An Empty Heart 

   “Saint Gertrude one day asked Our Lord to make known to her what He desired of her.  Jesus answered, “I desire nothing from you but a heart that is empty.” (Alphonsus Liguori, “Attaining Salvation: Devout Reflections and Meditations.”) 

   Jesus wants to fill our hearts with His love, His mercy, and His charity.  But if we have filled it with other desires and wants there is no room for Him and the blessings He wishes to bestow on us.

   He asks not only and empty heart, but a mind willing to accept the words and the truths of God.  Not only an empty heart, but a desire and determination to follow the path He puts before us.

   Our life is filled with choices; we make many decisions each day.  Some of are of little consequence, but the choice of how we will follow the Lord is of the utmost importance.  We can’t take from Him what pleases us and reject what we may find hard to accept.  When Jesus insisted that we must eat His body and drink His blood if we are to have life within us, many of His disciples walked away.  They could not accept this teaching. (See John 6: 22 – 71).

   If our heart is empty and we are willing, Jesus will fill it with the truth.  If we cannot accept His teachings we may walk away, just as some of His disciples did.  We must look into a mirror and decide: Is my heart ready to receive my Lord?  Am I willing to accept His teachings, even the ones I may not fully understand?  Do I trust in Him even when the teachings are hard?