A Clean and Unpharisaical Heart
Happy the enamored heart,
Thought centered on God alone,
Renouncing every creature for Him,
Finding in Him glory and contentment.
Living forgetful of self,
In God is all its intention,
Happy and so joyfully its journeys
Through waves of this stormy sea.
These words were written by St Teresa of Avila, a 16th century Carmelite nun and mystic from Spain. Our hearts can only be full of joy in the midst of our struggles and challenges with the aid and acknowledgment of God’s grace in our lives. When I visit a parishioner in the hospital who sick with long-term heath problems; when I walk through downtown Jackson on my way to the chancery office and see the homeless men and women lined up, waiting for to eat breakfast, carrying their possessions in plastic bags or old backpacks; when I go to the state prison in Pearl, celebrating mass with them in the midst of their journey of fulfilling their prison sentence - I think of all the heavy burdens we human beings can carry in our hearts. Sometimes the problems and issues we face in our daily lives can seem overwhelming. But with God’s grace, with a faith that can be as small as a mustard seed, we can meet our challenges and struggles with a joyful heart, with a heart open to God’s love and mercy.
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