WHAT'S IN YOUR HEART?


Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.(Matthew 5: 8 – NAS)

There are not many variations to this declaration. In fact the only variation I could find says “Happy are the clean in heart – because they shall see God.” This is Young’s Literal Translation. 
What does it mean to be “pure”, I wonder? Particularly when it comes to ourselves?

The word “pure” is simple enough: to be unmixed with other matter; to be free from contaminated substances; to be ritually clean; to be free from that which does not belong. Everything else the word might mean flows from these. But it has to be something more than just "clean."

So what does that make “pure in heart”?

In the ancient world, the heart was considered the location of thought and feeling. That’s why Mary “pondered things in her heart.” Even though we now know scientifically that that mass of cells in our head is where the processing of both thought and emotion lies, we still use phrases like “I know in my heart” as a way of conveying those things which we are most certain about, even if it is beyond reason. We know how vital our hearts are to keeping us alive, and so we imaginatively locate all our important things there.

People tend to generally regard the description “pure in heart” as meaning basically someone who holds to all the virtues. The “really good” people. And I think that’s a good place to start. But is it the totality of what Jesus meant?

Remember, people in that time considered the heart the seat of thought and feeling. And then there are all those scriptural references to “the desires of our hearts.”

There’s something bigger here than just “well behaved” people, then. So let’s look closer.

“Pure in thought.” We talk about people who “keep their thoughts pure” and often throw in a slightly mocking tone, because what we conjure up with that is someone who doesn’t let their thoughts stray toward “dirty matters” like sex (in any form, apparently). But humans were created as sexual creatures. Why should “purity” involve excluding something so basic and so intense in our experience? We try to shut it down because it is so intense that it often leads us astray, that’s why. We get into a mindset that it would be better not to think of something at all rather than risk going astray. What would happen if we stopped focusing on physical gratification and instead focused on commitment to our mates, emotional honesty, dedication to fidelity and honoring our partner?

But there are also the issues of how we lay out our plans in our careers. What choices are we making and are we clear about them, or are we just drifting along? “Pure in thought.”

What about “pure in emotion”? This isn’t just about holding on to all the “good” emotions. Those are certainly the ones we want to have most if not all the time. But I don’t know anyone who really succeeds in that. To me, being “pure in emotion” means being honest about what we are feeling. We can do so much damage, to ourselves and others, if we hide our emotional reactions to things. And when we deny, even to ourselves, that we have a particular negative emotion, that only festers inside us. If you are angry, be angry and deal with it. Don’t push it down and pretend it doesn’t exist. That only causes its toxicity to leak into other areas of your life. But if you face it, you can deal with it, and get back to those much more positive feelings you do enjoy. Putting something off until later does no one any service.

And when it comes to “the desires of our hearts,” what then? For I don’t think the Lord was talking about our incidental lusts for that shiny new car or the newest whiz-bang smartphone. When scripture uses that phrase, the writer is talking about something much more inherent in each specific individual. We each have something in us, buried deep in our fibers, that we want to do or be. But the world can easily divert us from those goals. They may be difficult to achieve and we can fall by the wayside in striving for that achievement. They might be something we want to do, and we are regularly thwarted from learning the necessary skills. And yet, somewhere deep within, there is something alive that wants to be manifested – the desire of our hearts.

Can we keep ourselves pure in that? Or do we let disappointments drown out its song? Do we let other things get mixed in with it until we no longer recognize that desire?

“Pure in heart” then is indeed something much bigger than just being virtuous. It involves remembering just what God created us to be, and holding onto that. It means being ready to let go of those things that don’t help us purify our very natures.

Why does it matter? Look at what Jesus says – “they shall see God.”

Before your very eyes, unveiled in His glory, you who have burned away the impurities in your hearts shall see God. Not as a stern judge and executioner. Our Lord and Father shall be there for us to see, our safe home and comfort. As a reward for striving to be so entirely the self he made us each to be.