Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, when we are invited to reflect upon the love that Jesus has for us, so much so, that blood and water poured from Him so that He could give us the very gift of Himself in the Most Holy Eucharist, the blood that flowed from His side and that from His heart He could purify us with the saving waters of salvation, the purifying waters of Baptism.
Yet, this feast also reminds us of the great devotion that we must have to the Sacred Heart, a devotion that seeks to spread the love of Christ to all, particularly to make amends and reparation for the great offenses and sacrileges committed against His Sacred Heart, especially in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
In fact, this devotion developed as a result of the visions of a young nun by the name of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, and in one of those visions Jesus lamented to her, saying: “Look at this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return.” Jesus showed her how wounded His heart is by our sins and our offenses against Him.
His desire was for her and us to realize and to help others realize that His heart is our life, that His heartbeat is, literally, the sustaining music to our souls. That is why in another vision St. Margaret Mary saw, in a sense, in greater detail, what we just heard in our Gospel.
“From this divine heart,” she says, three streams flow endlessly. The first is the stream of mercy for sinners; it pours into their hearts sentiments of contrition and repentance. The second is the stream of charity which helps all in need and especially aids those seeking perfection in order to find the means of surmounting their difficulties.
From the third stream flow love and light for the benefit of his friends who have attained perfection; these he wishes to unite to himself so that they may share his knowledge and commandments and, in their individual ways, devote themselves wholly to advancing his glory.”
He goes on to say: “This divine heart is an abyss filled with all blessings, and into the poor should submerge all their needs. It is an abyss of joy in which all of us can immerse our sorrows. It is an abyss of lowliness to counteract our foolishness, an abyss of mercy for the wretched, an abyss of love to meet our every need.”
For, within that heart we discover His love and when that happens we come to understand why it is so important to make an act of reparation, to practice the Nine First Fridays and spend time with Him in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Because His heart, like that beautiful image, while powerful is also pierced through with a sword and the more we console Him, the more His heart transforms ours, the more His fire burns within our own chest.
Yet, this feast also reminds us of the great devotion that we must have to the Sacred Heart, a devotion that seeks to spread the love of Christ to all, particularly to make amends and reparation for the great offenses and sacrileges committed against His Sacred Heart, especially in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
In fact, this devotion developed as a result of the visions of a young nun by the name of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, and in one of those visions Jesus lamented to her, saying: “Look at this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return.” Jesus showed her how wounded His heart is by our sins and our offenses against Him.
His desire was for her and us to realize and to help others realize that His heart is our life, that His heartbeat is, literally, the sustaining music to our souls. That is why in another vision St. Margaret Mary saw, in a sense, in greater detail, what we just heard in our Gospel.
“From this divine heart,” she says, three streams flow endlessly. The first is the stream of mercy for sinners; it pours into their hearts sentiments of contrition and repentance. The second is the stream of charity which helps all in need and especially aids those seeking perfection in order to find the means of surmounting their difficulties.
From the third stream flow love and light for the benefit of his friends who have attained perfection; these he wishes to unite to himself so that they may share his knowledge and commandments and, in their individual ways, devote themselves wholly to advancing his glory.”
He goes on to say: “This divine heart is an abyss filled with all blessings, and into the poor should submerge all their needs. It is an abyss of joy in which all of us can immerse our sorrows. It is an abyss of lowliness to counteract our foolishness, an abyss of mercy for the wretched, an abyss of love to meet our every need.”
For, within that heart we discover His love and when that happens we come to understand why it is so important to make an act of reparation, to practice the Nine First Fridays and spend time with Him in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Because His heart, like that beautiful image, while powerful is also pierced through with a sword and the more we console Him, the more His heart transforms ours, the more His fire burns within our own chest.
That is why, in the end, with St. Margaret Mary, we should desire to have upon our lips her same dying words: “I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus.” Knowing that by doing so, the Heart of Jesus will be consoled and His heart will not just transform our own, but will, literally, change the world, indeed, one beating heart at a time.
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