Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

157 Following the definition in the Nowy słownik teologii biblijnej , one can add that “in a spiritual sense, ‘the heart’ is the area of the inner life and per- sonality of man, his intellectual and rational capacities, and the entire inner nature of his person.” 2 The concept of the heart occupies a central place in religion and mysticism. It is a central part of a person, of his inner life. It is the heart that thinks, ponders, gives birth to plans, makes decisions and resolutions, and takes responsibility. It is the place where ideas, plans, and the paths of their realization are born. It is noteworthy that Fr. Papczyński understood the concept of the heart in this very manner, as he stated in his Oblatio : I [...] offer and consecrate to God the Father Almighty, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, and also to the Mother of God the Ever-Virgin Mary, Conceived without original sin, my heart, my soul, intellect, memory, will, feelings, my whole mind, my whole spirit, my interior and exterior senses, and my body, leaving absolutely nothing for my- self. 3 In this sense, the heart is the primary place of discernment, struggle, and ultimately the place of the manifestation of God Himself. We can speak of it as of a locus theologicus . Although Melchior Cano 4 , the creator of this concept, did not explicite include this category among other loci theolo- gici , yet we may count this term among other theological places without committing a methodological blunder. Calling upon such authorities as St. Bernard of Clairvaux or St. Augustine, Saint Stanislaus Papczyński wrote in his Mystical Temple of God: But if God is the possession of man, then certainly He is most de- serving of the most noble place in men; for the more excellent things are to be held in a more excellent way, and the more sublime are to be honored in a more sublime way. Yet what is more excellent or 2 Nowy słownik teologii biblijnej , Ed. H. Witczyk, Lublin – Kielce 2017, p. 812n. 3 Oblatio in: Historical Writings of Blessed Stanislaus Papczyński , Stockbridge, MA, 2007, p. 28. 4 Melchior Cano presented the following systematization of the “theological sites”: a) fundamental: 1. The Holy Scripture and 2. The tradition of the Apostles; b) explanatory: 3. The Catholic Church, 4. The Councils, 5. The Roman Church, 6. The Fa- thers of the Church, and 7. The Scholastic theologians; c) auxiliary: 8. Intellect, 9. Philosophers and lawyers, 10. Human history.