By Fr Mathew Thankachen O. Praem.-
(An attempt is made on the struggle of the “Inner man” and the ‘role of the family and Church in promoting an “integrated personality of head and heart” and the failure of which leading to the ‘Culture of death’.)
The uniqueness of human being is that he wants a person or an object to imitate. And no wonder, Catholic Church, unlike many other denominations has Jesus, Mary and many other Saints to imitate. The structural and social effect of such imitation of Jesus among the Apostolic community of the early Church was such that the pagans said, “How nice it is brothers dwell in unity “and they loved to call them “Saints” and “People of the Way” before ever the followers of Christ were called, “Christian” at Antioch. These are recorded in the historical book of the ‘Acta Apostolica’ and in the ‘Letters’ of St. Paul. we also note in the Acts how as the membership grew, ‘Selfishness’, the seed of Satan is sown in the heart of early Christian and the effort of the community to overcome this social malice.
Imitation is the result of “enchantment or fascination”. Jesus himself invites to ‘Imitate his heart” in Mt. ch. 11, 28 where he said, “Come to me, all that you are weary …. For I am gentle and humble in heart”. The very word “heart” derives from the Latin word, “cordia” from which the English “core”, “cordial” and “cardiology” take its origin. It indicates and vindicates how significant is human heart both as a physiological organ, thriving forth the ‘spiritual strive’ of “will to live and be good” or volitional psychic energy to long for the ‘Other’.
Love itself is such a dynamism of “reaching out” hence, “heart is said to be the seat of wisdom and Love” and hence the spiritual definition of man as “homo sapiens” while Aristotle defines it as “Rational Animal”. The etymology of the Latin word “Anima” from which “animal “derived indicates the one with a “soul, life, capable of moving”, indicating “fascination, attraction”. In Philosophy, ‘God is said to be the ‘Prime Mover’.
A Matter of Compassion
In the Historical Jesus, we see how He is moved by the Father, “Not my will, but thy will be done” and “here I have come to do your will”. The nature of the heart of Jesus is revealed from the time of his Public ministry. His attitude towards the sinners, the poor, the tax collectors and other marginalized section of the society shows that his heart was filled with “compassion” and “kindness” (Mt. 14, 14; 15, 32) Even the very nature of God of the OT appears to be one of “motherly compassion” (“Rehem” Hebr.) , the attribute of which is better presented in the Quran that exhorts the Islam to distribute 20 per cent of their income among the destitute and “ compassion” is said to be one of the main “Pillars of Islam”.
Pope Francis emphasizes to connect this attribute of God (OT) in the life of Jesus as a mission to be fulfilled by the Church, which at times made his critic to think of him as an “Activist”. The Heart of Jesus appears to be very “sensitive to other’s needs”.
In the gospel we find how he reacts to the woman from the crowd who believed that if she could at least touch the brink of his cloak, she would be “healed”. Despite the bustle and hustle, he turns and asks, “who touched me?”.
His heart was so “humble and meek” that before every miracle, he raised his heart to heaven and thanked the Lord for the marvelous deeds he had done through Him. The revelation of the Father and Holy Spirit at his Baptism in Jordan and the voice of the Father at the Transfiguration sums up the “transparency of his heart “in the presence of God, the Father. The transparency of his heart is further reflected in Mt.5 where he said, “Happy are the pure in heart, they shall see God”. We find him often “going up to the mountain” filled with “God experience” especially at Transfiguration. His heart could not only “empathized “with those in need, but also rejoiced with those in happiness. When the apostles share the success of their mission, He thanks the Father for “hiding it from the Wise and revealing to the little children”.
‘I Thirst’
In the life of Jesus, we can find his every “negative emotions” like “rejections, loneliness” etc. (Mt.21, 33 ff; Mt22, 1ff; Mk6, 4f) becoming a stepping stone to enter into “very affective, positive relationship with God” that made him so “affable, amiable, philial relationship with God” that made him to address God as “Abba”, a term never attributed to God in the Jewish theology or culture. The more he was alienated and persecuted, the more he communed with the Father. The summit of his revelation of his heart was at the Cross where he could forgive his enemies for “they know not what they do”. The last yearning of his “wounded heart” was, “I thirst” and “Everything is Completed”. His thirst was for the sinners to return to God, to build the bridge between earth and heaven for which he was send to the world.
Any absorption of knowledge or experience is only possible if the heart of man is “soft”. Any insight or revelation is the fruit of absorption of the heart. Hence, childhood and younger days are the best suited to learn anything as both the heart and brain is in its tender stage. So, we find the Psalmist praying to “remove the heart of stone and to give me a heart of flesh”. The heart of stone is popularly called, “hard hearted” “cold blooded”, “stubborn” etc. It is just the law of nature that while a “hard periphery rejects, a soft periphery absorbs”.
The Satiation of Heart
In the contemporary families and societies, having lost faith in God and religion for many reasons, the young generations are not able to experience or perceive any goodness in his own heart. Instilled by the ‘egoism’ of the ‘micro-families’, affluent societies, and other hedonistic pleasures offered by science and technology, the “shrunken heart/ego”) seeks for satisfaction in sex, drugs, money and ultimate discovery of “ meaninglessness” bringing about the what St. Pope John Paul II warned against “ the culture of Death”.
In some there is a war between the “conscious mind” (Intellect) and sub-conscious mind (depressed heart). Often they run parallel, nevertheless permitting to “intervene” by the conscious mind, to integrate the sub-conscious urges with the intellect, not to get “victimized” by the “urges of the sub-conscious, unfulfilled desires”. Herein lies the importance of “satiation of heart” with positive values of love, and being loved from the birth, even from the “university of the womb” as some psychologists suggest. While this spiritual war continues for a period and getting used to be victimized by the deviated desires of the sub-conscious mind, one becomes “habituated “, thus becoming an” addict”.
Thus, an unnourished heart without parental and social love, affection and security; one fails to perceive the “sacred heart of Jesus” and of His Love. It becomes a past story and will have no impact in his life. While Intellect is to be nourished with knowledge, the heat needs to be nourished with love. The truth is with the idea of “small family and happy family”, what the most parents provide is not “love” but, “selfishness” fulfilling all the demands of the children. Children too don’t experience any love from the parents because they don’t see any “sacrifice” done for them by the parents, but only provide from their “abundance”.
It is sad to note that while parents take so much care to give them “good education”, and thereby “develops the Intellect”, the “heart” is neglected. Love, affection, compassion, understanding, trust in God and one another, sharing, companionship etc. are the vitamins of the heart that renders one’s heart “Sacred” as it is seen in the “heart of Jesus”. On the other, “insecurity, alcoholism, quarrels, cruelties etc. “hardens the heart” of their children, leading to all sorts of “anti-social behaviors” like drug addiction, suicides, pedophilia, rapes etc. If the feast of Sacred Heart of Jesus had to bear any fruit in the society, both in the family and seminary formation, while paying undue importance to “Intellectual development”, the formation of the heart, the ‘Emotional Quotients’ are to be taken care of. May the modern generation be drawn to the ‘wounded heart of Jesus’ to satiate with “water and blood’ flowing from his side.