The gospel for Thursday of the seventh week in Ordinary Time is taken from Mark 9th, chapter 41st to the 50th verse. Jesus said to his disciples, anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, Amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.

It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good. But if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor?

Keep salt in your cells and you will have peace with one. What Jesus is pointing out in this passage is that there’s nothing more despicable, in a sense, in his mind than leading the innocent into sin. And he wants us to be committed to not doing that. So he gives us this long list of what are you willing to give up in order not to do that? And he’s saying, you have to be willing to give up half of everything you are. The half of you that is negative has to give in to the part of you that is so powerful and strong and loving.

And so it’s an invitation to go through a purification process where fire and salt that preserve and transform are going to be part of your evolution of consciousness into the person you want to be. In sensitivity to the needs of others is about being committed to never leading another into sin. Foreign closing prayer Father, make us more aware, purify our sight and our ability to see what we’re really doing, so that if we are doing anything that harms anyone, you will show it to us, you will purify us of it so we can live in unity and peace with one another. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.