unfit to offer acceptable worship and sacrifice to God. The religious leaders were very concerned with avoiding ritual defilement, some no doubt out of reverent fear of God, and others because they wanted to be seen as observant Jews. Jesus points his listeners to the source of true defilement – evil desires which come from inside a person's innermost being. Sin does not just happen from external forces. It first springs from the innermost recesses of our thoughts and intentions, from the secret desires which only the individual mind and heart can conceive.

When Cain became jealous of his brother Abel, God warned him to guard his own heart: "Sin is couching at the door; it's desire is for you, but you must master it" (Genesis 4:7). Cain unfortunately did not take God's warning to heart. He allowed his jealousy to grow into spite and hatred for his brother, and he began to look for an opportunity to eliminate his brother alltogether. When jealously and other sinful desires come knocking at the door of your heart, how do you respond? Do you entertain them and allow them to overtake you? Fortunately God does not leave us alone in our struggle with hurtful desires and sinful tendencies. He gives us the grace and strength we need to resist and overcome sin when it couches at the door of our heart.

The Lord wants to set us free from the burden of guilt and from the destructive force of sin in our personal lives. He wants to purify our hearts and renew our minds so we can love and act in every situation as he would love and act. The Lord is ready to change and purify our hearts through the grace and help of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Like a physician who probes the wound before treating it, God through his Word and Spirit first brings sin into the light that we may recognize it for what it truly is and call upon his mercy and grace for pardon and healing. The Spirit of truth is our Consoler and Helper. His power and grace enables us to choose what is good and to reject what is evil. Do you believe in the power of God's love to heal, change, and transform your heart and mind?

"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and make my heart like yours. Strengthen my heart, mind, and my will that I may freely choose to love what is good and to reject what is evil."