Some saints have called this capability “the heart,” others have called it “the spirit,” and still others, the “apex of the soul.” St. Paul tells us that it is a treasure that we hold in “earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7). He tells us that we can relate to God and experience his power working in us. We can sense that this power comes from him, not us.

Kites use wind to fly; wireless devices use radio waves to send signals. But the wonder of a kite flying in the wind and the marvel of wireless communication point beyond the kite and the device. They point to the power of the wind and the power of the radio waves. In a similar way, the heart that is filled with God’s revelation doesn’t point to the wonder of the heart as much as it points to the all-holy, all-encompassing God who is filling that heart. So in this article, we want to look at the “divine exchange” that occurs when our human hearts receive revelation from the perfect uncreated God.

A Divine Exchange. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)

In this passage from Revelation, Jesus shows how deeply he wants to enter into our lives. Just as we open our mouths to receive him in the Eucharist, we can also open the door to our hearts and let him in. His desire to be united with us can give us the courage to ask, because we know we will receive. It can help us to seek, for we know we will find. And it urges us to knock, so that the door can be opened.

This Scripture passage is also at the heart of the divine exchange. It tells us that God is willing to pour out grace and blessings in exchange for our efforts to honor, serve, and draw closer to him. Why would he reward such small steps on our part with such powerful outpourings of grace on his part? Because, like any human parent, our heavenly Father wants to give his children everything we need to grow into mature adults. In other words, God is generous with us because he loves us.

Jesus has opened heaven for us “by his own glory and power” (2 Peter 1:3). And he has done this because he wants us to “come to share in the divine nature” (1:4). Because of his death and resurrection, the living water of the Holy Spirit can flow into our hearts. Because of God’s deep love for us, the living Bread that we receive in Communion becomes a part of us—or rather, we become a part of the living Bread. Through the grace of the divine exchange, we experience the healing power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation as we ask Jesus to wash our feet and make us clean (John 13:1-11).

Revelation and the Commandments. I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:11-12)

Paul was trying to defend himself against charges that he wasn’t an authentic apostle and that the gospel he preached was not valid. Rather than back down, he pressed his case. “After beginning with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?” he asked (Galatians 3:3). He knew that the believers in Galatia had come to know Christ through the Spirit’s work of revelation, just as he had. He was concerned, however, that they were now distancing themselves from that revelation and relying only on what their limited, human minds could accept.

The central question that the Galatians faced was whether they would continue to look to the Spirit to help them understand and live out their Christian lives. This is the very same question we face today. The Spirit has given us so much; will we now try to live out our faith independent of the Spirit? Will we think it’s enough if we just try hard to obey the Ten Commandments and attend Mass every Sunday? Or will we try to develop a relationship with Jesus—and through that relationship, find all the spiritual power we need to do God’s will?

In a sense, the commandments are like a safety net under a trapeze artist. Just as the net protects trapeze artists, so do the commandments protect us from committing sins that could harm us and those around us. But a trapeze artist is not concerned only with staying in the air. He is concerned with giving his audience a thrilling show every time he performs.

Similarly, our Christian lives were not meant to be reduced to staying within the boundaries of the commandments. God wants us to soar with him so that we can perfect our relationship with him more each day. He wants us to become artful witnesses to those around us—living examples of the joy, freedom, and peace of the Christian life.

An Exchange of Gifts. This divine exchange can become most effective as we learn how to become alert to the movements of the Spirit in our hearts. To help illustrate this, let’s look at the way we pray the Rosary. With each decade of the Rosary, we recite ten Hail Marys—all very formal and set to a familiar rhythm. But as we are saying these prayers with our lips, we can also be meditating on a particular mystery with our minds. This is where the divine exchange can take place. As we meditate, we can ask the Spirit to give us the mind of Christ. We can ask him to give us a taste of his wisdom, peace, or love—even as our mouths are reciting the prayers and our minds are contemplating the mystery for that decade.

How will we know that this divine exchange is happening? It won’t necessarily be a dramatic flash of light, but here are some possibilities of what may happen. We may begin to sense God’s love touching our hearts. Perhaps we will find ourselves loving the Lord more. Or maybe we’ll find ourselves praising him more because his truths have come to life for us. Regardless of what we experience, we will find our lives changing. We will begin to think and act more like Jesus. We will discover the ability to be more loving toward other people and more ready to serve those in need.

We have the opportunity to exchange gifts with Jesus every day of our lives. Every day, he invites us to give him our time, while he gives us the gifts of his grace and power. We can give him praise, while he gives us wisdom, endurance, and faith. We give him obedience, and he gives us the assurance of his love and mercy.

Not Just “Good Enough.” We are just earthen vessels. We are prone to weakness, distraction, and doubt. We also face the alluring influences of the world. But we are no different from the apostles and the saints in any of this. Like us, they, too, were tempted to reduce the life that God wanted them to live. But they discovered God’s wisdom. They discovered that it wasn’t about them but about Christ, who lived in them. And just like the apostles and saints, we, too, have Jesus living in us, eager to lift us up from perishable to imperishable, from natural to spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:53-55).

Every day we will face the temptation to live a “good enough” life with no reliance on the Spirit’s power or revelation. That’s why it is vital to remind ourselves every day that the same Jesus who spoke to Peter, Paul, and the other saints wants to speak to us and reveal his good news to us.

Jesus has glorious plans for us. As we participate in his offer of a divine exchange, we will come to know our true calling. Revelation and grace will convince us that living in touch with the Lord is the best thing we could ever do.