In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus continues His words to the Apostles as He sends them out. He talks about He would be (and still is) a source of division, even within families.
In our first reading today from Isaiah 1, we hear some stark words from the LORD, through the prophet. "Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow."
Cease doing evil. Now, I'm pretty sure that neither you nor I like the idea that we do evil. I can unequivocally say that I think evil thoughts. Probably way more than I'd like to admit. Do evil thoughts equal evil deeds? Not exactly. (For a fuller treatment, see the Sermon on the Mount.) But evil thoughts are no doubt the seed of evil deeds. And, if left unchecked, they can often lead to evil deeds. So, in order to cease doing evil, we must first cease thinking evil.
Father, cleanse our thoughts, that our deeds will be not evil, but holy. Amen.
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