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“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”.

With these words in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ has very clearly emphasized the worth and purpose of a pure heart.

These words are at one and the same time a challenge, a promise, a condition and a pledge. We are not naturally endowed with a pure heart. Quite the opposite, says the Prophet Jeremiah 17:9. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.

We have to come to terms with ourselves, and this coming to terms with ourselves forms the greatest part of our life’s struggle. The more we strive for that which is impure, the more we become aware of the fact that to have a pure heart is no simple matter. The world of which we are a part is an impure one and we are constantly drifting further away from God, and so those bound to the world lose the opportunity of becoming free, because very often in their search for freedom they become slaves of the Devil instead of recognizing him as an Evil Force and shunning him.

We are all exposed to the same danger, because the greater part of our life is governed by impure and ungodly modes of conduct which we unfortunately accept often as natural and harmless. Today many of us are not even able to distinguish between what is right and wrong. How often do we call, ourselves Christians but are not aware that we have deviated from the right path. It is a constant struggle to differentiate between the pure and the impure, the human and the divine.

How many of us critically examine our thoughts, think before we speak, change our ways according to the Christian way of life? Worse still, do we not sometimes act against God though we are fully aware of the sinfulness of our action? Do we not often endanger ourselves by grabbing a pot of lentils for the sake of a quick success, for a victory which is short lived and worthless instead of being aware of our vocation and remaining true to God? Don’t we sometimes feel that the desires of the heart are rather inconvenient and that its demands seem to be contrary to our way of life?

It is at this stage that we should ask ourselves the following questions: What do we really want? Where do we look for life? What do we mean by it? If anybody is satisfied with his miserable existence here on earth, then there is something wrong with him and he will have to revalue his way of life in every possible manner and try to make it worthwhile. However, he who looks for eternal life in God will have to be prepared to sacrifice a lot even to the extent of losing his life.

Let us once more examine the words of “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” That is the aim of our life, the purpose of our being Christians. Our desires, our aspirations should be that one day we will be united with God in ever-lasting happiness. Anything which stands in the way of this goal is dangerous. Even if it is very agreeable and casts a spell on us, we should be able to recognise its true worth and detach ourselves completely from evil. That is certainly not an easy task. To sell everything that one has, to die daily to sin (to old ways), to love one’s father and mother, wife and children less than God, to obey the laws of God rather than those of man, always creates new problems which are not easily overcome. It is here that we will have to prove that our faith is strong, that our love for God is genuine and that to strive for our heavenly home is our real aim.