Page 2 - Demo

since the impulses of both the higher faculties and the passions were thought to pass through theveins that converge in the heart. [4] From ancient times, then, there has been an appreciation ofthe fact that human beings are not simply a sum of different skills, but a unity of body and soul witha coordinating centre that provides a backdrop of meaning and direction to all that a personexperiences.4. The Bible tells us that, %u201cthe Word of God is living and active... it is able to judge the thoughtsand intentions of the heart%u201d (Heb 4:12). In this way, it speaks to us of the heart as a core that lieshidden beneath all outward appearances, even beneath the superficial thoughts that can lead usastray. The disciples of Emmaus, on their mysterious journey in the company of the risen Christ,experienced a moment of anguish, confusion, despair and disappointment. Yet, beyond and inspite of this, something was happening deep within them: %u201cWere not our hearts burning within uswhile he was talking to us on the road?%u201d (Lk 24:32).5. The heart is also the locus of sincerity, where deceit and disguise have no place. It usuallyindicates our true intentions, what we really think, believe and desire, the %u201csecrets%u201d that we tell noone: in a word, the naked truth about ourselves. It is the part of us that is neither appearance orillusion, but is instead authentic, real, entirely %u201cwho we are%u201d. That is why Samson, who kept fromDelilah the secret of his strength, was asked by her, %u201cHow can you say, %u2018I love you%u2019, when yourheart is not with me?%u201d (Judg 16:15). Only when Samson opened his heart to her, did she realize%u201cthat he had told her his whole secret%u201d (Judg 16:18).6. This interior reality of each person is frequently concealed behind a great deal of %u201cfoliage%u201d,which makes it difficult for us not only to understand ourselves, but even more to know others:%u201cThe heart is devious above all else; it is perverse, who can understand it?%u201d (Jer 17:9). We canunderstand, then, the advice of the Book of Proverbs: %u201cKeep your heart with all vigilance, for fromit flow the springs of life; put away from you crooked speech%u201d (4:23-24). Mere appearances,dishonesty and deception harm and pervert the heart. Despite our every attempt to appear assomething we are not, our heart is the ultimate judge, not of what we show or hide from others, butof who we truly are. It is the basis for any sound life project; nothing worthwhile can be undertakenapart from the heart. False appearances and untruths ultimately leave us empty-handed.7. As an illustration of this, I would repeat a story I have already told on another occasion. %u201cFor thecarnival, when we were children, my grandmother would make a pastry using a very thin batter.When she dropped the strips of batter into the oil, they would expand, but then, when we bit intothem, they were empty inside. In the dialect we spoke, those cookies were called %u2018lies%u2019%u2026 Mygrandmother explained why: %u2018Like lies, they look big, but are empty inside; they are false, unreal%u2019%u201d.[5]8. Instead of running after superficial satisfactions and playing a role for the benefit of others, wewould do better to think about the really important questions in life. Who am I, really? What am I2