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Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty · Catechism · 958

Faith Q&A › Catechism › 5. Prayer of the Mind and Contemplation

What does “the ear of the heart” mean?

The answer

What did Christ mean by the words: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15)? St. Jerome comments on this phrase as follows: “Isaiah says, ‘The Lord has assigned an ear to me’ (Isa. 50:4). Let us understand what he says. The Lord has assigned an ear to me, that is the ear of the heart; He has granted me an ear that hears message of God. Whatever the prophet hears, he hears in his heart. Thus, when we also cry in our hearts, ‘Abba Father!’ with a silent cry, the Lord hears this silence in the same manner as the Lord converses with our hearts that cry, ‘Abba Father’ (Rom. 8:15).”

Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty

Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty, Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Volumes 1 and 2, Books 1–7. First English Edition, 2023. Published by St. George Coptic Orthodox Church, Sporting, Alexandria, and Queen St. Mary & Prince Tadros Coptic Orthodox Church, South Brunswick, NJ. Copyright © 2023. Translation and Editing: Youth of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, Arabian Gulf, and Egypt.