Hajja Salesjana

their ‘hearts are set on fire’, and they get back joyfully to proclaim the risen Christ to their brothers and sisters. How can we Speak with the Heart? Speaking from the heart is not about acquiring a skill, or speaking with the right person, time or place, and not even merely doing the right thing. It does not need any special preparation or any pre-plan as it flows straight from the heart and should proceed toward the heart of the other. It is communicating at the deepest level that connects you with what the other person cares deeply about. It means being simply honest and genuinely empathetic with whomever you communicate with. The heart must be listened to, it is the supreme source of life, the physical and spiritual home of our existence. Only by listening and speaking with a pure heart can we see beyond appearances and touch the other. Speaking from the heart fundamentally springs from love, truth and charity that reside in one’s heart. This is the foundation that paves the way for every genuine conversation. It is not a communication that is expecting acknowledgement, appreciation, and approval for oneself, but it is about recognising the other. The key to “speaking from the heart” is that it’s about the other and not about oneself. It will be difficult and challenging to speak with the heart if one does not have this genuine care and concern for the other. ‘Cordiality – A Powerful Weapon for Communication’ Revolutionize the world with cordiality, tenderness and gentleness. The words of the father of gentleness, St. Francis de Sales, ring in our ears: “A spoon full of honey gathers more flies than a barrel full of vinegar”; and the saying from the book of Proverbs (25:15), “a soft tongue will break a bone”, all affirm the power of cordiality. Today more than ever, speaking with the heart is essential to foster a culture of peace, allowing for dialogue and reconciliation. Pope Francis makes it very clear that this choice should spring from genuine concern for others. He exhorts the communicators to create a revolution with the communication of the heart, and convey the ‘gentle strength of love’. Today, in the dramatic context of global conflicts that we are experiencing, the affirmation of non-hostile communication becomes indispensable, and this cordiality can touch even the most hardened hearts. It does not mean, we compromise on everything, rather we proclaim the truth with charity and gentleness. ‘Speaking with the Heart’ – the Core of the Synodal Process The verbs ‘to listen’, ‘to share’, ‘to hear’, and ‘to respect’ mirror the underlying principles of Synodality. Pope Francis affirms this in an emphatic way: Listening without prejudice, attentively and openly, enables speaking according to God’s style, nurtured by closeness, compassion and tenderness. We have a pressing need in the Church for communication that kindles hearts, that is balm on wounds and that shines light on the journey of our brothers and sisters. He says, “I dream of an ecclesial communication that knows how to let itself be guided by the Holy Spirit, gentle and at the same time, prophetic, that knows how to find new ways and means Photo by Fa Barboza - Unsplash.com 8 Lulju-Settembru 2023 hajja