On Causes and Blames

Gospel: Mark 7: 14-23

We always seek to blame our evildoing on something external to us - in something unclean out there in the world that has contaminated us and led us to do evil.  In today's reading Jesus dispossesses us of this idea by noting that the source of our evildoing lies within us: from our evil thoughts, desires, and inclinations to which we consent and perform evil actions.  In short, it is our fault for our own evil deeds.

Not content with this answer, theology went looking for a cause of these evil thoughts, desires, and inclinations.  After all, there must be some reason why we have them.  And the standard answer to that question, of course, lies in a cause or blame outside of ourselves: it is the fault of our first parents, the original sin and its effects we all inherit.  Is this answer helpful in our quest to avoid evildoing?  Not really.  

Jesus does not speak of the causes of these things within us because that question is not important.  We have these inclinations, they exist.  The real question is what we are going to do about them.  Do we consent to them, or do we instead seek to listen to the voice of God and follow God's will in our lives? The real question is about discernment of the spirits and voices that speak to us - to reject the loud voices that lead us to the precipice, and to heed the quiet voice of peace that leads us to deeds of love and mercy.