Come to
me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
A Google search of images will reveal 924,000 images of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus (plus a few images of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.) The Sacred
Heart may seem old fashioned and passé, but it still fascinates us because we
still need reassurance and consolation. The last few centuries have been hard
on us and the comforts of large scale celebrations – whether in church or
government or the sports arena – do not satisfy the forlorn.
It is good that a pope’s funeral can draw a million people,
and a billion people will watch a royal wedding; but these spectacles do little
to comfort those who suffer chronic illness, family disruption or financial
insolvency. Scratch the surface of those humongous crowds and you’ll find a lot
of unhappy people in this world.
We need Jesus to come to us
behind the closed doors of our prayer and speak to us in solitude. We must take
shelter in the cloister of his heart. There we gaze into his eyes and feel
personally known by the Majesty of God.
When Evangelical Christians ask, “Have you found Jesus
as your personal Lord and Savior?” the Catholic can respond, “I live in the
Sacred Heart of Jesus.” The experience is the same, insofar as two persons with
different spiritualities can have the same experience.
There are many caves and caverns in Israel
Christians find their refuge in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We
enter through the sacred wound in his side, following the familiar sound of his
human heart. In that deep cavern, far from the troubled world, there is comfort,
strength, courage and silent communion.
Most holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I love You. With a lively sorrow for my sins I offer You this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, and pure, and perfectly obedient to Your Will.
Good Jesus, grant that I may live in You and for You. Protect me in the midst of danger and comfort me in my afflictions. Bestow on me health of body, assistance in temporal needs, Your blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Amen.
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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.