My Son, Give Me Your Heart
This lecture emphasizes that the essence of spiritual life is the heart, not outward practices or external appearances. God does not seek many actions as much as He seeks a pure heart filled with sincere love.
The Heart and Spiritual Life
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that worship without the heart is not accepted by God, because God examines and weighs hearts, looking at inner motives and intentions before any outward work. Prayer, fasting, tithes, and all commandments have no value if they do not come from a sincere heart.
True Repentance
True repentance is not merely stopping sin outwardly, but an inner transformation of the heart, replacing one desire with another, so that the heart moves from loving sin to loving God. The heart is the source of thoughts, feelings, and actions, and every sin begins first in the heart before appearing outwardly.
The Heart, Thought, and Behavior
There is a close relationship between the heart, the mind, the senses, and the tongue. What fills the heart flows out through the tongue and appears in behavior. Therefore, correcting behavior begins with correcting the heart, not the other way around.
Stability of the Heart
A heart that is upright and firmly rooted in God does not waver before temptations or trials. The martyrs and saints are given as examples of steadfast hearts that were firm in faith, not fluctuating or unstable.
The Heart and the Commandment
The commandment must dwell in the heart, not only in the mind. When a person loves the commandment, it becomes part of his feelings and desires, and he lives it with joy rather than obligation.
Integrity and Seriousness
True integrity is integrity of the heart, where the inner life matches the outer behavior. His Holiness stresses the importance of seriousness and commitment, and of not leaving open doors for sin within the heart.
Spiritual Message
Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the issues of life. Give God your heart completely, and He will purify your feelings, establish you in His way, and lead you into a true spiritual life bearing holy fruits.
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