Friday, May 30, 2008

Sacred Heart of Jesus

"One of the soldiers with a spear opened his side, and immediately there came out blood and water."(John 19:34)

Millions of faithful join together today in prayers to pay homage to the Merciful Heart of Our Redeemer. This is devotion for our times, widely practiced around the whole world. Moreover, it produced splendid fruits in spiritual lives and Eucharistic movement. "This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19). But even with no particular Feast, the Most Adorable Heart of Jesus should be venerated with greatest devotion, because Heart is the most noble part of man-God's body in hypostatic union of humane and divine. Of any relic left with us, the Heart would be the most precious one, for It was the source of the most holy and most charitable life ever lived in this world! The Heart of Our Lord is the fountain of His Most Precious Blood that was shed for us and for the salvation of the whole world! The Heart of Jesus is the furnace of His flaming charity. We see the heart as a symbol of love, the kernel and center of love. If we desire someone's love we ask: "Give me your heart!" God Himself adopted this words and asks for the love of man: "Give me thy heart" (Proverbs 23:26). Therefore the Heart of Jesus is the source of unique love for us all - the flaming love that was manifested in Betlehem on His birthday, in Egypt, the place of His exile, and in Nazareth where He lived. The greatest possible charity was expressed best in the Eucharistic Mystery - for this love gave everything up for us on the Cross, and loves us for all Eternity in Heaven, "to make intercession for us." (Hebrew 7:25). Let us contemplate this Mystery of Our Lord's charity particularly today giving ourselves up to His love and begging Him:

"Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I implore, make me to love you daily more and more!"