Born from the Love of the Sacred Heart

The other day, on Friday, we observed the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. As part of that observance this year, the bishops of the United States solemnly consecrated our nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The devotion to the Sacred Heart is an ancient one, and it is pervasive in the Church today. However, what exactly does it mean? Are we simply acknowledging a vital organ or is there a deeper meaning to this mystery of God’s presence and love for us.

Of course there is!

In today’s Gospel, we hear that as Jesus saw the crowds who had followed Him, his “heart was moved with pity for them  because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” The people who came to Jesus were hungry, they were struggling, they were lost; and the Lord’s response comes from the depths of His human Heart – a Heart that burns with divine love. He knows their longing, and He knows their disappointment. He knows that people have let them down and even abandoned them; and He wants to help them out of the love of His Sacred Heart.

But what is Christ’s response? What does He do next? Here, we do not get some miracle. There is no feeding of the multitudes today. That would have been great: everyone was there, Jesus was in a compassionate mood. Why not multiply some bread and amaze them with His power and love?

That is not what Jesus does today. What He does do is very important for us, though. Speaking to His disciples (not the big crowd), Jesus tells them to pray for more people to help guide these lost souls. And then, He deputizes the Twelve and sends them out to serve as He serves. He calls them individually, by name, so that the foundations of the Church are laid upon the stones that are the Apostles. In other words, Jesus’ response to the hurt and bewilderment and need of the crowds who come to Him is the Church Herself. And that Church is founded out of and upon the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

As members of this same Church, the Body of Christ, we are borne by that same love of Jesus. The same pity that moved the Lord when He looked upon that crowd is the attitude of compassion that we must have in our relationships with others. We, like the Apostles, are sent out to tell a waiting world that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

If we are to do this in an authentic and effective way, then our actions must be guided by that love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The world we live in now cries out for peace and justice. Like that crowd in the Gospel, our world is lost and hungry for truth and for mercy. This is what the Church has to offer in a unique way, since the love that fuels the Church is that of Christ Himself – the Sacred Heart. That Heart is about love, mercy, and trust; and all these can lead us to a new era of true peace.

Because the heart is the center of our affections and the driving force of charity, we are driven by the Lord to desire the best for others. This is the truest reflection of the love of God. From that Heart, then, as we see today, the mercy and compassion of Jesus flows out to those who so dearly need it. Our goal as disciples must be to be servants of that mercy; not dispensers of vengeance, but agents of reconciliation. And when we feel overwhelmed ourselves in the task that Jesus lays before us, we must remember that the work He gives us is His work, not ours. Therefore, we are called to trust deeply in God’s providence and will.

The love of the Sacred Heart is the purpose of the Church. It is what led Jesus to send out the Apostles for the first time, and it is what drives us from this place. Once we are fed by the Gift of Christ’s Body and Blood, we are filled with that same charity, mercy, and trust that makes all things possible.

I want to end with the same prayer of consecration with which the bishops dedicated our nation to the Lord’s Sacred Heart. Close your eyes, and pray it with me:

O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus: 

You know the longings of our hearts,

and you desire that we enjoy friendship with you. 

From your pierced side, you have poured out the wellspring of life,

for which we thirst. 

Your heart burns with a love for all people

to return to a right relationship with you. 

We celebrate the abundant gifts you have given this nation, founded on the self-evident truths that our Creator has endowed all people

with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

We make reparation for the offenses against you and against human dignity that have taken place in this nation. 

May our hearts be united to yours, so that our families and communities enjoy peace and happiness; may broken relationships be reconciled,

injustices repaired, and the wounds of our land be healed. 

May your holy Catholic Church serve as a sign,

pointing all people to your infinite love. 

O Desire of Nations and Center of History,

we ask you to bless these United States of America. 

Who live and reign with God the Father  

in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 

God, for ever and ever. 

Amen.