Heart
Where is the seat of wisdom in man? Where is the micro battle in his person waged? What is the treasure that heaven and hell fight for? For sure concupiscence, mind, bodily compulsions, or whatever relates to man, effect the will. Yet the war is waged for this one part of man. If it can be captured by either side the man shall become possessed by good or evil.
Do we have a devotion to the sacred brain of Jesus? How about the immaculate will of Mary? Does the divine mercy Chaplet flow from His toes, and a sword shall pierce your shoulder?
God’s living word to saints to relay to us–it’s the throne of man that God is after, it is your heart. Not heart as muscle but the substance of you, your being, your soul.
Oh, how Satan loves the mind of man! If he can capture man’s lower faculty, he need not even bother with the heart. He already has it, by default. We are living in an age of great idolatry, where mind is seen as the height of man. Mind is a holy, good gift, but developed without the heart it is a weapon. In mind, memory abides. Good and bad, reason fades in the mind of man if heart does not grow.
Get a handle on this brothers and sisters, Saints have this single thing in common. The heart had grown to a capacity of a complete purity. Mind, abilities, talents, wonder-working, only and I mean only, supported the heart of a saint. These gifts made visible what they were, as vehicle to give their heart away to a world starving for something worth loving.
I’ve never understood why our Catholic Church, or any church for that matter, has put such an emphasis on the mind, or rather the intellectual capacity to process theological information, as the measure for getting through priesthood.
If the heart is the throne that God is after, who shall win this throne for the King except those with a brilliant heart? A heart that is as big as the sea. I’ve heard in the underground churches in China that one cannot serve as a pastor in the underground church less they have undergone torture for Christ. I’m not sure if this is true, yet it makes sense. Love proven in the face of suffering, this is the worth of the Kingdom’s love. On the great day, I bet the question will not be asked how well we thought, how much our intellect was developed. We would do well to measure a person’s abilities by the capacity of love that they have to give.
Where love is present, true love for the truth is present. Converts brought to the Catholic Church by conviction have more to do with a pure heart than a sharp mind. A sharp mind can be drawn after anything that would inflate it with pride; in fact higher education is the seed bed for every moronic thought ever committed against man, at times within our own colleges that are making saints?
You may say, aren’t you being unbalanced? And I would say, yes, to a point. But follow me if you will. Nobody wants to be operated on by a stupid, incompetent surgeon, or a surgeon with no fingers and a great big brain.
The work of a minister of Christ, priest or lay, is a work of the heart, and I would prefer a simpleton fussing around with my soul in purity, than a corrupt unbelieving man or woman with Dr. in front of their name, less they make me twice the son of hell.
I am an undergrad in Bible college and this has been something the Lord has been teaching me in this past year. I have always been one who is inclined towards intellect. God has gifted me with my ability to comprehend scripture and teach others. However, the Spirit has been pressing the importance on me of being balanced and understanding Him with my heart as well. Great post!
If God has given you a great aptitude for the text wonderful, ask and seek for heart knowledge with as least as much zeal. A great intellect coupled with a insightful mind is a dangerous weapon in the hands of God, when full of faith ,hope, and love. And the greatest of these is…..