FROM THE editors January 26, 2004 Issue

Seeing the heart of humanity

Across the world, news photos of the recent earthquake in Bam, Iran, stirred the hearts of millions. How to help? How to comfort strangers in a far-off land, whose suffering needs no language other than the bond of human kinship to communicate?

The outpouting of aid from individuals and governments to the people of Iran, as in so many disasters around the world, once again crossed political and religious boundaries that in ordinary times separate people and even provoke hostilities. From this immediate and unselfish assistance, it's clear that something in the hearts of men and women everywhere responds to the suffering of others. That "something," we believe, is spirituality. It's not denominational, but rather the recognition of the universality of divinity—the same divinity that Jesus spoke of in his Sermon on the Mount when he said, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8).

What does it mean to be "pure in heart"? To be truly "pure in heart" is to recognize that every individual is, as the Bible statesin Genesis 1, actually the "image" of God—the very presence of God in the world. The love the world has expressed to the citizens of Bam is surely like this. It knows no nationality, no political agenda, no race or religion. This kind of love draws from God, who is Love itself. Through the love of divine Love, we are able to discern the needs of our brothers and sisters, no matter what color their skin, no matter what language they speak.

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