The Interior Life

August 7: Thursday of Week 18 of Ordinary Time, Year A-II:

Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19; Matthew 16:13-23

Thoughts to help us surrender to Jesus expressing himself through us in ministry.

“I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts.” Jeremiah 31:33

All our senses are trained outwards—to see, hear, taste, smell, touch what is outside of us or comes to us from outside.

But there are “interior senses” also. We can “see” what is in our minds and hearts, and “hear” what God or his Spirit is saying to us. We can “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). “Wisdom” is defined as “a taste for spiritual things.” We speak of the “odor of sanctity,” and Paul calls us the “aroma of Christ,” who “spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him” (2Corinthians 2:14). We are “touched” by things that move our hearts; we call them “touching.”

All this says we can know, be aware of, truth and goodness that are inside of us, and recognize them by our interior reactions. If we pay attention to our hearts.

God promised he would “place his law within us, and write it upon our hearts.” If we listen to our hearts, we will not believe those who interpret God’s laws in a way that makes him a monster. Or think keeping all the laws makes us Christian when our hearts are crying for “more.”

And in dealing with others we will let our hearts speak in our words and actions. This is ministry.

PRAY: “Lord, speak to my heart.”

PRACTICE: Listen to your heart. Be aware of feelings.