“FOR where your treasure is, there
your heart will be
also.” (Mt 6,21) With these words we are told how important it is to
take care of our heart. That’s because the heart is not only a
physical or biological organ that in itself is already indispensable
in our life.
It is actually the very seat of our thoughts, desires and
conscience. It’s that part that contains our whole being, and
therefore the most precious part we have. Our whole identity, both in
its stable and dynamic states, is found in the heart.
It’s the source of what our mouth would say. “Out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Mt 12,4). It is what gives
the motives for our thoughts, desires, words and deeds.
It’s also where we hear the voice of God as well as that
of the devil, where we discern the spirit of God and that of the evil
one. It’s where we make our decisions, promises and commitments.
It’s where the dynamics of our faith, hope and charity is
played out. But it can also be where merely worldly values, passing
and relative, can dominate. Thus, it is where our interior struggle is
done, where our choice of either God or ourselves is made.
And if we want to be assured of the authenticity or
sincerity of one’s thoughts, words and deeds, we normally ask if they
really spring from one’s heart.
How important therefore that we learn to engage the heart
with the right treasure, the ultimately genuine one, the one that
lasts forever, and not the many pseudo-treasures that the world
offers.
Thus, we should often echo those words in Scriptures in
our ears: “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes delight in my
ways.” (Prov 23,26) Or, Christ’s words: “You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart…” (Lk 10,27) Here God both begs and commands
for our heart.
This, of course, requires some effort, and even gargantuan
effort, because the human heart is actually very difficult to read,
let alone manage. It can be tricky and very slippery to handle. St.
Augustine’s words can come in handy here:
“Man is a great deep, Lord.” he said. “You number his very
hairs and they are not lost in your sight. But the hairs of his head
are easier to number than his affections and the movements of his
heart.”
How true! One of the big challenges of our life is to know
how to read our heart, that is to say, to know who and how we really
are at every step of our life. Oftentimes, our self-knowledge is far
off the mark. We are usually affected by all kinds of conditionings,
such that our self-knowledge is more subjective than objective.
Obviously to get a handle on our heart, we need to go to
God. Our human estimations can never be enough. They can even be
dangerous, since they are often very limited and, worse, biased. We
have to be wary of the powerful pull these worldly and human
estimations can exert on us.
This is where strict self-discipline is most needed. We
cannot deny the fact we are often dominated by passions inside us and
fashions outside us. We have our usual weaknesses of pride, laziness,
attachments, etc. Thus, we need to undertake a continuing struggle,
using all kinds of spiritual armory to wage this daily battle and aim
at nothing less than conquering our heart for Christ.
Things may look difficult and unwinnable, but with faith,
with persistence and God’s abundant grace, we can actually manage.
Besides, there is deep within us a natural longing for God. Remember
St. Augustine’s words: “My heart is restless until it finds its rest
in You.” The natural attraction of our heart, if not corrupted, is
God.
If we don’t complicate our heart, we can easily be led to
God because he is where all good comes from. If we can just discipline
ourselves and allow ourselves to be guided by faith and reason, we can
always find God.
He is not someone who takes delight in hiding from us. His
presence is everywhere. Christ himself assured us: “Behold, I am with
you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28,20)
Let’s see to it that our heart is always with Christ.
Let’s make it a habit of doing regular examination of conscience in
God’s presence. For this we would need some moments of silence and
recollection, distancing ourselves for a while from the din of the
world and the madding crowd.
also.” (Mt 6,21) With these words we are told how important it is to
take care of our heart. That’s because the heart is not only a
physical or biological organ that in itself is already indispensable
in our life.
It is actually the very seat of our thoughts, desires and
conscience. It’s that part that contains our whole being, and
therefore the most precious part we have. Our whole identity, both in
its stable and dynamic states, is found in the heart.
It’s the source of what our mouth would say. “Out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Mt 12,4). It is what gives
the motives for our thoughts, desires, words and deeds.
It’s also where we hear the voice of God as well as that
of the devil, where we discern the spirit of God and that of the evil
one. It’s where we make our decisions, promises and commitments.
It’s where the dynamics of our faith, hope and charity is
played out. But it can also be where merely worldly values, passing
and relative, can dominate. Thus, it is where our interior struggle is
done, where our choice of either God or ourselves is made.
And if we want to be assured of the authenticity or
sincerity of one’s thoughts, words and deeds, we normally ask if they
really spring from one’s heart.
How important therefore that we learn to engage the heart
with the right treasure, the ultimately genuine one, the one that
lasts forever, and not the many pseudo-treasures that the world
offers.
Thus, we should often echo those words in Scriptures in
our ears: “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes delight in my
ways.” (Prov 23,26) Or, Christ’s words: “You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart…” (Lk 10,27) Here God both begs and commands
for our heart.
This, of course, requires some effort, and even gargantuan
effort, because the human heart is actually very difficult to read,
let alone manage. It can be tricky and very slippery to handle. St.
Augustine’s words can come in handy here:
“Man is a great deep, Lord.” he said. “You number his very
hairs and they are not lost in your sight. But the hairs of his head
are easier to number than his affections and the movements of his
heart.”
How true! One of the big challenges of our life is to know
how to read our heart, that is to say, to know who and how we really
are at every step of our life. Oftentimes, our self-knowledge is far
off the mark. We are usually affected by all kinds of conditionings,
such that our self-knowledge is more subjective than objective.
Obviously to get a handle on our heart, we need to go to
God. Our human estimations can never be enough. They can even be
dangerous, since they are often very limited and, worse, biased. We
have to be wary of the powerful pull these worldly and human
estimations can exert on us.
This is where strict self-discipline is most needed. We
cannot deny the fact we are often dominated by passions inside us and
fashions outside us. We have our usual weaknesses of pride, laziness,
attachments, etc. Thus, we need to undertake a continuing struggle,
using all kinds of spiritual armory to wage this daily battle and aim
at nothing less than conquering our heart for Christ.
Things may look difficult and unwinnable, but with faith,
with persistence and God’s abundant grace, we can actually manage.
Besides, there is deep within us a natural longing for God. Remember
St. Augustine’s words: “My heart is restless until it finds its rest
in You.” The natural attraction of our heart, if not corrupted, is
God.
If we don’t complicate our heart, we can easily be led to
God because he is where all good comes from. If we can just discipline
ourselves and allow ourselves to be guided by faith and reason, we can
always find God.
He is not someone who takes delight in hiding from us. His
presence is everywhere. Christ himself assured us: “Behold, I am with
you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28,20)
Let’s see to it that our heart is always with Christ.
Let’s make it a habit of doing regular examination of conscience in
God’s presence. For this we would need some moments of silence and
recollection, distancing ourselves for a while from the din of the
world and the madding crowd.
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