LEARNING IS ALSO A MATTER OF THE HEART

SABBATH

Disciples of the Dominican theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas, and those of the Father of the Church, St. Augustine, are often locked in argument. St. Thomas Aquinas used to say, “The more you know, the more you love.” St. Augustine of Hippo, however, presented a seemingly contradictory view: “The more you love, the more you know.” In reality, the two are both true. It is true that more knowledge enables us to lovesomeone more. Knowledge brings understanding, which in turn opens our heart to compassion and empathy. On the other hand, it is also true to say that a loving heart is more open to understand and comprehend. As Jesus explains to the disciples why He had to speak in parables, His logic combines that of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine. His teachings and demands are not simply understood by thinking and critical minds. His teachings and demands are accessed by persons whose hearts have love and faith. Unfortunately many of the Jews had nothing in their hearts but hate and suspicion for Jesus. As such, their hearts disabled their minds from truly relishing the good and liberating revelations of Jesus about God’s true plan. Ignorance is not the block against learning. Bias, pride and pretensions are. These things activate a lot of defenses in a person’s thoughts and feelings to the point that the person may harden up. Worse, no gesture of goodness could touch his heart. The person wallows in an ocean of self-righteousness. To understand and journey with today’s X-Y-Z generation, for instance, you need to give them a lot of respect and open up to them. Brought up and schooled in the ever evolving world of digital communications, their reason and imagination have become accustomed with expressions that combine letters, numbers, symbols (like @, www, http://), colors, pictures, anime and avatars. But most older people tend to shoot down their creative expression. Pope John Paul II, who grew old with a heart for young people, had a very important expression: “Open wide. Do not be afraid.” Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP   Reflection Question: How do you take new things that you encounter? Are you challenged or threatened?   Lord, grant me an open heart and mind to accept new things   St. John of Edessa, pray for us.