Pastor’s Corner – September 1, 2024
Finding Peace in Your Heart
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
In 1966, the Trappist monk Thomas Merton met the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and asked him what he had learned in his first year at the monastery. Thich Nhat Hanh replied, “How to open and close doors quietly.”
In Buddhist spirituality, teaching mindfulness and being present is one of the ways to enlightenment. Jesus’ teaching is not far from this lesson. An argument came about whether his disciples should follow the law by washing their hands before taking their meals. When the Pharisees saw them breaking the law, they called them out, reminding them of the importance of the law. For argument’s sake, rightly so, since washing hands can save lives and live longer lives at a time when life expectancy was just in the thirties. One can also argue that keeping the elder’s tradition or law is important to bring peace and order in society. However, Jesus’ argument is not about the law in question, but the importance of the human mind and heart that gives motivation to do harm or do good. It’s what comes out from the center of our being that can defile, says Jesus, and that there is nothing outside that defiles the person–pointing to the disciples’ behavior eating without washing hands. Jesus saw the importance of the human heart.
So what’s in our hearts today? Have we learned to “open and close doors quietly?” Have we learned to “chill and stay cool” in tumultuous times? The question I want to ask is, have we found peace in our hearts where we are not anxious or fearful that can easily lead us to rushing in a hurry by opening the door too quickly or slamming the door behind us in fear? To truly be alive don’t we need peace and be present in life? What do we miss in life when we are in a rush and our hearts are not in the right place?
Finding peace in our heart is no easy task. It’s a life long journey toward the wholeness we seek.This is not to say that peace is found only at the end of the journey, but we can find peace here and now, in the midst of chaos, suffering and places we least expect. The kind of peace I’m talking about is peace that comes from God. It’s a sense of assurance that God loves us no matter what happens or what circumstances we may be in life. The peace that is offered by God anchors our spiritual life. So our faith practice teaches us that we need each other by showing up and holding each other in prayers for peace in our hearts. Our human experience knows anxiety, fear, despair, grief and traumas but we also know that peace can be found in our hearts and be a healing balm. Let us come and worship God who offers us peace. Amen.
Pastor Dae