From Scott...
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8)
“Whole foods”
“Eating clean”
“Organic”
Seems these days the most sought-after items in the
supermarket are those branded with assurances of purity. We just know that the products freest of
processing and superfluous ingredients are better for us in the long run.
Science tells us that all the impurities we encounter in
daily living…in the food and drink we consume, in the air we breathe, in the
substances we use to clean our homes and power our vehicles…that these
impurities are damaging our bodies and hurting our planet. They slow us down, clog us up, make us fat,
cause us illness and pain, and ultimately diminish our well-being beyond their
ability to make our lives better or gratify us fleetingly!
Yes, “pure” is better for us any way one looks at it.
Today’s Beatitude focuses on purity of heart, with the ultimate
outcome of seeing God. Sources define “purity” as a state of being
unaltered or unpolluted. Yikes! What an almost
impossible standard “purity of heart” seems to be for me! My weaknesses, my ego, my instincts, and my
intentions leave my heart about as pure as a Big Mac, or worse!
All of the pollutants and the impurities in my life damage my
spirit-heart just as the impurities in my food damage my body-heart. Some of those impurities are there as toxic
byproducts of old wounds from my past.
A big part of one’s life work, and a part that can take years to
complete, is to recognize those wounds and seek healing. This is why counselors, therapists, and self-help authors are so in demand.
But there are pollutants and impurities that can be purged
by simply making better choices. After a
serious health scare a few months ago, I made some very significant choices
about the food I eat. I didn’t have to
look deep into my psyche to figure out why I kept going back for more carne guisada at my favorite Mexican
taqueria; I just needed to stop doing it, period! It became a matter of life or death! Some days, I backslide. But then I choose to “eat clean” going forward. No big analysis, no deep self-reflection…I
just do it.
In his book, The Four
Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz writes of the importance of being impeccable with
your word. The Spanish word impecable means “without fault or sin.” Imagine how different we would be by simply
living that one agreement to be pure in every use of the words we speak to and
about one another! The intention to do
so is, to me, an example of what it would mean to be “pure in heart.” This is something very specific that I can
work on, and doesn’t require deep analysis or reflection. I need to just do it!
What is a discipline you can focus on during these last days of
Lent to immediately rid your heart of an impurity, a pollutant, a toxin? What is something you can choose to do, or
stop doing, that will purify your heart?
Just do it!
Jesus assures that those who are pure in heart will see God. Wow! That’s a pretty big payoff, I think, and not
one to come only in far-off future. My
understanding of the Kingdom of God is not a state I will experience only after
my death. If I believe all that Jesus
himself said, the Kingdom of God is a “present tense” notion. Perhaps ridding my heart of the toxins,
pollutants, and impurities will clear my heart-vision to see God more clearly right
here, right now!