Aflame with love for us

June 16, 2023 - Friday, Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus - Year A

Deut 7:6-11; 1 John 4:7-16; Matt 11:25-30

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is connected with St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), a 17th-century French Roman Catholic Visitation nun and mystic, to whom Jesus appeared many times. In one of his apparitions, Jesus in this way complained to Margaret Mary:

“Behold, this Heart, that so deeply loves mankind, that it spared no means of proof — wearing itself out until it was utterly spent! This meets with scant appreciation from most of them; all I get back is ingratitude – witness their irreverence, their sacrileges, their coldness, and contempt for me in this Sacrament of Love”.

The words of Jesus spoken to Margaret resemble the message of Saint John, who writes: “In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins” (1 John4:9-10). But it appears that our response to that love breaks the heart of our Lord.

On May 15, 1956, Pope Pius XII published an encyclical letter “On Devotion to the Sacred Heart” titled “You will draw waters”. It begins with a quote from Isaiah 12:3. Our contemporary bible translations render this text as “with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation”. But, the Encyclical renders this text as, “You shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour's fountain”, based on St. Jerome's Latin translation of the Bible.

The Saviour’s fountain is his pierced heart from which water and blood, the precious sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, flowed down upon the Church. In the sacrament of baptism, “the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Rom 5:5b). On the other hand, the Eucharist and the Cross are inseparable. They both express the love of Christ, with which He loved us to the end (see John 13:1).

Jesus invites us to come to him and find rest: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Many of us are at the crossroads, asking for the best way in life (see Jer. 6:16). The one who finds Jesus finds rest. The Lord leads us to still waters and restores our souls (Ps. 23:1-3). This truth is beautifully captured in the famous quote from Saint Augustine: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."

So, let us come to Jesus. Let us throw away the bitter yoke of sin and take the sweet yoke of grace (St. Clement of Rome). In the beginning, obedience to God's commands may require a bit of hard work (Deut 7:10), but the effort eventually turns into gladness and brings rest (Sirach 6:21-31). Let us learn from Jesus to be meek and humble. Meekness and humility are stronger than power and pride. The meek are going to inherit the world to come and the humble experience God’s grace (see Matt 5:5; 1 Peter 5:5).

Sacred Heart of Jesus, aflame with love for us, have mercy on us.