Have you ever noticed that when Jesus teaches, he loves to point to things: “look at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field,” he says, “look at the example of a child’s faith and innocence”, “look at this mustard seed”, “look at the sheep, the shepherds, the grapes on the vines”. Sometimes he even points to things and people that we aren’t always comfortable looking at: “look at the leper, look at the poor man at your gate”
In the Gospel today, Jesus again points. But, this time, he doesn’t point to something or someone out there. This time, he points within, he asks us to look within our hearts. And that’s something we might be really uncomfortable or unused to examining.
Last week, I came across a very intriguing television show on the history channel, you may have seen it, called “Alone”. 10 men are given the opportunity to win half a million dollars by trying to survive out in the wilderness for as long as they can. They have to hunt, build shelters, fend off bears and cougars, with very few supplies. They have no communication with the outside world except when the want to radio in the call that they are giving up. A number of the contestants didn’t last the week, unable to cope with the physical obstacles, the weather, finding food. The ones that last a little longer, however, had to deal with something far scarier: themselves, their own hearts, the psychological strain of loneliness. Many described how memories and mistakes from the past bubbled up out of their unconsconcious; many of the bad habits they had back in civilization, had followed them. Their regrets, their woundedness, painful memories from childhood. Many of the contestants simply could not handle being Alone with themselves when they did not have Netflix and iphones to distract them from their inner struggles.
And in the Gospel today, Jesus tells all of us to look inwards. He says, evil doesn’t come from out there, evil comes from the choices we make, the failure to turn our wounded sinful hearts over to God.
In the Church’s history, there have been men and women who have intentionally gone out into the wilderness, out into the desert in order to be alone with God. We call them the Desert Fathers: like St. Anthony of the Desert. Modern day Hermits like Thomas Merton follow in that tradition. Remember, after Jesus’ Baptism, the Holy Spirit led Him out into the Desert, the place of Trial, the place of Temptation, the territory of the Devil. So too the Desert Fathers and Mothers, go into the desert for Spiritual Combat, in order to confront their inner demons, to remove the stoniness from their hearts, to learn how to rely on the will of providence of the Father, and to allow the Word of God to truly take root.
“From within people, from their hearts,” Jesus says, “come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” These evils come “from within”. Therefore, every Christian has the responsibility to look within, and to bring what we find there to God to be converted. Jesus condemns the Pharisees for being so focused on purifying the outside, without paying any attention to the inside. They did not allow the word of God to be rooted, to be planted in their hearts.
Yet, St. James clarifies that Christian Faith calls us to a delicate balance. Do not just be hearers of the Word, be doers of the word. There was an early Church heresy called Gnosticism which said the flesh is evil, the body is bad, nothing physical matters, only the inner spirit matters. Some Gnostic groups even condemned marriage and having children as evil. That’s not what Jesus is saying at all. In the book of Genesis we hear God look at what he created and call it good. Even mosquitos and spiders and slimy things are good because they act according to their nature. We are still allowed to enjoy the good things of creation: delicious meals, the beauty of the rocks and the trees and the birds in the sky, physical affection from loved ones. Marriage isn’t just good, it’s Sacramental; child rearing is a share in the life giving power of the Creator. God became a real human being. We act, we love, we pray, we worship as physical beings.
What we do in the body, in the physical world matters. Jesus calls us to practice both the bodily works of mercy and the spiritual works of mercy. We don’t neglect one for the other. Yet, we don’t always use our bodies to glorify God, do we? Every one of us, has abused our human free will, and from our hearts chosen OUR way instead of God’s way. And so we need to turn our minds and hearts over to God in order to be free from the sinful thoughts, attitudes, habits, behaviors which beset us. And that means examining the inner self on a regular basis.
The saints recommend a daily examination before retiring to bed. Now, this is of course impossible if we pass out in front of the television or computer every night, or don’t give ourselves 10 minutes of quiet time because we’re too busy checking facebook our playing angry birds on our iphones. But a nightly examination is so powerful for rooting out sin, and allowing the Gospel to take root. At the end of the day before sleep, ask yourself: how did I treat people today? How did I treat my spouse, my children, my coworker. Why was I so harsh to that waitress, that cashier, why was I in such a hurry or inconsiderate in traffic, why was I so consumed by that website, that movie? Where were the blessings today, did I give God due thanksgiving for those blessings? Did I go out of my way to help someone in need today or did I demand that everyone bow down to my way? Did I take the time to encourage the doubtful, to visit the lonely? What were my sins today? What were my virtues?
Nightly we should make such an examination. And every month or so, we should find ourselves in the confessional, bringing our sins to Jesus, repenting, seeking his mercy for abusing our free will, misusing God’s gifts, and failing to love.
Friday, August 28 was the feast of the great Bishop, St. Augustine. St. Augustine is known for writing what is basically the first autobiography in Western Civilization, called the Confessions. St. Augustine, a Bishop in his 60s, reflects on his journey toward Christ, and he confesses a childhood, misspent in very serious sin, lust, promiscuity, pride, theft, an early adulthood flirting with heresy and erroneous philosophies, and then finally turning to Christ. Now, St. Augustine is known as a Doctor of the Church, for he teaches us like Christ to turn our hearts over to God. Now, St. Augustine is often artistically depicted holding a flaming human heart, a heart, set on fire with the love of God, because he allowed the Word of God, the power of God, the light of God to ignite his heart.
May each of us practice those healthy habits of mind and soul, of bringing our hearts to God, to humbly welcome the word, as St. James says, to be hearers of the word, and doers of the word, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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