A Pure Heart

What comes to mind when you think of what having a pure heart must look like?

We’ve only just past the six-year mark since my husband had a massive heart attack. My minister, at that time, told me that performing his funeral had taken a toll on her, she had sat at her desk bawling and questioning God as to why now, His response to her was, “I took him when his heart was purest”

Grieving, hearing this brought me so much comfort.  In the eyes of the Catholic church, he was Catholic, my husband would not have been a candidate for sainthood, but he was a kind-hearted man who loved God. Generous to a fault – sometimes much to my chagrin, he showered his family, my mother, especially, with lovingkindness. The night before, my mom had been ill and the loving attention he gave to her made him a saint in my eyes. What he had done that night could only have emanated from a pure heart. The very next night, he saw God.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:8 resonate with me.

What does it mean? Is it one’s physical heart? My husband’s physical heart failed but God had said that his heart was pure, so it must mean something else.

As I’m writing, a memory interrupted my train of thought. It must bear significance…

…that fateful night, was family prayer night and my husband smiling broadly, boldly declared, “I have forgiven everyone that I need to forgive”

This spoke of his inward character.

“Lev Shalem” is Hebrew and can be translated as “Pure Heart”. Lev is the same word translated heart in “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” – with all our lev, we are to love God. But our English word heart does not convey the depth of meaning that lev holds. Lev isn’t a mere physical thing but so much more. It’s talking about all of your being. Body, soul and mind. Everything that is you.

Shalem comes from the word shalom, peace. But not peace as in the absence of strife but shalom goes much deeper than that, it’s about one’s well-being, rooted in wholeness and in a state of complete harmony, fulfilment, and restored unimpaired relationship with the divine. To say Shalom is to offer a blessing of divine grace to be manifested in one’s life.

Is Jesus saying, “You are truly content when all of you is in harmony with the divine nature, then you will experience His Presence."?

In other words, a pure heart is a portal through which the Kingdom of God is manifest.

When you honestly exhibit lovingkindness, you open that portal.

When you generously give of yourself, expecting no reward in return, you open that portal.

When you are genuinely kind with your words and in your actions, you open that portal.

When you can boldly declare that you have forgiven everyone that you need to forgive, and truly mean it, you open that portal.

When you love God with all your being and love your fellow man as yourself, you open that portal.

Beloved, the condition of our hearts, our internal well-being, is of utmost importance to Jesus and it must be as equally important to us.

Amen.

 

 

Shelley Johnson “A Pure Heart” © January 25, 2025