Blessed are the Pure of Heart

By Steve Martin

     Have you ever wished that you could actually see God? Did you know that you really can see Him?  Thanks to Jesus, we have a wealth of knowledge about who God is and what the heart of God wills.  When we meditate on the Gospels, we have the opportunity to truly see God. Jesus reveals the face of God.¹ His life, teachings, miracles, Passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension all help us to

understand the amazing nature of our God.

    If we can see God, why is it that sometimes we do not? Have you ever felt like God is nowhere to be found? In the sixth Beatitude Jesus declared, “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God.”² This truth that Jesus shares makes a significant point. Put another way we could say that when our heart is dirtied and polluted with sin, we can’t see God. 

     The Navarre Bible expands on this same point in the footnotes for this Beatitude. When Jesus refers to the heart, he is using the scriptural sense of that word. In this context the word heart is viewed as “the summary and source, expression and ultimate basis, of one’s thoughts, words and actions.”³ 

     In the next paragraph, it goes on to state, “Cleanness of heart is a gift of God, which expresses itself in a capacity to love, in having an upright and pure attitude to everything noble.” St. Paul also

encourages us to fill our hearts up with goodness in Philippians 4:8. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything

worthy of praise, think about these things.”

     If we desire to see God then we must cooperate with any grace He has gifted to us. We must work hard at feeding our mind and spirit with all that is good and persevere in that effort. We must also learn to look away from those things that would distort and infect our hearts with sin. 

     There is no need to ignore darkness or pretend it doesn’t exist. Still it is vitally important that we do not hold our gaze upon evil. We must keep our vision fixed on God. When we do, He will give us purity of heart and we will see Him. 

     May God bless us and keep us from all sin.  Let us embrace the gift of purity He offers and gaze upon the beauty and truth that is our God.  Amen.

¹Gospel of John 12:44-45
²Gospel of Matthew 5:8
³Navarre Bible pg. 49