Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Reflection)
No matter what the cost, let us remain united with our superiors through obedience and united among ourselves by the bonds of that love of which the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the burning center, and which, so to speak, should form a chain linking together all the members of Holy Cross. This, moreover, is the recommendation of our Divine Lord to his apostles. It was the object of his touching prayer to his heavenly Father for us when he said: “Holy Father, I pray that they may be one, in the unity of one spirit, one faith and one love, and that just as thou art in me and I in thee, so also they may be one in us.”
— Blessed Basil Moreau
Every time I pray the Our Father, I am acutely aware that the line about forgiving those who trespass against me is probably one of the hardest things that I will ever pray. It seems that, despite my best efforts, the slights and failings of others accumulate in my mind in an accounting system that I hope is never used against me. Gossip, lies, pettiness, selfishness, and plain old grumpiness stand in stark contrast to all that the love of God calls forth in us — and I am as guilty of these faults as everyone else. Would that accounting ledger be revealed, who could stand before the Lord? Yet on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we celebrate that the Lord’s gaze is not an accusatory one, counting up our sins. Instead, the Lord gazes on us with affection and deep, deep love, welling up from the depth of his Sacred Heart. This, then, is the remedy for our sinfulness and preoccupation with self: the very Heart of Jesus.
One of the most comforting things about following Jesus is that he never asks us to do what he has not already done. So when he tells his disciples to love one another, he adds, “as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34). His love was strong and passionate for them, even though he knew that Judas was betraying him, Peter would deny him, and they would all run away when he needed them the most. Despite his knowledge of their failings and weakness, he never stopped loving them with a firm, steady love capable of changing lives. Indeed, his love forgave the disciples and made them stronger people — people who, in turn, would be able to show that same love to others.
When Jesus speaks to his disciples, he is speaking to us. This love of Jesus, poured into our own hearts, links us to him and to one another. Christ has given us a command that carries with it the pattern and energy for carrying it out. When we must forgive our brother and sister — when we are supposed to show them love — we are able to do so because of that ardent desire that Christ expressed: that we be one. It is his love at work in our own hearts that is able to transform our feeble feelings for one another into a robust caring.
It is this love that we celebrate in devotion to the Sacred Heart: Christ’s love that not only binds us to him but is also capable of binding us to one another. In the furnace of his Sacred Heart, the weak links of our relationships are forged into a strong chain. We find that we are connected in his love and his desire becomes ours. We want the best for one another — to the point of sacrificing ourselves, of forgiving others.
And as for that accounting ledger that keeps track of our neighbor’s sins? Jesus’ fiery love burns up that wretched register and, at the same time, consumes our own sins as well.
Brent Kruger, C.S.C.
This is an excerpt from the revised edition of The Cross, Our Only Hope: Daily Reflections in the Holy Cross Tradition, published by Ave Maria Press.
