What would you like to know about the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith? Submit your question.
Q: How do you change an evil heart?
If this is the condition of your heart, then perhaps you can see that from your prison of self-centeredness the entertainment of evil in your heart is not of any benefit. Our culture fosters and emphasizes an environment for the individual, most often aquisition by any means that justify the end.
Attitudes like “what’s in it for me to the exclusion of others” or expressions like “be all you can be at the expense of others” often unravel the binding threads in the tapestry of the fabric of our society. Selfishness in the form of instant gratification more often than not hinders and interrupts our long term efforts and goals.
It is said that we are designed to be in relationship with one another by participating in the arena of communal love. When the condition of your heart willingly and openly yields to the Spirit of God who brings Christ to dwell within the heart, there is no room for the evil one to occupy the heart. It is only then that we have the opportunity to become fully human, to acquire all the infinite benefit that God wants to give to us.
In the hospital of Eastern Orthodox Church, one can receive the treatment (confession) and medicine (the Eucharist) for healing of our brokenness, transforming an evil heart into a heart that has the presence of the kingdom of God. The predicate to love is humility, and a humble heart provides the environment for Christ, Who is Love and also called Good, to dwell within, giving us peace beyond our comprehension, a joy beyond our understanding, and a life worth living.
From the series of “Once Upon a Time” it was said that “Villains don’t get happy endings.” Another way to look at this condition of the heart would be, if in the following expression, evil is diesel and gas is good, “Why would you put diesel in an automobile that runs on high octane gas?”
