REGIS: Living with a docile heart

Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday share a date this year — an interesting combination but a great way to begin Lent. What will I give up this Lent? I won’t give up, but I’ll give all my heart to Jesus — a docile, open and undivided heart.

What does docile mean? Some of the definitions have a more negative connotation, which is passivity or being submissive. But the word docile really means “easily taught” and “open to learn” to be guided.

The idea of “being guided” reminds me of the image of clay in the hands of the potter (Jer 18:1-6). A piece of clay allows itself to be “guided” by the potter, to be shaped and reshaped again. As “clay in the potter’s hands,” there is a sense of flexibility on our part to be in the hands of God.

There is also a sense of “no matter what happens” when we feel that we messed up, but if we still want to do His will, the potter will take care of reshaping us back to what will fulfill our lives.

Sometimes, we may be hardheaded, which can move us out of the hands of the potter, but there is hope that God will reshape us again. God never forces us to do something. He guides us, but He gives us the freedom to choose what we want in our lives, and he allows things to happen.

As I studied art, I worked with clay for many years, and for me, it was always a surprise to see how my art pieces turned out. The ceramics did not always turn out exactly the way I planned — even when everything went well while I worked on the wet clay, but because of “external” reasons, things could change.

For example, if the room was hot and the ceramic piece was not covered well with plastic, the clay dried out too quickly, and it cracked even before going to the kiln. If the glaze that I used didn’t go well with that kind of clay or the temperature of the kiln was not right, the clay coming out of the kiln was different than I had planned.

I always looked forward to seeing the outcome, and I often thought of God allowing things to happen like that in our lives. I believe that He has a plan of love for each one of us, and if we respond to His love by doing His will and by loving people around us, He leads everything toward good.

Even if there are external circumstances and we sometimes get distracted and end up not doing God’s will, He uses everything, every circumstance to reshape us and make us grow if we turn back to Him.

This is how I want to live this Lent and invite you to join me. Being docile and open to listening to God’s voice, which is necessary for discernment in our daily activities but also for major decisions in life.

Having that docile, open and undivided heart for Jesus will also help us to know when we should make small sacrifices by limiting social media, TV, eating out, etc. Keeping in mind that to love our brothers and sisters “is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mk 12:33). 

Joelma Regis is an associate director for the Office of Vocations.

(Photo by James Ramos/Herald)