Our human hearts were made to love and to be loved, to give and receive love. Every beat of every heart is made possible through a God who is love. But do you know that the very heart of God also beats for you? That is what Jesus said to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Apostle of the Heart of Jesus, as he revealed his enflamed heart to her: “Behold this Heart which has so loved men as to spare Itself nothing, even to exhausting and consuming Itself, to testify to them Its love.” This revelation is what we have come to know as the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
When we give our lives for the sake of empowerment of the other, we embrace the paradox that is central to every paschal journey. This is not death pursued for its own sake, nor is it suffering for the sake of suffering. It is the daily cross we are all asked to undertake to rid our world of the meaningless suffering largely caused by the blindness that is unable to see the enduring paradox on which all life flourishes. Whether we engage the paradox on the grand cosmic scale or consider its application to our individual lives, the challenge is equally daunting. The first hurdle we need to negotiate is the persistent indoctrination of dualistic splitting, dividing life into the binary opposites of earth versus heaven, matter versus spirit, body versus soul. The illumination of truth does not belong to the clarity of the polar opposites but to the gray area in between, where, day in and day out, we work out the meaning of life.) This is where the real stuff happens. Here is where we encounter afresh our inherited patriarchal, dualistic, and imperialistic wisdom and face the disturbing truth that deeper meaning evolves elsewhere— in the restless, pulsating throes of an evolving universe ever inviting us to new horizons, ever risky, yet persistently creative!
Jesus belongs to a reality greater than his individual self and therefore would also include himself in the command that we should seek first the new companionship (Matthew 6:33). Jesus, therefore, may be viewed as the primordial disciple of this new empowering dispensation, with all humans called to be co-disciples—not for but with Jesus. As co-disciples we are called to be friends and not mere servants. And there are no privileged power positions in this new dispensation, wherein unconditional love is the primary driving force. Knowing that we are loved unconditionally, then we are called to serve all others—humans and nonhumans alike—with something of that same unconditional love with which we ourselves are loved. Finally, the word earthing reminds us unambiguously that it is in and with creation at large that we seek to foster and uphold the power of unconditional love.
The language of paradox is written all over creation. It is there for us to read and discern. When we do attend to it, it seems to make life more tolerable, more bearable; dare I suggest, more meaningful. When we fail to attend, we expose ourselves to forces that can be cruel and devastating. Apparently, we do have a choice. The big problem, however, is that the choice seems to lead in directions that are alien to our imperial Western consciousness, to our rational ways of perceiving and acting, to our prized sense of being in control of the contingent nature of the world we inhabit. To opt for the other choice feels like betraying or abandoning all we have worked so hard for, all that constitutes the very foundations of a civilized world.
Stability has never featured strongly in my life; the older I become the more I encounter daily challenges to integrate change and new perspectives. Observing the natural world we inhabit, the plant, the tree, and the animal never remain the same. Everything grows, unfolds into ever new ways of being. We can’t control such change; indeed, the only authentic response we can make is to learn to flow with it. In the change we experience around and within us, there is another inescapable dimension: decay, decline, and death. Such disintegration is not an evil, nor is it the consequence of sin stated in Romans 6:23, but it is a God-given dimension of all creation. Without the disintegration and death of the old there can be no true novelty. The ability to let go of that which previously sustained us is a perquisite for embracing the new that morphs into further growth and development.
We are birthed into life in the empowering grace of our creative God, and our collaborative responsibility with that God is to birth anew the nature that has birthed us. In this co-creative process, there is no room for patriarchal power or manipulation. It is our sense of belonging that defines our true nature and our God-given identity. That to which we belong defines the very essence of our adult selves. Therefore, God’s will for humans—and for all creation—is to exercise an agency of co-creation: to bring about on earth a greater fullness, the evolutionary complexity I described in chapter one. We are meant to be an engaged and involved species, adult people serving an adult God, in the ever-evolving enterprise of our magnificent universe. Seeking to escape to a life hereafter makes no evolutionary sense anymore; in fact, it never did for our ancient ancestors.
You’ve probably read them before, but—on this joyful Solemnity of the Sacred Heart—let’s review the magnificent promises of Our Lord to those devoted to His Heart!
Revealed to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, these promises show us in no uncertain terms just how much Our Lord desires that we devote ourselves to His loving Heart.
For those who do, He promised:
I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
I will establish peace in their homes.
I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
Sinners will find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
I will bless every place in which an image of my Heart is exposed and honored.
I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart.
I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
The twelfth promise refers to the First Friday devotion—a very easy way to insert devotion to the Sacred Heart into our monthly routines. All we have to do is receive Holy Communion on nine consecutive First Fridays (ensuring we go to Confession beforehand if we are not in a state of grace), offering these Communions in reparation for the sins committed against the Sacred Heart.
There are many other additional, daily ways to place ourselves in the Heart of Christ. A simple thought of love and affection means so much to Him. “Jesus, I trust in You!” or “Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!” are other little prayers we can offer to more firmly bind ourselves to this Heart that loves us so much.
“There are four aspects to the human person: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.
Physically, when you exercise regularly, sleep regularly, eat the right sorts of foods, and balance your diet, how do you feel? You feel fantastic. You feel more fully alive. You’re healthier, happier, and you have a richer, more abundant experience of life.
Emotionally, when you give focus and priority to your relationships, what happens? You switch the focus off yourself and onto others. As you do, your ability to love increases… and as your ability to love increases, your ability to be loved increases. You become more aware of yourself, develop a more balanced view of life, and experience a deeper sense of fulfillment. You’re healthier and you’re happier.
Intellectually, when you take ten or fifteen minutes a day to read a good book, what happens? Your vision of yourself expands; your vision of the world expands. You become more focused, more alert, and more vibrant. Clarity replaces confusion. You feel more fully alive, and you are happier.
Finally, spiritually, when you take a few moments each day to step into the classroom of silence and reconnect with yourself and with your God, what happens? The gentle voice within grows stronger, and you develop a deeper sense of peace, purpose, and direction. You’re healthier, you’re happier, and you have a richer experience of life.
Physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually, we know the things that infuse our lives with passion and enthusiasm. We know the things that make us happy. We just don’t do them.
It doesn’t make sense, does it?
On the one hand, we all want to be happy. On the other hand, we all know the things that make us happy. But we don’t do those things. Why? Simple. We are too busy. Too busy doing what? Too busy trying to be happy.
This is the paradox of happiness that has bewitched our age.
Perhaps it is time to slow down. Maybe a better future involves less rather than more.”
Today Holy Mother Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ or the Feast of Corpus Christi. In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, is made physically present under the veil of bread and wine. We call that transubstantiation. “Wow, that’s a big word!” It’s six syllables. I know; I learned Catholic school English. “But it’s tough to remember.” Well, first and second graders learn it, so how tough can it be? “It’s hard to understand.” No, it’s not. You’ve all had experience with it. “What do you mean, Father?” For example, my mother’s apple pie was the best. Nobody could make the same apple pie as my mother. Granted, they all had apples, bread, dough, and whatever else goes into an apple pie. I’m not a culinary kind of guy…I’m a real man. They used the same ingredients, but it was different. Now it should have tasted like the pies you can get at Harris Teeter because, as chemistry tells us, it has the same ingredients. But it is different. Why was that? Because my mother’s love transformed those ordinary elements into something wonderful and unique. You will never have that again this side of Heaven. And gentlemen, please do not go to your spouse and say that your mother’s pie was better. It’s different – you don’t have to say it’s better, otherwise you will get so badly hurt that you will need to seek medical treatment. Just an offering of some marriage counseling. But this is what happens here. We experience it all the time. Christ changes the essence of ordinary elements into His love which Himself. If our mothers can do it with their apple pies, why can’t Christ do it?
The priest takes the place of Christ and makes present the Sacrifice which is before the Father in Heaven. We become one with the Sacrifice in the Offertory when the priest takes your human natures and makes them one with Christ on the altar. Christ received His human nature from the Blessed Mother, and He suffered, died, and was redeemed with it. From the Cross, He took the human natures of Saint John, Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Clopas. He took their human natures and united their suffering with Himself. He takes your human nature and unites it with His suffering always before God and present in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This is our faith. The central doctrine is that God is with us. God is physically here and not in the ethereal sense. That’s why the Blessed Sacrament is kept in the middle of the church. The Blessed Sacrament is central to everything, and everything points to it. We are surrounded by the best way to have a foretaste of Heaven.
Over the years, you have made this church something really beautiful. People who come and visit here always remark about how beautiful it is, and that’s because of your love. Your love for God is expressed in the beauty that is present in testimony of what is here – not what is here – but Who is here. You make a profession of faith every time you receive Holy Communion. Like the apostles at the Last Supper in the Upper Room, you receive from the hands of the priest, who is acting in the person of Christ, Christ Himself. When you are given Holy Communion, I say “Body of Christ.” This gift is so sublime that Paul said there are rules about it. These are not exclusionary rules. Our Lord had rules about it… this greatest act of love. In order to receive this gift, we must show our greatest act of love by a total renunciation of ourselves and sin.
This is our faith, and we are transformed by it. I had a quinceañera which is a Mexican event for 15-year-old girls. The girls wear dresses similar to those in “Gone with The Wind,” and I always ask them, “How do you sit down?” Of course, that’s a mystery I’m not meant to understand on this side of Heaven. I tell these girls to be holy and they will have a joy that no one can take from them. Always be united with our Lord in the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Confession as Saint John Paul II said. Those are the Sacraments of the Most Precious Body and Blood. Then you will have a joy that nobody can take. We can lose that joy only through sin. So, we are the makers of our own misery. You will be transformed. When you leave here you become your own ciborium which is the covered chalice that contains the Blessed Sacrament. You bring God to other people from within yourself. When Saint Therese of Lisieux was too young to receive Holy Communion, after her mother received Communion and returned to the pew, Saint Therese would put her head in her mother’s lap because Jesus was there. You can bring that love. It’s a personal choice, but do what you can
This is our Faith…our wondrous Faith. If you are in a state of grace, you can receive Communion every time you go to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. What a wonderful gift. The Lord remembers every gift. How can we surprise our Lord when we receive His gift? By saying “thank you.” Remember the lepers He cured and how many of them thanked Him? How will you apply this message to your life? __________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________
Father’s Reflections. . .
It’s Fathers’ Day, and during my morning meditation it occurred to me that the greatest lessons my father taught me were never spoken.
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