What destroys our relationships, what destroys man himself, is what Jesus will answer in today's Gospel. Welcome to the daily meditation on the word of God. I am Sister Maria Raquel from the Hesed Institute, and it is a great joy to be with you here in this encounter with God.
Let's go to the Gospel because today Jesus answers this question for us. What destroys our relationships, what destroys our lives, so that once aware we can then fight this evil. It may be that we are fighting in the wrong way and fighting not exactly what should be fought.
And that is why we do not succeed in our battles. But today Jesus will answer you and will help you. Do you believe this?
Then let's go to the Gospel, a decisive word for your day. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Come, Holy Spirit, come through the powerful [music] intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your most beloved spouse. Gospel according to Saint Mark, chapter 7, [music] verses 14 to 23. At that time, Jesus [music] called the crowd to him and said: "Listen, all of you, and understand.
What defiles a person is not what goes into him [music] from the outside, but what comes out of his heart. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. " When Jesus had gone into the house [music] away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about this parable.
Jesus said to them, “Are you so dull? Don’t you understand that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of their body.
” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean. ) He went on to say, “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within , out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.
All these evils come from inside and defile a person. ” This continues, right, what Jesus was saying to the scribes and Pharisees yesterday. You, including those who missed yesterday's daily meditation on the word, it's important that you see, each day we are growing in intimacy with the Lord.
And today we are still facing this discussion, what makes a man impure, isn't it? That which is essential. You know there was this discussion among the Jews, about certain foods that were considered impure.
And Jesus is saying, clarifying for them, no, calm down, it's not about that. It's not the food that makes a man impure. It's not what goes inside, it's not what a man produces that makes him impure, but it's what comes out of him.
And I wanted to open a very important parenthesis here. Pay attention, it's not what they do to you that defines exactly who you are, but it's what you do. It's how you respond that defines that situation, you understand?
That defines your victory or defeat, that defines your conquest, your edification, your destruction. [Music] Folks, this is a secret we need, it's a lesson we need to carry with us for life. Otherwise, we'll spend our lives giving various justifications for our lack of response.
It's not what they do to you that defines your victory, your defeat, your joy, your sadness, is it? But it's exactly [Music] what you do with what they did to you. That is, it's how you respond to this injustice, this slander, this disappointment, because this is the time to declare victory.
We will never [Music] overcome evil with evil. This is a great temptation of Satan in your life. It's saying, [Music] in the face of an argument, a situation, take revenge, get even.
Jesus will say: "No, offer [Music] the other cheek. " Wait a minute, Sister Maria, let's talk properly, because this is too much for me, son, daughter, [Music] for me too. It turns out we forget that we rely on God's grace in purely human matters, you know?
In the flesh alone. It's not an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Look there.
We're going to want to give the I'll give change and give a well-deserved change, but we are not called to live, to perform the works of the flesh, but to perform the works of the spirit. And the Lord says: "Forgive [music] and entrust this case to me, and I will do justice. " And look, the justice that comes from the Lord is different.
It's not to condemn, to kill, to [music] subjugate, no. But the Lord wants to save. And look, in the face of this word, something is already stirring in our hearts, isn't it?
Because often, in some comments, I read and see things like: "I surrender, [music] I'm not going to do anything, but I surrender to God's justice. That God, and we see a certain thirst for revenge there, right? That God condemns.
That God will retaliate. God won't act like that. What God wants is the conversion of our hearts.
The person who doesn't repent, the person who doesn't accept the [music] touch of grace, who doesn't accept the conversion of their heart, is themselves. They will reap what they have sown, won't they? They themselves will fall into the traps they themselves set.
And God is patient. God waits, because God is waiting precisely for our conversion. So, it's not what enters, it's not what they do, but it's how I respond, I need to look at my heart within my relationships.
Whether it's a marital relationship, my relationship with God, or a relationship with myself, [music] yes, right? How do I see myself? How am I, how have I been living?
How am I I have many people, for example, who blame themselves, who don't forgive themselves. I need to be attentive to all of that, my relationships within my work environment, because bad intentions come from the heart. And I repeat to you, this is a lifetime's work.
If you tried once, you didn't succeed. You tried twice, you didn't succeed. You tried three times, you didn't succeed.
I want to say one word to you today. Don't give up. Don't give up.
Persist. Do you know what determines success? What is decisive in the life of someone who is victorious?
It's because they decided not to give up. You have no idea how many times they fell. You have no idea how many times they tried.
You have no idea how many times they bled, they sweated. But what made them victorious was that they didn't give up. That's the hallmark of those who win.
They don't give up. Many people who arrived here today already decided to. .
. To abandon, to give up. I don't know if it was about your family, about a mission God entrusted to you, about that purpose God inspired in you.
Many arrived today with [music] this oppression. I give up. How many were giving themselves one last chance, one last opportunity with this word?
This word reached you at the decisive moment. Someone remembered you, sent this word. [music] This word reached you in one way or another, because it is God saying, son, don't give up.
Don't give up on your family. Don't give up on the mission God entrusted to you. Don't give up on life.
Don't give up [music] on happiness. Don't give up. Don't give up on victory.
Don't give up on conquest, because it is yours. That is the mark of those who win. What can you never forget, son?
You have [music] the grace of God. It's what Saint Paul, what we read in his letters. And the Lord says to him: "My grace is sufficient for you.
" My grace is sufficient for you. "Is it in your weakness that my strength is made manifest? " Saint Paul will say: "Yes, it is in my weakness that God's strength is made manifest.
" This word comes to you at the moment when you are feeling so weak in the face of this difficulty, but look, it is in your weakness that God's strength is made manifest. That is why this word reaches you. It is God who comes to meet you.
Don't give up. And pay attention here. Watch.
[music] Watch over your heart. It is not through outward practices, avoiding contact with things or people considered profane or impure. No, but the Christian achieves holiness [music] with the purity of the heart.
It is from the heart of man that those evil intentions that destroy man himself can come forth. The entry of the new people of God [music] does not, therefore, require special outward purification, but it requires the conversion of the heart, whose sign [music] is the one baptism. The disciples of Christ followed him all the more closely, the more they renewed their conversion and adherence to him each day.
With perfect charity, [music] turning ever more decisively away from evil. Don't give up on the purpose that [music] God has for you. No.
Turn away. Turn away from evil. Turn away from everything that separates you from God.
That's how we ended our prayer yesterday. Turn away from what separates you from God and draw closer to what [music] brings you closer to God. What He wants is the conversion of the heart, adherence to Him with perfect charity in love.
Thank you, Lord, for this word. Thank you for protecting me with your word. Keep the word and the word will keep you.
Thank you for protecting my relationship with your word. If in your relationship you keep the word, that word will keep your relationship, right? And see how many snares, how many arrows of the evil one are aimed precisely [music] to destroy your life, your relationship, right?
Your relationships. But we now raise the shield of faith. I [music] want to pray with you the prayer of the poisoned arrows.
It comes to my heart now, pray this prayer with me, to send back the poisoned arrows [music] that are launched daily against you, your relationships. Repeat after me: By my holy baptism and my confirmation, according to the will of Mary Immaculate, through the intercession of Saint Sebastian [music] and all the saints of the heavenly court, I send back all the [music] poisoned arrows that the devil has launched against me, against my family, against those who ordered them, not in a spirit of vengeance, but so that they may desist and convert in the name of the Father and of the Son and [music] of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
This is a very powerful prayer, right? [music] taken from the devotional of Saint Michael the Archangel, of all the holy angels, one of the most complete books with prayers [music] for spiritual combat that you can find on the Livraria Culada website loja. inistitutorres.
org. br. [music] BR.
We commend ourselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary with great faith, by the power that God the Father granted her [music]. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women [music] and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother [music] of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. by the wisdom that God the Son granted her [music].
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women [music] and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, [music] pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. For the love that God, the Holy Spirit, granted you [music]. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women [music], and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Pray for us, Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
God bless you, [music], your family, your relationships, and until tomorrow in the daily meditation on the word of God.
