1 Kings 10:1-10 / Mark 7:14-23
It is not easy to impress those who already have what is impressive, or who in themselves are impressive.
So to those who are naturally beautiful, it will be very difficult for the beauty care companies to get their endorsement; for those who are rich and famous, it will be difficult to sell them a book or a program on how to be successful.
The queen of Sheba, in the 1st reading, was a royalty and a monarch in her own right. If she was a queen regnant, then she would certainly have an impressive status in her region.
So it would be difficult to impress her, as the other kingdoms around her would have done probably and failed.
But when she heard of the fame of Solomon, she made the trip all to way to see for herself and indeed she was impressed. She could not believe until she saw it with her own eyes the wisdom and prosperity of Solomon and his kingdom.
People also came to Jesus because they were impressed by Him - He taught with authority and He healed the sick
But Jesus did not ride on His popularity and impressiveness. He came to preach repentance and bring people back to God.
And in today's gospel passage, Jesus puts the focus on the heart. It is the things that come out of a man's heart that makes him unclean - fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly.
These evil desires do not leave a good impression on anyone. On the contrary, a kind and loving heart that is merciful and compassionate will leave lasting impressions.
So let us ask the Lord to cleanse our hearts of sin and make it pure with His love.