“What’s received is received according to the condition of the receiver.”
~St. Thomas Aquinas~

Multiple lessons can be gathered from this quote by St. Thomas Aquinas. Each person’s life is in an unique condition. No two conditions are exactly the same. Different circumstances, perspective, and life experiences shape the condition which we have come to know. That condition is ever-changing, constantly being molded by day-to-day happenings and the people we come in contact with.

The condition of the receiver is what allows the receiver to accept or reject the message being delivered. Sometimes the message being transmitted is true in every form, but it’s the condition of the receiver that prevents the message from being fully received.

Have you ever delivered a message to someone only to have them reject it completely? Perhaps what you were saying was in the wrong, but did you ever stop to think about the condition of the receiver? Maybe the receiver’s heart was not prepared to receive the message. Maybe the receiver’s heart was not yet in the condition in which it could possibly receive the message for the way it was intended to be received.

Have YOU ever been the one to reject something someone else has said? Perhaps they were in the wrong with what they were saying, but maybe – just maybe – it was your heart that was not in a condition to receive the message.

We all need to be more understanding of one another. We need to have open hearts and open arms. No matter what you say or do, do it out of love. This does not mean you give people what they want or tell them what they want to hear all the time. Our greatest disciplines are our greatest freedoms.

Sometimes, the Truth is hard to digest. Whether you are the one speaking or the one listening, keep in mind the condition of your heart and of others as well. Being mindful of one another in this way will allow you to be sensitive to others and above all, to follow Truth without basing every action and emotion on other people’s responses.