In the previous articles we spoke about the depth and the power in the spiritual life. Now we shall speak about another attribute hat characterizes a spiritual person, i.e., giving the heart to God. The life of a spiritual person is of mere practices or rules, nor commandments carried out literally, nor a mere outer appearance; for the Lord says:
“My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my way.” (Prov 23:26).
Giving the heart is important, for you give the heart, your eyes will observe the ways of the Lord. And the divine inspiration says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Prov 4:23) Our whole spiritual life proceeds from the heart, therefore we should be careful to keep it pure, for the Lord says in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Mt 5:8).
How great is the reward for the pure heart… to see God!!
Spiritual life is not mere words or an outer appearance but as the Psalmist says, “The royal daughter is all glorious within … her clothing is woven with gold … in robes of many colors.” (Ps 45 : 13,14) And the Lord commands us to keep His words in our heart (Deut 6: 6). Therefore the Psalmist says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You.” (Ps 119:11) when God’s commandment be within the heart, it will mix with the feelings and emotions of the heart, because the heart is the centre of love and emotions, as the Psalmist says: “I love Your commandments” (Ps 119 : 127,159), “ Your word is very pure; therefore Your servant loves it.” (Ps 119 : 40) the Lord wants our heart and our love, and He says:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.. your soul .. your mind .. your neighbor as yourself.” (Mr 22 : 28 – 40)
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. “From all the heart”, means that there should be no other love in the heart besides God, for He says, “He who loves father or mother… son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” (Mt 16 : 37 ) And in the Song He says:
“Set Me as a seal upon your Heart, as a seal up on your arms” (Song 8 :6)
A seal upon the heart refers to love, and upon the arm refers to labor, which is the result of love to God and to people. As far as love is deep, labor for God will be strong. A pure heart issues pure words and pure thoughts, for both words and thoughts proceed from the heart, as the Lord says:
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man … brings for the evil.” (Lk 6:45)
Some people wrongly defend and irritable person, giving him excuse that his heart is pure. No, a pure heart utters only pure words, for the Lord says:
“Out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Lk 6 : 45; Mt 12 : 34, 15 : 18)
Therefore, the tongue sin is a secondary or subsequent sin. The original sin comes from the heart which contains hypocrisy or wrath. On the contrary a heart that contains kindness and compassion brings forth words of kindness and compassion. So the psalmist says:
“My heart is overflowing with a good thence.” (Ps 45 : 1)
This applies only to the good people who heart and tongue follow the same way, as we say in the Praise Song: My heart and my tongue sing praise to the Holy. But the hypocrites are the opposite. The Lord rebukes them, saying, ‘How can you, being evil, speak good things?” (Mt 12 : 34) They speak things not in their heart, but their looks may reveal their true feelings, for the eye is the mirror of the heart. The countenance or the voice also may expose what is in the heart.
A spiritual person has a simple heart that does not reveal things different than what is hidden. –
A spiritual person is frank, says what is in his heart. When he praises somebody, he truly feels that such a person deserves praise, and if he apologizes, it will be from his heart. Unlike him is the person who apologizes, but not from the heart, so, his apology is not acceptable. Likewise, when a person says to somebody, “May the Lord forgive you,” while he means, “May the Lord punish you for your deeds.”
The Lord weighs the hearts. (Pov 21 : 2)
The Lord test the mind and the heart; He knows the secrets of the heart and the thoughts of man (Jer 11 : 20; Ps 44 : 21, 94 : 11). It is said that the heart is deceitful above all things … who can know it ? But the Lord answers “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways.” (Jer 17:9)
The Lord knows those who are upright in heart, and those who are of a perverse heart.
The Scripture therefore says, “Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.” (Ps 97:11) On the other hand, we read that, “Those who are of a perverse heart are abomination to the Lord.” (Prov 11:20) The Scripture says about the upright in heart “Call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Tim 2:22) David the Prophets prays God to give him such a heart, saying:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Ps 51:10)
This brings us to repentance and its relationship with the heart; true repentance, not mere abandoning of sin in practice but rather from the heart. Perfect repentance is hatred of sin without return to it any more. Such a repentance is a separating line between a life far from God, and a new life of longing to Him, or as a saint once saint: “Repentance is replacing one desire with another. It means that a person abandon all hurts of the world and turns only to a desire for life with God. So, the Lord said:
“Turn to Me with all your heart… rend your heart, and not your garments.” (Joel 2 : 12,13)
Repentance then is longing to turn to God and responding to His voice and to the work of His grace in the heart; otherwise the person will be hard-hearted. The Scripture therefore says:
“If you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb 3 : 8 , 15 ; 4 : 7 ; Ps 95 : 7, 8)
The Lord looks to the refusing heart, and when He leads us to repentance He promises to change such a heart; then our conduct will accordingly change.
He says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.” (Ezek 36 : 26) “ I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
He considers the repenting heart a heart of stone, a hard one, like that of Pharaoh. Again the Lord says in (Jer 24 : 7) : “Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole hart.”
The turning of man to God means that his will has united with God’s will.
God works in the heart, and a person turns to Him with all the heart (Joel 2 : 12). He says in (Ezek 18 : 31) : “ Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.” And St. Paul the apostle says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Rom 12 : 2) when the heart changes from within, the thoughts also will change, for evil thoughts proceed from the heart as the Lord says (Mt 15 : 19).
Some people wrongly think that repentance is mere confession of sins, though they keep a beloved sin within their heart.
Due to such a sin they turn from repentance and fall many times, because they have not turned to God with all their heart. Their minds are not yet renewed, but are holding to sin like the heart. Their repentance is from the outside, but God looks to the inside and says, “My son, give Me your heart.” Ananias and Sapphira bought their money set the apostles’ feet, but did not put God in their heart. They kept part of the money, or rather the love of money in their heart (Acts 5 : 1 – 4).
We often call upon our children to be decent in their clothing, without caring about the modesty of the heart.
Actually if God enters their heart, they will be convinced of decency and modesty of heart and mind, and consequently of clothes and adornment and make up, without any pressure from outside. It will be a natural practice, for the heart longs to God.
We should go beyond the practices to the feelings of the heart within
There may be a son who obeys his father out of fear or as a virtue of submission to him, while his heart is insubordinate. Likewise, a person may pay the titles while his heart is not pleased with that. He pays from his pocket, not from his heart, unlike the spiritual person who pays cheerfully, for God loves a cheerful given (2 Cor 9 : 7).
There may also be a person who fasts, but without an ascetic heart. He seeks a way for delicious food that conforms with fasting, even fats, cheese, or chocolate, or seeks a way of cooking that makes the food delicious! Where is the essence of the fast and its relationship with the heart?!
A person may give a “metanoia” with the body, but the heart does not bow with the head!
There is no spirit of regret, penitence, or awe, so, when he apologizes, even with a “metanoia”, his apology will not be accepted. A person also may confess his sins, while his heart is not regretting for them; or may be silent with the tongue, but the mind is full of much talk; or speak humble words, while the heart is not humble: “The words of his mouth were smoother than butter.” (Ps 55 : 21) In all this the Lord says, “My son, give Me your heart.”
A spiritual person gives the heart to God, because the heart contains all the emotions and the spiritualities.
In the context of faith, for instance, there is a difference between a believer God is not a mere creed but a life lived and felt.
Holy zeal likewise is not mere practice or words, but it issues from the heart. Meekness, humbleness, and other virtues as well are not mere practices. There is a difference between a person who is humble outwardly and a person who has a humble heart, who is convinced within that he is a sinner and weak, and but for God’s grace that supports him he would fall.
The heart also is the source of dreams, suspicions, thoughts and doubts, and likewise is the source of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5 : 22, 23)
Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, and self-control proceed from the heart, otherwise they will lose their significance and whatever righteousness in them. Goodness is not mere whitewashed toms (Mt 23 : 27), but goodness of the heart, and cleanness is not mere fleeing from sin, but purity of the heart.
A spiritual person in every work feels that God sees his heart, his intentions, and his purposes.
From the treasure of his heart proceeds every clean work. His treasure is where his heart is, and his only treasure is God. He says all the time, “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast.” (Ps 57 : 7 ) Even in his sleep, his soul says to God, “I sleep, but my heart is awake.” (Song 5 : 2)
The prayer of a spiritual person comes from his heart, not like those who draw near to God with their mouth, and honor Him with their lips, but their heart is far from Him (Mt 15 : 8; Isa 39 : 12). His heart is wholly attached to God; he speaks with Him and feels himself in God’s presence, so he says: my heart and my tongue praise the Holy. He says with David :
“With my whole heart I have sought You.” (Ps 119 : 10)
In the Holy Mass or the Praise Songs, his prayer is not a mere tune or mere words, but heart feelings poured before God, in contrition, awe, faith, love, meditation, fervency, and zeal. Such a prayer is carried by the twenty four priests in their golden censers high up.