When you hear effete, do not remain deaf and give a clear answer.

However, openness has a very important place in Christian spirituality and Christian life. We could even say that this act is really important if one wants to live the life of an authentic Christian who is aware of the horizontal-vertical dimension of his life. We don’t just live one or the other. Furthermore, we both live.

To truly know the Lord and ourselves, we must open our hearts to Him. While studying theological and biblical texts can provide valuable knowledge, we can go beyond mere intellectual understanding. We can read the works of esteemed theologians like Ratzinger, Thomas Aquinas, and Augustine, and commit the Scriptures to memory. Yet, it is only in the stillness of our hearts and consciences that we can genuinely encounter the Lord’s presence in our lives.

Only in the silence of conscience and heart can I accept his advice for my good life – his word of life for my life. Only when I open myself to the Lord, when I allow the Lord to open my heart and enter it, can I accept the truth about myself – that I am far from perfect and unique.

I’m no better than anyone else, and possibly not even better than those I silently resent and harbor hatred towards. Opening up to the Lord is painful, as the truth hurts, but it’s the only path that spares me from destruction. In those moments, I glimpse perfection and an invitation to be perfect. I see goodness and a call to follow it. I see the trust the Lord has in me and the invitation to trust in return. When I open up, light enters, and I can see clearly.

We live among people. That’s the way it is. God arranged it that way. In biblical terms: he created the world and created man and created woman, but they already made sure that there were many of us. And for this world to be so good. Sometimes unbearably bad. So that we humans invent beautiful, necessary and very useful things.

I write this Sunday reflection on a good laptop, accompanied by mediocre coffee. Yet, as I reflect, I’m reminded of the senseless wars that plague humanity. For the third year, we’ve been witnessing the tragedy of one such conflict, unfolding not far from us.

Humanity possesses a dual capacity – to create and to destroy, to open and to close. However, true openness can only be achieved through community and mutual connection. It’s in this openness that we find the essence of human existence, where individuals can genuinely connect.

For meaningful interactions to occur, we must first open our hearts. By letting go of our personal biases and truly listening, we can hear the other person’s intended message, untainted by our own preconceptions.

With an open heart, I listen truly, without misinterpreting others’ words. I also speak with care, mindful of the hurtful things I can never take back. An open heart is truthful, yet gentle – it doesn’t judge or manipulate, but rather speaks with love, recognizing that others’ pain is its own. In this way, an open heart can provide clarity and compassion, even in difficult times.

PS, This week someone also opened something. And found out the content. And then the “properties” of the document. Whether it was a treasure, I don’t know. But every opening reveals the truth. Maybe that’s why we humans prefer not to open some “things” or even prefer to bury them. But even in such moments, Jesus comes with his exclamation: “Effete.”