THE DEVOTION OF THE HEART

Chapters five, six and seven of Matthew constitute the so-called "mountain sermon". In this discourse, Jesus presents a new vision of spiritual life, contrasting with the notion of legalistic and formal spirituality that the religious of his time taught the people. Because they were very focused on the fulfillment of the Law and the practice of religious ritual, the result of their teachings was, most of the time, the development of a dead and feigned religiosity before God and men. 

Jesus then speaks, among other things, about what we call "the devotion of the heart". He says, "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them...  So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others... And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others... When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting... so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:1-18). 

Note that devotion, that is, spiritual fervor, piety, dedication to the things of God, which Jesus teaches contemplates, among other spiritual disciplines, helping the needy, prayer and fasting. There are other spiritual practices, of course. But taking only this passage from the "mountain sermon," Jesus speaks of the temptation of the person, in practicing his spirituality, to do so only as a means to promote himself, to satisfy the ego and to seek approval and admiration. This is false devotion, for the true one consists in a movement of our heart toward God alone. 

This question dealt with by Jesus is relevant because it speaks of the meaning of true devotion to God. We need to look at our devotional practice and see if it is really directed to God and not to ourselves. If at that time there was this deviation from the ostentation of false spirituality, today we see a style of devotion that turns Christians into consumers of religious goods. Many feel they are Christians because they participate in seminars and symposiums on religious themes, because they attend services, enjoy evangelical music and read books on biblical themes. By doing such things are we doing them for God or are we filling our void? 

Devotion to God, that is, "devotion of the heart" produces positive and liberating effects for the Christian. But many religious activities are no more than entertainment. Note that in this passage of Matthew Jesus speaks of devotional practices of a spiritual nature (fasting and prayer) and another of a social nature (helping the needy). This shows that devotion to God involves not only spiritual exercises, but also a look and a movement of love towards the other. 

This aspect of Christian spirituality is a keynote in Jesus' teaching. In the Fall, that is, in original sin, man separated himself not only from God but also from his neighbor. Now, he does not see the other as a brother, but as a competitor. Thus, he seeks to control and use the other as his own property. This constitutes a grave offense to God, for the other carries with him the "image and likeness" of God. For this reason, when asked what the greatest commandment would be, He answered that it was "to love God with all your heart," but immediately made a point of saying that the second greatest commandment is "to love your neighbor as yourself" and that the whole Law depends on these two commandments (Matthew 22:34-40). We need to analyze our devotion to God.

Antônio Maia - M. Div.

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