The Beating Heart of Community
Amidst the many beeps and whirs distributed by the machines of a cardiology office, I recall my ten-year-old self in preparation for a routine echocardiogram. Having undergone the imaging procedure a handful of times, I had grown accustomed to patiently awaiting the clinicians’ arrival by scanning the diagrams of blood flow and models of the heart scattered around the room. The exam began and proceeded as usual, but I soon noticed that my positioning offered an unobstructed view of the ultrasound projection screen. What initially seemed to be a pulsating blob of white and gray mass, along with occasional streaks of red and blue, transformed into a clear picture of my heart. The technician kindly pinpointed for me the site of each chamber and major valve displayed on the image, as I grew increasingly mesmerized by its systematic functioning and rhythmic beats. Over a decade following the appointment, I identify that moment as the one in which I decided to dedicate myself to the human heart – in every capacity.
I began my exploration of the heart in grade school, spending hours listening through a stethoscope to the heartbeats of my family, friends, and self. As I entered middle and high school, I delved into research and strived to discover more about the organ which fascinated me so much. My bedroom became home to similar models which I had observed in the office of my echocardiogram appointments, and I often found myself watching YouTube animations of the pumping heart and circulatory system, rendered speechless by this incredibly interconnected and beautiful system. This harmony of “lub-dubs” defining the heartbeat, an almost musical symbol of life, signaled to me a deeper interpretation of the heart beyond what can be seen via imaging technologies.
Given that each component involved in the complex machinery of the heart, no matter how small, must operate properly and in whole communion with its counterparts, it was no wonder to me why the heart served as a universal symbol of love. Just as my pediatric cardiologist worked to ensure the functionality of every chamber, artery, and vein, I learned that sincere love required a dedication to family, friends, and strangers alike. I struggled to see the manner in which any community without these deeply rooted relationships could achieve genuine harmony and connection. This revelation led me to connect my elementary knowledge of cardiac anatomy to the social and spiritual connotation of the heart, an interpretation of love and community. As a Catholic, I naturally found myself drawn to the Sacred Heart, the Divine Mercy chaplet, and discussion of the heart in the context of forging a spiritual community.
This semester, I was grateful to participate in my first Faith and Reason Seminar with the Collegium Institute, namely, “A Revolution of Hearts.” Our discussions deepened my understanding of relationships and community and broadened my understanding of the heart as a key to human flourishing. Each week offered an hour of reflection upon this topic, and excerpts from Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr., and many others encouraged me to translate factual knowledge – whether from cardiac dictionaries or the Bible – to communities and relationships in my own life. I learned that I was called to forge heart-to-heart connections with those near to and far from me, striving to focus upon our intrinsic similarities rather than surface-level differences.
The image of the heart has served as a golden thread connecting many of my lifelong goals and passions, from schoolwork to spiritual inspiration. Reflection has recently allowed me to analyze this core element of myself from various perspectives, recognizing the heart’s role in human life and its capacity for the forging of widespread communion. Just as my younger self witnessed an image of a blurry and grayscale blob transform into a beating heart, I hope to become increasingly aware of the positive transformations of relationships and communities through individual conversions of heart.