Pope: the most noble battle is against the internal deceptions that generate our sins

“We cannot forget the tragedies of our day, because the Passion of the Lord continues in the suffering of men. May your hearts find, in the Cross of Christ, support and comfort in the midst of the tribulations of life".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Saying "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" means that "if we have listened to the thirst for good that lives in us and we are aware of living in mercy, a journey of liberation begins that lasts all life and leads us to Heaven”.

The meaning of the sixth beatitude was the topic that Pope Francis spoke about in today's general audience, which took place, as in recent weeks, in his private library.

The Pope also referred to the drama that humanity is experiencing in some regards. Thus, he told the Portuguese that “we cannot forget the tragedies of our day, because the Passion of the Lord continues in the suffering of men. May your hearts find support and comfort in the Cross of Christ amidst the tribulations of life; embracing the Cross like Him, with humility, trust and filial abandonment to the will of God, you will share in the glory of the Resurrection ".

And to the Poles he said that "contemporary man sees the signs of death that have become more present on the horizon of civilization. Increasingly he lives in fear, threatened at the very core of his existence. When you feel in difficulty, then your thoughts should go to Christ: know that you are not alone ".

In his catechesis, explaining the meaning of the sixth Beatitude, he underlined that it indicates "the thirst for a personal relationship with God", of "intimacy" with the Lord, to "see God".

“To see God it’s not necessary to change our glasses or the place from which we are looking, or to change the theological authors who teach us the way: our heart needs to be liberated from its own deceit. This is the only way.”

“It is, therefore, important to understand what “purity of heart” is. To understand this we need to recall that in the Bible, the heart does not consist solely in sentiments, but it is the most intimate place of the human being, the interior space where a person is him or herself. This, according to the Biblical mentality. But what does it mean to have a “pure” heart? The pure in heart live in the presence of the Lord, preserving in their hearts what is worthy of a relationship with Him; only in this way do they possess a “unified” life, linear, not winding but simple.”

“A purified heart is, therefore, the result of a process that implies a liberation and a renunciation. The pure of heart is not born thus, it has lived an interior simplification, learning to renounce evil in itself, thus, in the Bible it is called circumcision of the heart (cfr Dt 10,16; 30,6; Ez 44,9; Jer 4,4). This interior purification implies the recognition of that part of the heart that is under the influence of evil - “You know Father, I feel this, I think this, I see this, and this is bad”: recognising the ugly part, the part that is obfuscated by evil - to learn the art of letting oneself always be taught and guided by the Holy Spirit. The journey of the ailing heart, the sinning heart, the heart that no longer sees things well, because it is in sin, to the fullness of the light of the heart, is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is He Who guides us to fulfil this task. Thus, through this journey of the heart, we will reach the point of “seeing God”.

“In this beatific vision, there is a future, eschatological dimension, as with all the Beatitudes: it is the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven toward which we move. But there is also another dimension: to see God means discerning the designs of Providence in what happens, recognising His presence in the Sacraments, His presence in our brothers and sisters, above all the poor and suffering, and to recognise God where He manifests Himself (cf Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2519). This beatitude is a fruit of the preceding one: if we have heard the thirst for the good that dwells within us and are aware of living in mercy, the path to liberation which lasts all of our lives has begun and leads all the way to heaven. It is serious work, a work which the Holy Spirit does if we give Him space to do so, if we are open to the action of the Holy Spirit.”