Memorial of St. Bernard, Abbot & Doctor of the Church
Our hearts are often seen as the source of our emotions even though our feelings have a much more complex origin. In today’s reading, God gifts us with “natural hearts” to allow us to experience our world in a much richer way. How do our emotions impact our relationship with God and the world?
In the first reading from Ezekiel, God speaks to the people and says, “I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts.” (EZ 36: 26) God provides this gift of having the ability to feel and to experience the joys and hopes as well as the sorrows and fears of living in this world. God offers the “Sprit” to help people “live by my statutes”, so “you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” (EZ 36: 28)
Our emotions are an important part of our lives. God gives us the freedom to experience our world through our joy, sorrow, shame, anger and fear. Our feelings are not “who we are”, but part of our whole person. We can use these emotions to help direct our actions and influence our relationships with others. Our relationship with the Divine may be strengthened as we become more aware of our inner emotions. For example, as we look out on a beautiful sunrise and have a deep sense of joy and peace- do we acknowledge these feelings, recognize the source (God) and give gratitude for this beauty? This awareness deepens our connection to God and all the ways God is present in our daily living.
Even our anger can be a signpost that leads us to live our commitment to love others. When we see injustice in our society and we become angry with these practices, we can recognize this anger and respond to find ways to work towards a community that cares for others with compassion and respect.
Our emotions can also be sources of hurt and destruction. Our anger, shame and fear can lead us to lash out at others and even God, when we do not stop and ponder what these feelings might be indicating- our lack of control, our poor self esteem, or our desire for safety. In some cases our emotions allow us to act quickly to thwart injury (when fear insists we jump out of the way of a car coming towards us on the street.)
These emotions are not bad or good but are part of our “natural hearts” that God provides us to become more deeply and fully human. An awareness of our emotions, our ability to step back and understand what we are feeling and why, and then to respond and not just react, allows us to use emotions to direct our actions in healthy ways.
God created us as human beings- complete with the ability to feel and experience life. Jesus was human, and therefore He experienced feelings as well. Jesus illustrates how love (directed towards the Father and others), anger (cleansing of the temple), and even fear (Gethsemane) are an integral part of what it means to have a “natural heart” and to be fully human. Jesus demonstrates the importance of using our emotions to direct our actions in ways that share compassion for others and trust in a loving Father. As disciples of Christ, we are called to do the same.
Creator God, you bless us with natural hearts that allow us to experience the many emotions that make us human. Through the gift of Your Spirit, help us to respond and act on these feelings like Your Son, Jesus- with gratitude and love. May our actions bring us closer to You and help bring peace and unity to our world. We pray in Christ’s name. AMEN.
—Marylynn Herchline