Hajja Salesjana

Photo by Susn Matthiessen - Unsplash.com ‘Revolutionize the world with your kindness, by speaking with your heart’, is the dream that Pope Francis envisions for humanity through his 57th World Communication Day message, that fell on this past Ascension Sunday, 21st May 2023. ‘Speak with your heart in truth and charity’, and this is the best antidote that can cure the ills of today’s society. Pope Francis gives a very concrete action plan “Communicate with your heart, in truth and charity”. By listening and speaking with your heart to the other heart, your communication can become positive and wholesome. The solution rests and springs from the human heart. Pope Francis, quotes Pope Benedict XVI’s words: “The Christian's programme - the programme of the Good Samaritan, the programme of Jesus - is “a heart which sees”. This heart sees where love is needed and acts accordingly.” Speaking with the heart, therefore, is seen as a life-long project for every Christian. Symbolism of the Heart The heart is a universally recognized force and is the most popular symbol in the world today. “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart,” affirmed the famous American author Helen Keller. It is perhaps the best and most profound expression of human love, the fountain from where everything good springs and resides. Obviously, while we all know that the biological heart is the most vital and delicate organ of the human body, the spiritual heart is at the centre of true humanity, and the source of all human feelings and emotions, and of intellectual and spiritual faculties. Interesting to note, that Pope Francis uses this metaphor of the heart, to affirm it as a powerful instrument to bring that great transformation that the world needs. Understanding of ‘Heart’ in the Scripture All religions have a special understanding of the concept of the ‘heart’. It is the place where God resides, where God’s grace can be received or where one can experience that pure spiritual energy. The Sacred Scripture also gives us beautiful affirmations concerning the heart, through which we perceive that the heart is the key to relate to God, to see God and experience God and likewise to love and relate to every human person. The heart is the source or the control centre that determines one’s choices and decisions, and it reveals one’s identity. In fact, a ‘change of heart’, ‘purification of one’s heart’ is an essential requisite in order to experience the transformation of one’s whole being and “Speaking with the Heart” A great antidote for the Ills of today’s world (ANS) 6 Lulju-Settembru 2023 hajja