Wisdom of a simple gesture

In the mass, before proclaiming the Gospel, Catholics make a gesture.

A cross in the forehead.

Another in their mouth.

And a third one close to their heart.

I wanted to explain that to my kids and thought of sharing that with you.

Through that gesture, we’re asking God to

+ Open my mind

+ Open my word

+ Open my heart

A simple gesture can say so much.

It’s a gesture of openness.

When we try to understand the world through science, or search for its sense and meaning in religion, we need an open mind. The universe is vast. There are more unknowns than knowns. Without an open mind, scientific developments would miss the creative element allowing us to go far in describing reality. But also without an open mind, how could we deepen our faith? God is the Ultimate Mystery. In Him we live and move and have our being. Therefore, only an open mind can sense being grasped by the infinite in the most simple experiences of everyday life.

Those experiences are nothing until we share them. Sharing is one of the most characteristic ways of being human. We’re relational beings.

Sharing is natural.

Pronounced words are a concrete act of sharing. For example, a scientific discovery that is not communicated remains hidden and doesn’t change the world.

The Gospel of John begins with “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” If Jesus is the Word, aren’t we words?

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Each person is a word pronounced in the cosmological narrative.

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So, to open my word is also an invitation to open myself as communicated-word to others. This is particularly important in the dialogue between science and faith because, unless we open ourselves to the richness of the word that others are for us, for example, non-believers to believers, we miss the opportunity given by the novelty emerging from relationships.

However, the novelty in relationality incarnates only in open hearts. When we say “heart”, we mean more than the organ than keeps pumping blood throughout our body for us to live.

By heart we mean our entire being.

Everything we are.

In his “Personal Knowledge”, Michael Polanyi argued how we cannot dissociate a scientific discovery from the person that discover it. He says “the extent to which our personal participation in knowing a fact contributes to making it what it is, we may call it a personal fact.” The best things we do in life are those we “put our heart” in, meaning we dedicate our entire being to them. Family, work, charity, causes, etc. Therefore, opening our heart is open everything I am to my surroundings.

Finally, is this gesture of openness necessary?

When I stop and look at the world, I see how minds are often closed in the omnipotence of opinions; words sometimes are so closed that close other’s words and sometimes close others as words; hearts closed lead to a darkness inside that propagates outside to those surrounding us, and the natural world. So, yes, it is a necessary gesture.

Whenever I see someone doing this gesture, or do it myself,

it’s a call to the wisdom of openness.

Embrace it.