What the heart sees

"Concepts create idols; only wonder grasps anything." - St. Gregory of Nyssa

I listened to an Orthodox teaching that was very difficult for me, because the speaker patiently insisted that anything of the rational mind was of ourselves. Matters of God, he said, are matters of the heart.

This is a nearly impossible concept for those of us who, as Westerners, feel most comfortable with definitions and spreadsheets, data and tables, logic and reasoning.

But it is also very freeing. Someone very dear to me once explained that he could not list logical reasons for his decisions, which is precisely what I was begging for. Instead, he explained (in different words) that he follows his heart.

Our culture might eat him alive if he confessed to this in front of the many who value logic (of which I can be one of the worst). But his reasoning is actually very Orthodox.

It's interesting to note that one doesn't need to be particularly skilled in logical reasoning in order to grasp the deepest truths about God. It's our hearts, not our heads, that can lead us there.

This "heart-centered" approach to Christianity is probably not at all what people think of when they look at Orthodoxy. They likely see the volumes and volumes of history and tradition as a weighty burden, to be enjoyed only by those who are so intellectual that they can't get enough of that sort of thing. (You know...weirdos.) And it's true - there is a veritable treasure house of theology and tradition that could be a bit shocking to a newcomer.

But what's fascinating is that, interwoven through it all, there remains an unquenchable thirst for God in all of His mystery. Though they have the longest history and the fullest theology, the Orthodox don't for a minute presume to have God "figured out." It seems to be quite the opposite.

In fact, never have I encountered a group of Christians more reverently attentive to God's unending mysteries. It's this humility in the face of the divine that calls me away from the bridge diagram and back to a sense of wonder.

Wonder. Mystery.
The heart sees and knows her savior.
The mind may be persuaded that it did not see anything at all.