True Heart

A Way to Selflessness

By: William M. Watson SJ

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

St Ignatius Loyola awoke to his true heart at the age of thirty. He was given the grace to see how two different sets of fantasies, portraying two possible directions his life could take, were fundamentally different from each other. The first set of fantasies he described as “vain” and were focused on his ego and achieving fame (self-centered). The second set of fantasies he described as “holy” and focused on serving Christ and doing good works (selfless). Both the self-centered and selfless fantasies entertained him while he actively fantasized their possibilities. But one day he was given grace to notice a difference. When he set the self-centered fantasies aside, he felt dry and dissatisfied. When he set the selfless fantasies aside, he felt peaceful and content. He was given to understand that the selfless fantasies that left him peaceful and content were his “true heart,” and from that day forward he pursued those dreams and fantasies. There are a million stories in each life but each life only has two possible directions: towards God and the light (selflessness) or away from God and the light (self-centeredness). The goal of the various True Heart exercises is to help youth and young adult leaders help others understand the two fundamentally different directions one’s life might take. Only one direction can make you feel content and peaceful. Only one direction is your True Heart. To help young adults of all ages understand their True Heart, Sacred Story Institute created the ten-week True Heart program set of spiritual exercises. Nearly half the allotted time for spiritual exercises is simply designed for unhooking from technology so individuals can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. Why is that important? Listen to the words of Pope Francis: It has become counter-cultural to choose a lifestyle whose goals are even partly independent of technology, of its costs and its power to globalize and make us all the same. Technology tends to absorb everything into its ironclad logic, and those who are surrounded with technology “know full well that it moves forward in the final analysis neither for profit nor for the well-being of the human race”, that “in the most radical sense of the term power is its motive – a lordship over all.” As a result, our capacity for making decisions, a more genuine freedom and the space for each one’s alternative creativity are diminished. So put True Heart to use in your parish, young adult programs or Newman Center. You will not be disappointed.