David Ancell / Wednesday March 12, 2003
Time and time again we hear in homilies, meditations, and the like that going through the motions of religion is useless unless our “heart” is in it. Indeed, Scripture itself says the same thing. However, what do these people mean by “heart”?
Is it your feelings? Should we say that if you are not jumping up and down like a little child about the prospect of going to Mass then you are not a good Christian? I find such a proposition to be nothing short of moronic. I would hope that my spiritual life would often be supported by my emotions. However, I know that the lack of strong feelings does not indicate a deficit in my spiritual life. If I don’t feel like doing something good but do it because I believe that God wants me to, this action is more, not less, meritorious. I did something especially for Our Lord rather than something that I was going to do anyway.
Some have taken the concept of “heart” to the extreme that they make such false statements as “It doesn’t matter what you wear to church; it’s what’s in your heart.” Well, if you can’t afford nice clothes, then this may be true. However, what can possibly be in the heart of someone who can’t be bothered to look halfway decent when going before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? What is in the heart of someone who enters the church, does the flyswatter Sign of the Cross, the curtsy genuflection, and talks about their football game with the people around them right up until halfway through the opening hymn?
The heart is more than just feelings. The heart is one’s will, one’s choice. Our will must be directed towards the good, even if we don’t feel like it. If it is, then our heart is in it.
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