Today we celebrate this External Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Throughout culture we find the heart to be a symbol which expresses love. We most vividly see this played out around Saint Valentine’s Day when we see the image of the heart plastered all over everything. When you think about this it is odd because the heart has nothing to do with making us love or not. When we research the origins of this understanding of the heart, as being a vessel of love, we will find that it was an ancient understanding that the heart controlled our intellect and thus it is the heart which leads us to love.
This month of June is devoted to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. I find this to be important because sadly our society has lost a proper understanding of what it means to love. In the process we have perverted love to point where it no longer meets its God given purpose. Anytime that we take another and fail to respect another as one who has been created in the image and likeness of God there cannot be love. Love cannot be present when we take something which goes against natural law and present it as if it is a good.
Through devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus we see the true meaning of love as is displayed to us by our Blessed Lord. For this, we have no further to look then the wood of the cross. It is here that our Blessed Lord pours forth His love and mercy to us and to the whole world. What is expressed to us here is not a cheap use of the word “love,” but is instead a true embracing of this word through His commitment and self sacrifice. We easily throw around the word “love,” but our Lord shows us the path which leads towards its true meaning. Through the life of the martyrs we see those who have embraced this reality to the fullest degree by allowing themselves to give up their life on this earth out of love for Christ and His Church.
As we can see the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an expression of the love of God. From His heart we come to see the reality of Christ’s Divinity and humanity. At the Incarnation we can say in the words of Pope Pius XII: “in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Therefore He had a heart from which animated His time on this earth with the flow blood. Upon the cross this heart beat and He laid down His life for our safe. In His Resurrection and eventual Ascention into Heaven He possessed this heart which manifests His love and mercy to each of us.
May we come to celebrate this font of love and mercy on this External Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. May we foster devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in our life and within our families. In our human expression of words we might say the heart represents our ability to love, therefore may we allow the heart of Jesus to teach as to love as we ought. In the dialogue of the preface the priest will say “sorsum corda” “lift up your hearts” to which the response will be given “habemus ad Dominum” “we lift them up the Lord.” Truly may we come to emulate the and devote ourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
No comments:
Post a Comment