Main news for 16 March 2026

The motives behind our actions, even the largest ones, sometimes turn out to be secondary and insignificant things. Passing considerations distort our vision, and we are guided by what we should never have been guided by. This is exactly what Christ's words today are about: "it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire." The point is that we violate the commandments for the sake of passing gains and pleasures. The Lord calls us to see ourselves and our whole life as a single whole.

At the end of the chapter, Mark the Evangelist gives His words about salt, without which, according to the Old Testament, no sacrifice can be offered. In the ritual context, salt serves as a symbol of faithfulness and faith, and the New Testament mentions of it with reference to the disciples give reason to think that the Lord Himself used this symbol in the same way. Therefore, as an alternative to the petty impulses that lead us into sin, the Lord gives us precisely faith and peace among ourselves.