How do we acquire virtues in our heart?

How do we acquire virtues in our heart?

In the reading, and in today’s Gospel, we hear what defiles someone.

In the first reading (not within this audio) we hear about the Queen of Sheba coming to Solomon to see if his wisdom is really true. As she meets and spends time with him, she is struck with the wisdom that comes out of him. The Queen of Sheba is amazed with how he explains things to her. The king impresses her with the riches and other blessing God gives to Solomon. She sees the order within the kingdom, and within his household. The audio explains further about this order that influences the life of Solomon and what impresses the Queen of Sheba.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to the crowd . . . and then his apostles. Jesus explains that all food is clean. Food entering the body cannot defile the body, because it enters the stomach . . . and not the heart. Jesus, and the audio, goes on to recount what defiles man. Jesus explains that we often get lost in the external details. We [the Jewish people] worry about purifying our hands and vessels. We worry because we do not wish to be impure. He doesn’t condemn the practices. Jesus continues and says pay attention what comes out of us . . . what is in our heart.

The audio further explains how we acquire virtues within our heart. Listen to this Meditation Media.