Yet I also very much desire they receive sharp hearts. It is for this reason that I emphasize the need to listen with the ears of the heart and to see with the eyes of the heart. Protecting and promoting the senses of the heart, exercising them daily through prayer, conversation, contemplation, and wonder, will ensure that they continue to thrive. I believe such exercise will always produce extraordinary depth of heart that, combined with a great mind, results in an extraordinary human being. This is humanity at its best.
In my opinion, this is the summit of the imitation of Christ, for we Christians believe that Jesus best exemplifies this union of heart and mind.
I find this to be very worthy of our seeking, asking, and knocking. I find myself at my very best when the ears of my heart are aligned with the ears of my head. Virtues like gentleness, hope, and love seem to flow from this communion of interior and exterior listening. I’d say the same is true for vision and touch and taste.
I believe God desires this union of heart and mind for each of his beloved daughters and sons. We draw closer to God when we see and feel and taste and listen interiorly, because it is within the heart that God’s spirit resides. When we receive from this Holy Spirit, we discover that our interior expands. This magnanimity, this big heartedness, is the way that Jesus lives and moves and has his very being within us. It is how he reveals himself in the world today.