Blessed are the Pure in Heart

Blessed are the Pure in Heart

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”[1]

What does it mean to be pure in heart? And what does it mean to see God? These are among the obvious questions this particular Beatitude raises. The heart is often used as a metaphor for our emotions, feelings, and intimate connections. In essence, in symbolism, and in emojis, the heart represents love. As such, the beatitude could read, “Blessed are those whose love is pure…”

Purity, like virginity, is typically seen as something that is unblemished, fresh, and new, or perhaps renewed. Virginity, today, is most commonly used in the context of one who has never had sexual intercourse, but the historical meaning is broader. When Mary, the mother of Jesus, is referred to as a virgin in the gospels, the literal meaning refers to her status as a young, unmarried maiden. Virgin olive oil is made from fresh olives that have yet to be pressed (as opposed to olive oil made from olives going through the press a second or third time). In a similar way, the rules for animal sacrifice in the Old Testament required the people to offer “a male without blemish,”[2] the implication being to sacrifice the purest animal one possessed, presumably the choicest of the herd.

To be pure in heart, then, might be related to Jesus saying, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”[3] For an adult to revert to childhood in a literal way is an impossibility, and to revert to childish behaviors is nonsensical. For an adult to revert to a childish innocence in how they perceive, accept, and treat those around them, however, is not only possible but is likely what Jesus was talking about. In a similar way, Jesus told Nicodemus, “…no one can see the kingdom of heaven without being born from above.”[4] Nicodemus, clearly not catching the metaphorical drift responded, “Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?”[5] It seems to me that these and other references infer that we can regain our innocence, purity, or virginity if we are willing to release that which has defiled us. We can be renewed or reborn. In fact, this is what Jesus insists we do; and with good reason.

As we age, we tend to become more set in our ways and beliefs. We become less likely to change our minds or expand our knowledge horizons. We become entrenched in supporting what we have come to believe is right and in decrying that which we believe is wrong. Our world-view shrinks. We feel we have a firmer grip on the distinction between truth and falsehood, good and evil. I think Jesus was suggesting that perhaps those dividing lines are not nearly as distinct as we imagine. The less willing we are to reconsider our positions, the less purity of heart we possess, and the more stuck in our old, tired, and impure ways we become. And the less likely we are to see God in ourselves and, especially, in others.

Indeed, it is our very closed-mindedness or hard-heartedness that prevents us from seeing God as a present reality in our lives. We judge too much and too many around us as unworthy of our love and attention, not understanding that judgements of that nature ultimately judge us. We are cautioned against judging others throughout scripture, including by Jesus. In numerous passages from in the Old Testament, people are warned of the dire consequences resulting from their hardness of heart. This is impurity of heart, and it is nothing new.

The heart, as a physical organ, distributes blood-borne nutrients throughout the body indiscriminately. The heart, as a metaphor for love, should also distribute its blessings indiscriminately to friends, family, enemies, and aliens alike. The physical heart does not fret about which parts of the body may be more worthy of blood, nor should the spiritual heart consider who is and is not worthy of its care and nurture. The physical heart is pure in its intentions, as should be the spiritual heart.

One with a pure heart is the only one who can actually see God because our impurities of heart cloud our vision. Our biases and prejudices (pre-judgements) blind us to the reality that everything and everyone around us is a beloved creation of God, worthy of love, care, and respect. We cannot see God as a single entity because God is not a single entity, at least not as we understand entities. God is a totality and includes everything we consider as entities. We can only see God in the vast diversity of what God has and is creating. And to attain that sort of vision requires a heart pure enough to see, largely through faith, beyond our personal blinders to the face of God imprinted on all of creation.

This is the 15^thin a series titled Blessedness and Woe.Life Notes are my explorations into mysteries that interest me. They are invitations for readers to explore more deeply into life’s mysteries. Engage with me or explore contemplative spiritual direction at ghildenbrand@outlook.com.

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[1] Matthew 5:8

[2] Leviticus 1:3

[3] Matthew 18:3

[4] John 3:3

[5] John 3:4