God proves his love for us in that
while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
My dad carried a Sacred Heart badge in his wallet. I’m not sure how I know this, or what it meant to him, but I carry one in my wallet today. I always liked the color red, and the redder, the better. The Sacred Heart badge is very red.
The church is rich with these devotions. They are sentimental, pious and traditional with mysterious roots in our memories and folkways.
My dad carried a Sacred Heart badge in his wallet. I’m not sure how I know this, or what it meant to him, but I carry one in my wallet today. I always liked the color red, and the redder, the better. The Sacred Heart badge is very red.
The church is rich with these devotions. They are sentimental, pious and traditional with mysterious roots in our memories and folkways.
The Sacred Heart seemed to fade out after the Second Vatican Council, when the world enjoyed its post-war prosperity. But epidemic poverty has returned, the chasm between Dives and Lazarus has widened again; and phoenix-like, the Sacred Heart has reappeared, adorned with red, white, and blue
stripes, as Divine Mercy. The message is the same – the unconditional love
of Jesus .
Perhaps we take it for granted nowadays that Christian religion offers comfort and healing to the wounded soul. One fellow opined that the Muslim Allah is harsh and cruel but theChristian God
Perhaps we take it for granted nowadays that Christian religion offers comfort and healing to the wounded soul. One fellow opined that the Muslim Allah is harsh and cruel but the
He has forgotten
the Christian God United States
Somewhere during the latter half of the last millennium the Sacred Heart appeared to ameliorate the harshness of our Christian religion. The Industrial Revolution forced millions of people into large, ugly cities to work long hours in soulless factories. They struggled for survival in filthy slums and tenement housing. Some were herded into death camps to forward human progress. I’m sure many carried rosaries, Miraculous Medals and Sacred Heart badges into the gas chambers -- their last hope and comfort.
The Sacred Heart was always kitsch, a mass-produced token for people at the tattered edges of culture. It is the Good Shepherd who seeks the weary, the lost, the despised and the sinful. They cannot afford the luxuries of elite art, fine food, authentic jewelry and genteel culture. When they can no longer endure what comforts the powerful offer – alcohol, tobacco, drugs, pornography, and incessant entertainment– they turn to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
And, of course, the powerful mock them. Perhaps you remember the plastic statue with its flashing electric heart that appeared in Midnight Cowboy. Whether it is a six foot statue in our church or a four color tattoo on a roughneck's chest it is never high art. But it is God speaking to the least among us with infinitely gentle assurance:
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it (on) the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him (on) the last day."
Somewhere during the latter half of the last millennium the Sacred Heart appeared to ameliorate the harshness of our Christian religion. The Industrial Revolution forced millions of people into large, ugly cities to work long hours in soulless factories. They struggled for survival in filthy slums and tenement housing. Some were herded into death camps to forward human progress. I’m sure many carried rosaries, Miraculous Medals and Sacred Heart badges into the gas chambers -- their last hope and comfort.
The Sacred Heart was always kitsch, a mass-produced token for people at the tattered edges of culture. It is the Good Shepherd who seeks the weary, the lost, the despised and the sinful. They cannot afford the luxuries of elite art, fine food, authentic jewelry and genteel culture. When they can no longer endure what comforts the powerful offer – alcohol, tobacco, drugs, pornography, and incessant entertainment– they turn to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
And, of course, the powerful mock them. Perhaps you remember the plastic statue with its flashing electric heart that appeared in Midnight Cowboy. Whether it is a six foot statue in our church or a four color tattoo on a roughneck's chest it is never high art. But it is God speaking to the least among us with infinitely gentle assurance:
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it (on) the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him (on) the last day."
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.