AECI Lenten 2025 Reflection: 'Steer Us From Hardness of Heart'
Week One, Day 1: Hard Heart vs. Tender Heart
'He who works with his hands and his head
and his heart is an artist' (St. Francis of Assisi)
In terms of spiritual reflection and spiritual observance over a designated time period, it can be refreshing to consider a subject or theme outside of a common dualistic framework that we might gravitate towards. That is to say, to explore a topic free of the tendency to see two fundamental kinds or categories at work. 'Heart' is often contrasted with 'head'. 'Goodness' examined with reference to 'evil'. 'Hope' discussed alongside 'fear'.
This short Lenten course is primarily interested in determining direction or orientation, hence the title 'steer us'. We need to try to be honest about the position or the 'condition' in which we find ourselves and occasionally looking merely at polar opposites can prevent any sense of movement or momentum.
That is why today, we shall begin ( ... perhaps unusually!) with a focus on our 'hands' not our 'hearts'.
What might we do with our hands to show the tender or gentle dimension of ourselves? Will you wash the dishes, make a bed, make somebody else's bed? Will you work in the garden, with soil and water, planting and nourishing as we move into Spring? Will you hand write a note or letter, play a musical instrument, use a comb or hairbrush? Will you gather a child into your arms or simply make a cup of tea or coffee for another?
Pope Francis tells us that 'the hands' are in fact a language of sorts. What might be the origin of that language?
St Francis of Assisi leaves us in no doubt. Both the heart and the head excel when they work in union with our hands.
To think today , how we might all become 'artists'!!
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