“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” – Matthew 5:8

What does it mean to be pure of heart?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines pure as “unmixed with any other matter”. For example, pure gold consists of no other element but gold.  So what is a pure heart? Much of the time our hearts become attracted by the things of the world and when we seek them our heart becomes “mixed” and is impure toward the Lord. When we’re pure in heart we seek the Lord only, take Him as our only goal, and have the accomplishing of God’s will for God’s glory as our only purpose. When we allow the Lord to purify our hearts we will experience one of the greatest blessings – we will see more of who He is and know Him in a deeper way. What a joy it is to see God!

Questions for reflection

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. – 1Samuel 16:7

The heart is mentioned 826 times in scripture. This repetition, in addition to 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us the importance God places on our hearts. In our fast paced world it is difficult to slow down and take inventory of our internal lives. Take some time to consider your “heart health”. Think of those things in your heart that are keeping you from seeing more of who God is and knowing Him deeper. Consider how you might improve it.

Why does purity have to start in your heart?

How can we live out the Sixth Beatitude?

• Examine your heart and see if you are drifting away from God. Confess those things to God and ask for forgiveness.
• Pray asking God to draw close to you and help you focus on Him.

Prayer

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Amen. (Psalm 139: 23-24)