Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 10, 2021
Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.”
When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
“Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?”
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”
What comes to mind most vividly as I reflect on today’s gospel is forgiveness. I think of the many times I’ve asked forgiveness from others, myself, and God because of something I did. These things that come “from within the man, from his heart,” are the things that can cause the most harm to others and especially to ourselves.
In this gospel passage, Jesus lists many negative things that can come from our hearts. In our own time, we might add to that list hate speech, prejudice, racism, and discrimination. Being taught or exposed to those things, however, are not what defile, it’s when people take these influences into their hearts and externalize them through their actions. That is what defiles.
The United States observes Black History Month annually to honor the achievements, contributions, and experiences of Black Americans in U.S. history. In my Notre Dame experience, I have humbly served as the first Black student to portray the Leprechaun mascot, as an alumni volunteer, and now as a staff member focused on unlocking the grace of giving in others.
As I reflect on my beloved Notre Dame’s history and my experience as a Black man within this community, I am filled with gratitude and hope. I am grateful for the gift of Notre Dame in my life and continue to believe in its mission. At the same time, I cannot ignore the fact that it’s been more than 75 years since the first Black student enrolled at Notre Dame–Frazier Thompson ’47–and yet our Black student undergraduate population still hovers around only 4% (with an additional 2% of students identifying as Black as part of their multiracial identity). I am hopeful that we will continue to enrich our community with far greater diverse racial representation among our leadership, faculty, staff, and students. A leader I admire and respect once stated, “When diversity and unity come together, not only is everyone enriched by the process but our common humanity is furthered.” I agree wholeheartedly with that statement and live with hope that we will more intentionally put those words into action as we continue the co-authorship of our Notre Dame story.
The events of 2020 have sparked greater efforts to promote diversity, equity, unity and inclusion and I’ve felt called to participate in that work. I am inspired by the number of people going through personal journeys of discovery and discernment, and it is my prayer that we continue to focus on positive actions that will ultimately inspire equity, inclusion, understanding and empowerment for all. What comes from within each of us, “from the heart,” can make us all stronger, together.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you teach us the way of the pure of heart, that we might see God more clearly, and so love God more fully. Help us to overcome the weakness and sin in our lives that prevent us from loving you and others with all our heart. Give us patience, perseverance, and confidence in your loving mercy for those sinful habits and behaviors that we find particularly difficult to overcome. Help us to know that your love for us is greater than our capacity to sin. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Scholastica was the twin sister of the great St. Benedict of Nursia, whose monastic community not only created Western monasticism as we know it but served as the bedrock of the new Western Christendom that rose after the fall of the Roman Empire. Benedict and Scholastica are two deeply inspiring saints and siblings.
Benedict and Scholastica were born around the year 480 AD, just four years after the final sack of Rome in 476 by Odoacer. They were born in Nursia, a town in the beautiful Umbria region of Italy (where Assisi is also located). Scholastica consecrated herself to God as a young girl. When her brother Benedict moved to Monte Cassino to lead the monastery there, Scholastica moved to the same region of Italy and founded a convent for women about five miles away. We know that St. Benedict was head of both monks and nuns, so it seems that Scholastica was abbess of her community, but took spiritual and practical direction from her brother. Their Benedictine orders are still thriving all over the world today.
Once a year, Benedict and Scholastica would visit one another. Since Scholastica was not allowed to enter her brother’s monastery, they would meet at a nearby house. The two siblings spent their time in prayer and conversation.
The years passed, Scholastica and Benedict grew older, and one year (543), it became clear to Scholastica that the next visit would be their last. After passing the whole day together, Benedict and Scholastica sat down to dinner. Scholastica begged her brother to stay with her throughout the evening and until the next day, so they could continue their discussions of God, of love, of heaven.
Benedict was unwilling to break his famous rule, which has gone on to shape the history of monasticism, in order to stay a night away from his monastery. Scholastica saw that she would not be able to convince him to stay. So she placed her head upon his hands, which were folded at the table, and implored God to move his heart that she might spend more time with her beloved brother.
Suddenly, a great storm arose with violent lightning and thunder, and Benedict could not leave. “What have you done, sister?!” he exclaimed.
“I asked you a favor, and you refused it,” she said. “I asked it of God, and God has granted it. Go off, now, leave me and return to your monastery, if you can.”
They spent the night talking, and Benedict returned to his monastery the next morning. Three days later Scholastica died. Scholastica's biographer, St. Gregory the Great, Benedictine monk and later Pope, recorded this story in his Life of Benedict and noted of Scholastica's prayer: "she who had the greater love had the greater power."
Benedict had a vision that Scholastica had died, and he retrieved her body and buried it in a tomb that he prepared himself.
Scholastica is a patron saint of religious sisters and of those seeking protection against violent storms. The bodies of Benedict and Scholastica were moved from Monte Cassino to Le Mans, France, in the seventh century. Scholastica remains a patron of that city, which was home to Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
Relics from St. Scholastica rest in the reliquary chapel on campus, and her story and image (pictured here today) are used by high school students who come to campus for a summer conference with the Notre Dame Vision program.
St. Scholastica, twin sister to St. Benedict and patron saint of Benedictine sisters—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Sts. Scholastica and Benedict is an illustration by Julie Lonneman, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of her art. Used with permission.