A New heart

 

                                                                                                    Letter to Cardinals and Bishops of the Catholic Church

 

The Lord through the prophet Ezekiel gave a promise: “I will give you a new heart… and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh.” (Ezek 36:26) So what He speaks of is a spiritual transplantation.

 Where and how does a physical transplantation take place? The place is the operating-room, the first condition is light and cleanness, otherwise there is a danger of infection.

Where and how does a spiritual transplantation take place? The operating-place is Golgotha, the first condition is spiritual light and spiritual cleanness: “If we walk in the light (of God’s truths), the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from (infection) all sin.” (1Jn 1:7)

The second condition of physical transplantation is signing of an obligation that the sick voluntarily and wholly submits himself into the hands of the surgeon, this surgeon being a human.

Even in spiritual transplantation the second condition is that the spiritually sick voluntarily and wholly submits himself into the hands of the surgeon, but here this surgeon is God.

What accompanies this step of absolute confidence is that the sick lets himself be tied to the operating-table. The same happens in the spiritual transplantation. Absolute confidence is accompanied with being tied to the operating-table of the cross: “Our old self was crucified with Christ” (cf. Gal 2:20; Rom 6:6).

 

The candidate for physical transplantation has at this moment forsaken all that he had, that means all self-confidence.

The candidate for spiritual transplantation is a disciple of Christ. Jesus said: “Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (Lk 14:33)

The result of physical transplantation depends just on the surgeon, he will do it.

The result of spiritual transplantation depends just on the heavenly Surgeon, and He will do it: “I will give you a new heart… I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh.” (Ez 36:26)

The vital precondition is that there must be a new heart, and this refers to spiritual transplantation as well.

 

Old and new heart:

 

God promised that He would give us a new heart. However, this heart is not a physical muscle, but a new spiritual centre. God promised this several centuries before the birth of Christ and His Mother. We ask: Has He already given us this heart or are we still to wait? What or who is that new heart? What or who is that old heart? The old heart was created by God as pure, without dependence on sin. Regrettably, its bearers did not obey God’s command but opened themselves for the lie of God’s enemy! By this step of unfaithfulness to God this spiritual centre of the first man and woman was infected with spiritual impurity – sin and got under the influence of God’s enemy – satan. After this tragedy the influence of sin affected the whole mankind. Human reason was darkened for the Divine truths and human will got inclined to evil. The guilt for this state falls first of all upon the first woman Eve. This spiritual infection has brought in death and affected even the creation (Rom 8:20). “Death through Eve, life through Mary.” (CCC 494) That old - stony heart is inherited by all of us and so this spiritual genetic code of Eve is in us. From this spiritual infection God in His love preserved a new woman who was to become the Mother of the Son of God as well as the Mother of a new generation. “The Blessed Virgin Mary from the very moment when She was conceived was through the merits of Jesus Christ preserved from any maculation of the original sin” (CCC 491) and “during all Her life She remained pure from any personal sin” (CCC 508). That old heart is Eve and that new heart is a new Eve who was conceived without sin. “She gave birth to the Son whom God set as the firstborn among many brethren (cf. Rom 8:29), namely the believers. She also cooperates with motherly love in the birth and upbringing of these brothers of Christ.” (CCC 501)

 

So the new heart has already been prepared by God Himself. The first who underwent this transplantation was the disciple and apostle John. It is said about him and about Jesus’ Mother that they were standing by the cross of Jesus. Standing there there were also women, and at some distance there were apostles and disciples standing in fear. It makes a great difference how we are standing, whether in faith and absolute commitment to God or in fear and unbelief. The example of standing in faith is Mary. She was not standing there in the darkness of unbelief and despair but in the light of faith and trust in God’s promise (Mt 20:19b). In this hour She gave Herself wholly at a disposal and was united with Her dying Son on the cross. Similarly even the disciple was standing in faith and commitment to Jesus and thus as if he signed an obligation and became powerless and crucified with Christ on the operating-table of the cross. The Holy Scripture in this place repeats the word disciple three times. Disposed for this transplantation is only a disciple standing by the cross. And this refers even to us!

 

This spiritual transplantation was performed by the heavenly Surgeon – by the Lord. How? Through word. This word was in obedience to the Father pronounced by His Son, namely at the hour of His death. He said: “Woman, this is your son.” (Jn 19:26) And to the disciple: “This is your mother.” (v. 27) For the completion of the operation there is the last step of faith needed from the side of the disciple. This step of faith is expressed by the words: “From that hour the disciple received Her!” Where did he receive Her? “Into his own – into himself” (Greek: eis ta idia, Latin: in sua). As put by St. Ambrose: “He received  the soul of Mary to magnify the Lord and he received Her spirit to rejoice in God.” The operation was thus finished. When operation is finished, the patient still needs to take special medicines which paralyze the system that defends itself against receiving a new organ into the body. To us that bitter medicine needed so as the new heart might work is denying of our ego and following of Christ! Thereby we are at the same time standing up even against the spirit of this world. Provided that we also stood up by the cross like the disciple and underwent this spiritual transplantation, then we have two spiritual centres, two hearts, one old – stony and the other one new. The Lord next promises that He will also take away the stony heart: “I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh” (Ezek 36:26). When will He do it? That is a mystery! One thing is certain – that with the old heart noone will be able to enter the kingdom of God because nothing impure will enter it and the less so the very source of impurity! Out of this heart come fornications, envies, murders etc. (Mt 15:19). The old heart is filled with the spirit of the world and death, the new heart is filled with the Spirit of God and life. If we abide in the new heart and walk in the Spirit, then we will go through purgatory here on earth and at the hour of death God will take away our old heart and we will enter the glory of God. If we have not gone through the purgatory here, then we will face the purgatory after death. After the completion of our purification God will take away our old heart. The new heart is a living tabernacle of God’s dwelling with people, it is “the New Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven”. This is the dwelling-place of God. “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” (Rev 21:2-3) This new heart as well as the new spirit are related to a promise. “You shall be My people, and I will be your God.” (Ezek 36:28) And God next promises: “I will also save you from all your uncleannesses.” (v. 29) And the next promise referring to a blessing: “And I will call for the corn, and I will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field…” (v. 30) When subsequently we will strike a balance between our old way of life without God and a life of walking with God, then: “The Lord God says, be it known unto you: ‘Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel’ (Catholic Church!).” (v. 32) “Then shall you remember your own evil ways (from the past) and your doings that were not good and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.” (v. 31)

 

After conversion and receiving a new heart and a new spirit God further promises a blessing: “And the desolate land shall be tilled, no longer shall it lie fallow…” (v. 34) “And other nations shall say: ‘This land is become like the garden of Eden…’” (v. 35) “Then these nations shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it and I will do it.” (v. 36) This promise relates to every Christian nation; however, above all it relates to Ukraine today. Vast stretches of land are lying here fallow, factories and agrarian concerns are in ruins. Why? Because the Church in the nation has not truly received a new heart and a new spirit, therefore neither the politicians have the blessing so that they could be able to perceive a right vision and have mutual unity. Several politicians wanted to open themselves for a blessing through spiritual recollection but unfortunately, the spirit of the world which rules in our UGCC (Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church) abolished this recollection.

 

The Lord further promises: “I will yet be enquired of by the house of Israel.” (v. 37) The process of enquiring of the Lord is connected with certain conditions; about this experience we shall write in the next letter. And the conclusion: “And they shall know that I am the Lord.” (v. 38) Regrettably to say, as yet it has been known neither by our bishops nor by religious nor by priests nor even by the faithful. Why? Because they themselves have received neither the new heart nor the new spirit and by this rejection they are not calling down a blessing but rather a curse upon whole Ukraine.

 

Let us return to spiritual transplantation and not forget that this is preceded or followed by the receiving of a new spirit. When did the mystical body of Christ receive the new spirit for the first time? It was on the day of Pentecost. Obviously already before the Pentecost during the nine days of common prayers with the Mother of Jesus the disciples received Her like John the Apostle. After the Pentecost the new heart was also received by the community of believers in Jerusalem and outwardly it manifested itself by their being one heart and one soul (Acts 4:32). This was related to their mutual relations which were the fruit of their love to God, and concerning their relation to possessions, “they had all things in common, noone said that any of the things he possessed was his own” (v. 32). Unfortunately, Communism took the ideal from the community of early Christians; however, it forgot two main conditions, namely the new heart and the new spirit.

 

How is it concretely possible to undergo this spiritual transplantation? The best for it is spiritual recollection. On the first day the recollectors speak about living Jesus, about repentance, and in the end the recollectants receive Him as their Lord and Saviour. This means that we give Him everything, our relations to people, to things. We thus become His disciples. On the second day we receive a new heart and on the next day a new spirit, and only after this moment we can go through a purification from all our abominable idols (Ezek 36:25). These are the sins against the First Commandment (divination, magic, folk superstitions, various non-Christian philosophies, yoga, vegetarianism connected with these philosophies, many forms of so-called natural medicine, acupuncture, homoeopathy and theory of so-called energies, chacras, reincarnation etc.). Then we pray for a concrete recovery of individual participants. The recollection lasts 4-5 days. After the recollection is ended, its participants are given a new spiritual programme: every day they shall offer three minutes for the Lord – one at 9 o’clock when again they pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit, at 12 o’clock when they pray Angelus and remember the Incarnation of the Word of God and the obedience of faith of Virgin Mary. At 15 o’clock they remember Christ’s death and pray: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, have mercy upon me,” repeating this five times and looking at the five wounds of Christ. “With His stripes we are healed.” (Isa 53:5) At least for one year they shall regularly read the Bible, minimum 5 minutes daily. As a form of repentance for their past young people can make so-called bows during the whole year. One makes a sign of the cross with his/her hand, kneels down on knees and touches the ground with his/her head, at the same time repeating this short prayer: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, have mercy upon me,” and this is done 40-70 times daily (bows pertain to the tradition of the Eastern Church). Next they shall join in a constant prayer. They choose one hour in which they pray for 10 days every month. Along with others (24 people altogether) there is then the whole day occupied and when there are three groups created, these then occupy the whole month. So on the whole there are 72 people involved in a constant prayer. They can have concrete intentions; however, best would be to pray for a revival in the town, region where they live. Those who go through the recollection in the following year intended as a school of prayer shall afterwards begin to realize a living community and that by way of Sunday-keeping. A part of the night from Saturday to Sunday is spent in vigil and then they meet together in the afternoon in groups where they have God’s word (the apostolic teaching), a brotherly community and prayers (cf. Acts 2:42); the Holy Services are attended mostly in the morning. Besides, they seek to spend, either at home or somewhere else where they are, a so-called holy hour from 20-21°° in prayers, in praising the Lord (singing), and over the Word of God.

 

A model for interior prayer is explained in the book “Four Words from Ukraine” (www.community.org.ua). Here one can also find instructions how to renew every day the receiving of the new heart which is preceded by receiving of Jesus as the Saviour and Lord. On Saturday, during the vigil, it is good to pray the following truths, too: Christ’s death, resurrection and the receiving of the Holy Spirit!

 

Let us yet return to the second day of the recollection. During the last lecture the recollectors explain concrete steps. Let us imagine that a rich uncle bequeathed a great fortune to you. Then a notary comes, announces that to you and demands your subscription, that means your agreement that you receive it. If one does not believe and does not receive it, one will get nothing. God has given us far more and demands a concrete step of faith by which we receive Virgin Mary. This step of faith is made on the second day of recollection: it is accompanied with singing of songs and during that time everyone personally receives Jesus’ testament and subscribes the blank side of a picture. Then, one by one, the recollectants come to the recollector who after a short prayer, in which he again asks the recollectant to realize God’s presence and God’s promise, puts a question: “Do you receive Mary as John received Her under the cross?” “Yes, I do.” “You have a new heart, Mary is your mother! In signtoken of receiving Her, kiss the icon of the Mother of God.” All this takes 1-2 minutes. A prayer-model for receiving the new heart is also briefly explained in the book mentioned.

 

After receving the new heart and the new spirit it is useful throughout the year to make a purification from various dependences and from the spirit of the world which are incompatible with the Spirit of God and with Jesus’ commandments.

 

Only now a spiritual fight comes. But we can make resort to the new spiritual centre which we can name as an embassy of God’s kingdom in us. The world as well as the old heart are operated by laws of the sin; however, this new centre is operated by laws of the Spirit. Example: In 1956 a rebellion took place in Hungary against the Communists, which was responded with a bloody suppression. Cardinal Mindszenty was secretly condemned to death. When he came to know that, he fled into the American embassy which was operated by different laws according to which he was innocent. The embassy of the kingdom of God on the territory of sin is the Mother of Jesus. Our task is that we not only listen to the word of God but also realize it (Mt 7:24). The word of God is like a seed. Our old heart is like a rocky and thorny ground, the word of God can strike root but aftrewards it withers away or is choked by the thorns of various vain concerns. The good soil where the seed of God brought forth a hundredfold grain is the Mother of God. She is that new soil in us where the word of God not only strikes root but also brings forth an abundant grain (Mt 13:8).

 

Mary is that field where the treasure is hidden. A wise man went and sold all that he had, and bought the field, thereby becoming the owner of the treasure (Mt 13:44). The treasure is Jesus, the field is His Mother.

 

Why is Jesus in the hour of His death addressing His Mother as: “Woman”? Because He wanted to emphasize thereby that His Mother is the new woman from which the new generation is to be born. In Gen 3:15 it is written: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed.” God has put enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. Eve yielded to the serpent. That was why God prepared a new woman – Mary. Mary said: “Behold, I am the bondslave of the Lord” (Lk 1:38), “He has regarded the lowly state of His bondslave” (Lk 1:48). Note: The Greek original of the New Testament uses the term slave (hé dúlé) three times and that only in relation to God. In the Epistle to the Romans the term dúlos (slave and slavery) is connected with the slavery to sin. The mystery of deliverance from this slavery (Rom 6-7) must be seen in connection with the new Eve, the new woman. Mary is called a slave, not to the sin but to the Lord. Unless we are slaves to the Lord, then we are slaves to sin and various dependences. The biggest tragedy is that we do not realize it at all!

 

God has put enmity towards the serpent (devil) into the soul of Mary in the moment when She was conceived. On Golgotha this enmity towards the devil passes even on Her seed, on Her second-born children (cf. Rev 12:17).

 

“Behold, your mother.” This is the testament of Christ, the last will having the character of a covenant. Everyone who has been born of water and the Holy Spirit is also given a new mother, even if he/she is not aware of it. Then the hour will come when Jesus will address His spiritual child, too: “Behold, your mother!” The child will either receive like the disciple, or take umbrage and refuse.

 

“The present Jerusalem is in slavery (of sin) with her children. But the (heavenly) Jerusalem above is free, and she is the mother of us all.” (Gal 4:25-26) Virgin Mary is the Mother of the Church, She is that heavenly Jerusalem.

 

We are to walk with our God, but how? Who is going to teach us this art? It is mother that teaches her children to speak, to walk and to act. That is why Jesus gave her to us! We are to do the same as was done by the disciple John. Nothing more but also nothing less!

 

St. John received Mary into his own. Concerning the exterior, he had no house, as St. Augustine reminds. His home was the community around Jesus and after His death and descent of the Holy Spirit it was the community of the first Christians. Before the descent of the Holy Spirit Mary was praying together with the apostles and with those 120 disciples who were expecting the Holy Spirit to come. On the day of Pentecost the community of Jerusalem had about 3000 souls and manifested itself in such a way that they had everything in common and above all that they were of one heart and one soul. Nowadays many Christians have received the Holy Spirit but they are not able to make up a true biblical and evangelical community and have a unity of heart and spirit even inside the Catholic Church, not excepting Christian denominations which in this respect are not much different. The Pope Leo XIII. pronounced: “The matter concerning the unification of Christians is in the first place a matter of the spiritual motherhood of the Holy Virgin.”

 

Conclusion:

Where and how does the spiritual transplantation take place? The place is Golgotha. The first condition of this transplantation is spiritual light and spiritual cleanness. The second one is to be crucified with Christ – to become a disciple of Jesus. The new heart is a new Eve – Virgin Mary. This transplantation of the spiritual heart can be done only by God. He gave a promise through the prophet Ezekiel: “I will give you a new heart… and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh.” (Ezek 36:26)

 

Elaborated by:

 

                    Fr. Eliáš A. Dohnal ThD. OSBM

                    Fr. Metod?j R. Špi?ík ThD. OSBM

                    Fr. Cyril J. Špi?ík ThD. Ing. OSBM

                    Fr. Markian V Hitiuk ThLic. OSBM

 

Pidhirtsi 24th June 2006

 

 

Copy to:

His Holiness Benedict XVI.