Quotes of the Day for March 27, 2026 – Thoughts on opening our hearts for the Lord to enter
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“The heart is a biblical word little understood these days, yet it has a truly profound dimension. The heart is where union with God may be consummated; as such it has a spiritual dimension. More than an emotional center or a physical organ, the heart is a receptacle for all good and evil. The heart is our psychosomatic Centre, the deepest and most profound part of our being; it is our “inner man;” out of which the energies of the psyche issue forth. There is a close connection between the nous, the psyche, the heart, and the “inner man.” (Archimandrite George)
“The human heart is the place where the Lord likes to rest. It contains all the integrity of the human being in all its powers or energies, physical and mental. And in order for our minds to descend into our hearts prayer must be accompanied by fasting and abstinence from worldly pleasures. Otherwise, the mind (nous), which is the energy of the heart, cannot be focused on prayer, but extends outward.” (Metropolitan Serafim Joanta)
“The human heart can be compared to a room. Imagine a house littered up to the ceiling with old furniture, chests, and unnecessary things. It’s impossible to live in such a room: there’s nowhere to turn, and it’s stuffy and dark in it. Similarly, our hearts are cluttered for years with the junk of pleasure, the furniture of empty worries, the debris of resentment and the dust of vanity. We get used to living alongside this garbage and no longer notice that there is no room in the house for the Owner Himself. Fasting is a time of “spring-cleaning”. We begin to take out of our hearts everything superfluous—everything that occupies a place that rightfully belongs to God alone. And when the room is gradually cleared up, when the noise and fuss subside, we suddenly hear a gentle knock on the door. This is the One Who has been standing at the door for a long time and waiting for us to invite Him inside: Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me (Rev. 3:20). Fasting opens the door, and Christ enters a purified heart.” (Priest Tarasiy Borozenets)
“Our glorification of ideas perverts our Christian understanding. Christ said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” But we distort this and think it means, “Your treasure will be where your heart is.” We think that the thought is what matters. But Christ was quite materialist (wholistic) about the matter. Your treasure (your stuff) controls your thoughts. If you say you care about the poor, give them some of your stuff. If you don’t care about them, give them some of your stuff. If you give enough, over time you will come to care. The heart follows.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“Whenever we encounter the Lord in a suffering person who needs our care, there is inevitably a kind of judgment that reveals who we are. That is the case when we see His living icons suffering today as the victims of natural disasters, wars, persecution, and injustice. It is the case when those who bear His image are sick, lonely, hungry, imprisoned, living in fear, or in any other circumstance in which they need our friendship, care, and support. Since we do not yet respond generously to everyone without a second thought, we must mindfully struggle against our self-centeredness and indifference to the sufferings of others, especially those whom the world tells us to ignore. We must not shut the eyes of our souls to the brilliant light of Christ when the darkness within us becomes apparent. We must respond to what every judgment of our souls reveals by taking the steps we can to open our hearts to Christ more fully.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)