Pope at Audience: a pure heart
sees God
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| Pope Francis during his weekly General Audience (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis focuses the catechesis of his General Audience
on the sixth Beatitude, which promises that those with a pure heart will see
God.
By Francesca Merlo
The sixth Beatitude promises that those with a pure heart
will see God. Pope Francis began his catechesis explaining that anyone who
seeks the face of God shows the desire for a “personal relationship” with Him.
Like the disciples at Emmaus, "blindness" comes
from a foolish and slow heart, said the Pope. In this case, "one sees
things clouded”, he added.
The Lord opens the disciples’ eyes at the end of their
journey, which culminates in the breaking of the bread.
“Here lies the wisdom of this Beatitude”, said the
Pope. “To be able to contemplate it, it is necessary to look deep within our
hearts and make space for God”.
To see God it is not necessary to change our glasses or
the place from which we are looking. Our heart needs to be liberated from its
own deceit. When we realize that our worst enemy is often hidden within our own
hearts, this is a decisive maturation process. That is the most noble battle
against the interior deceptions generated by our sins.
To understand what “purity of heart” is, we must recall that
in the Bible, “the heart does not consist solely in sentiments”. It is the
“most intimate” part of the human being: “the interior space where a person is
him or herself”, said the Pope.
The ‘pure of heart’ are not born that way.
They have “lived an interior simplification, learning to renounce evil in
itself”. The Bible calls this process "circumcision of the heart",
said the Pope. It is an inner purification that implies recognising the part of
the heart which is under the influence of evil. This helps us to be led by the
Holy Spirit, “through this journey of the heart to ‘see God’”.
In this beatific vision there is a future dimension: “the
joy of the Kingdom of Heaven”, said the Pope. But there is also another, he
continued:
“To see God means discerning the designs of Providence in
what happens, recognising His presence in the Sacraments, in our brothers and
sisters, above all the poor and suffering, and to recognise God where He
manifests Himself”.
A lifelong path of liberation begins in the furrow of the
Beatitudes. This path is the Holy Spirit’s work, God’s work, when we give Him
space.
"We are not afraid", concluded the Pope. "Let
us open the doors of our hearts to the Holy Spirit so that He may purify us and
lead us on this journey towards joy and peace”.
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