Where’s your heart?
Those are the words that spoke to me during a recent meditation when we heard Jesus explaining the difficulty behind a rich man entering the kingdom of heaven. Toward the end of that passage, the Apostles ask Jesus what they will receive as a reward for following Him. He responds in typical Jesus fashion: ‘You’ll get more than you bargained for and then some, but first . . . you’ll need to give up everything.’
That has been a focus in our recent readings. Prepare for the kingdom, but first, commit the heart. Contrast the rich young man and Bartimaeus, who we’ve both encountered recently. The former went away sad, and the latter healed because of the closeness or openness of their hearts. And now, we enter into November — a time of reflection not only of the deceased but also of our own death awaiting us. That is, we too live on borrowed time and therefore must decide to whom and what we will commit our hearts.
Our Hearts
Today, Jesus makes it real simple for us. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength . . . You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk 12:30-31).
We know these words by heart. We may even repeat them to our friends or children. But do we embrace the gravity of those words? What part of our heart do we leave for Him?
Years ago, I remember hearing advice on this topic: we can check the commitment of our hearts by checking the commitment of our time. Where do we spend our time? When does Jesus fit in our schedule? For what or whom do we sacrifice each day? The answer to each of these questions will answer what we leave for Him and whether He receives our all.
He awaits our hearts, and so does she. Mary, Queen of our hearts, pray for us.
