“And Peter answering, said to him: ‘Expound to us this parable.’ But he said: ‘Are you also yet without understanding? Do you not understand, that whatsoever entereth into the mouth, goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the privy? But the things which proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart, and those things defile a man. For from the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. These are the things that defile a man. But to eat with unwashed hands doth not defile a man.’”
What Jesus taught was not a parable, but something outright, and St. Peter, not grasping what He said, thought it to be a parable. The engaged mind seeks understanding, accepting that what comes from Jesus is truth, but wants to know more, knowing that there is beauty to be grasped: “For in [wisdom] is the beauty of life, and her bands are a healthful binding” (Ecclesiasticus 6:31). Or, it could have been that St. Peter was also grieved at hearing this saying of Jesus, that what one eats does not defile someone, because it seems such a departure from Old Covenant cleanliness laws, and Jesus Himself had said, “For amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). The Lord is emphasizing, however, the mouth of the heart, and what one ingests spiritually; for what enters the mouth of the body is nothing, as it is meant solely for the nutrition and restoration of the body: “Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat” (Genesis 1:29). However, what is in the heart remains in the heart, defiling a person with what is not love, and being all the filthier when it is given verbal expression. He begins with evil thoughts, because this was the fault of the Pharisees, but Jesus expresses that there is much that, if harbored interiorly, defiles a man with hate and warped love. The Ten Commandments forbid the things that He then mentions, but here it is important to recognize that what isn’t beautiful to the heart is not divine: “For by the greatness of the beauty, and of the creature, the creator of them may be seen, so as to be known thereby” (Wisdom 13:5). Malice, hate, lust, covetousness, lies, and thoughts against God are all ugliness, and to adorn your soul with such things is to wrap it in ugliness, which defiles the beauty of the temple: “Thou hast violated my sanctuary with all thy offences, and with all thy abominations” (Ezechiel 5:11). Because the Lord desires to make your soul into His joyful dwelling place, His heaven on earth, “For the Lord hath chosen Sion: he hath chosen it for his dwelling. This is my rest for ever and ever: here will I dwell, for I have chosen it” (psalm 131:13-14), but to keep love far from you is to keep Him far from you. Now, it is the presence of the Trinity in the heart that makes the soul beautiful: “A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, he shall abide between my breasts” (Canticle 1:12), for God sanctifies it with heavenly adornments: “I will greatly rejoice the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God: for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation: and with the robe of justice he hath covered me, as a bridegroom decked with a crown, and as a bride adorned with her jewels” (Isaias 61:10). Eating with unwashed hands does not chase away the divine presence or keep Him and His love out of the heart, but to consent to what is unloving is to chase the Divine Bridegroom out of the house of one’s heart, close it off from love, and adorn it with one’s own desires instead: “Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they commit here” (Ezechiel 8:9). However, in an encouraging point, love is the life of the soul, virtue is its health, and truth is its beauty, and all these things are expressed through the words one uses: “A good man out of a good treasure bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of an evil treasure bringeth forth evil things” (Matthew 12:35). To speak the truth, then, with a heart of love is all grace, “Let your speech be always in grace seasoned with salt: that you may know how you ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6), and is deeply pleasing to Jesus: “Thy lips, my spouse, are as a dropping honeycomb, honey and milk are under thy tongue” (Canticle 4:11).