The reproach
Literally, then he began to blame [Greek: oneidìzein] the towns where most of His miracles had taken place, because they did not change-their-mind [Greek: metenòesan, verb metanoèo].
Jesus' reproach is for those who do not change their mind. Jesus' reproach is for those who do not change their mental orientation even in the face of evidence showing the marvelous efficacy and power of the Gospel proposal. The metànoia (changing one's mind) that Jesus offers is the first and final step in the intellectual and spiritual evolution of every individual. Changing the direction of our thoughts is the key to any possible success as well as to both personal and collective growth.
To change one's mind does not mean to re-arrange our prejudice system, it is not to modifying the hierarchy of our perspectives or changing the priorities of our expectations, or replacing our alliances. To change one's mind does not mean to turn off some prejudices while turning on new ones, it does not mean embracing a particular way of thinking to identify ourselves with a philosophy or to adhering to one religion rather than to another. One can join and convert to a hundred different religions, while still maintaining the same mental orientation. Changing our mind is not changing our moral behavior, rituals, political opinions, or way of judging.
Our heart is like a field and we decide, day by day, what to sow, what to grow in it. There are two possible types of seed: the white seeds of light, the good seed, and black seeds of darkness, the weeds. Both require care, they need to be fed to grow and bear fruit. Changing one's mind is to firmly decide which of the two seeds we want to sow in our heart's field, which to feed, which to keep alive and which to let die. Changing our mind is to decide, to completely devote ourselves to nourishing , by means of our inner choices, the seed of light, love, forgiveness and peace instead of the black seed of anger, challenge and conflict.
Every thought, every inner dialogue and mental orientation, feeds one of the two types of seeds and leaves the other hungry, it strengthens one and weakens the another, it takes care of either one or the other. Throughout the Gospel Jesus inspires us, teaches us, makes us prudent and wise about distinguishing the thoughts and inner dialogues that can feed one or the other seed that we are sowing in us: the black seed, the weeds, or the seed of light, the good seed.
Jesus was killed and eliminated precisely because He revealed the truth about the energy of our mental and spiritual orientation beyond untouchable religious conventions, strong spiritual beliefs, moral certainties which people follow in the name of God.
The inner dialogue that is oriented to choose detachment from things, forgiveness, mercy, letting go, avoiding judgment and condemnation of the fellow human beings, gratitude always, gratuitousness, praise and prayer as the inner attitude and as the solution to conflicts and problems feeds the white seed of light. The inner dialogue that is oriented to choose judgment, revenge, opposition, anger, discomfort, conflict, prejudice, holding on badly, personal benefit, challenge, competition, ambition, as a solution to conflicts and problems, feeds the black seed of darkness.
It is a choice. A definite and totally personal, intimate choice to change the mental orientation by changing the inner dialogue, and no one in heaven or on earth can do it for us: it is a choice that each of us, consciously or unconsciously, has already made but which we can change in every moment.
The mental orientation of our deep inner dialogue effects our emotional and physical reactions, our harmonies and disharmonies, the destiny of life itself. Jesus inspires us to change our mind and spiritual attitude and He teaches us to feed our heart with energies of light and love for our true and real wellness. Jesus wisely brings together all of His procedures and divine indications in the precious treasure of the Beatitudes.
The Beatitudes are the map, the guide, the instructions for use for those who wish to direct their lives towards light and beauty and to provide food for the hungry good seed on its way to happiness, health and peace.