“In the
pierced Heart of the Crucified, God’s own Heart is opened up; here we see who
God is and What He is like. Heaven is no longer locked up. God has stepped out
of His hiddenness. That is why St. John sums up both the meaning of the Cross
and the nature of the new worship of God in the mysterious promise made…’They
will look on Him whom they have pierced’ John 19:37” ( Pope Benedict XVI).
As the
month of May comes to a close, I look forward to June, as the month devoted to
the Sacred Heart of Jesus. One of my favorite prayers that we pray in our
community is the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I remember when I was
visiting our community for a week, the summer after my Freshman year at
college, already as we prayed this Litany (of the Sacred Heart), my devotion to
the Heart of Jesus was drawn deeper as I prayed each invocation to the Heart of
Jesus. Jesus was revealing to me more secrets of His Heart and the great love
with which He loves us. His Heart is so infinite and His love never-ending that
every day we can dive deeper into this Heart which is like an ocean, an ocean
of Mercy.
On June
12th, we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Heart
of our Merciful Lord, who has loved us unconditionally. As I was praying for
inspiration from the Holy Spirit for this blog entry, I was reminded of my past
experience when I first prayed the Litany of the Sacred Heart and was being
overwhelmed by the secrets of Christ’s Heart which HE began to reveal to me.
This Heart has been opened and is revealed to us. Here we see and experience
God in His unconditional Love, in the sacrificial gift of Himself to us.
Through the piercing of Christ’s Heart, a burst of light illumines the
darkness. What was once veiled is now revealed. The gates of Heaven are opened
and His unconditional Love is more deeply visible.
Unconditional.
To love unconditionally means to love without holding anything back, no
conditions, no attachments. Unconditional Love asks for vulnerability. Jesus
teaches us this great lesson of what it means to give everything without
holding a single part of our heart back from selfless love. He gives us His
Heart. His love pours out of His Heart like a waterfall, drenching and
embracing His bride, the Church. This Heart has been poured out upon YOU! He
asks, “Will you receive this Heart?” Is the vessel of your heart open or is it
closed? Maybe our vessel is only partially covered and His love is trickling
in. What keeps us from receiving His love? Are there fears? Tell Jesus. Tell
Jesus everything! Do not be afraid!
In
John’s Gospel, John repeats the words spoken to the prophet Zechariah, “They
will look on upon Him whom they have pierced.” Looking upon this Heart is contemplating His Heart. To contemplate is
to look, not just a passing glance, but to truly look upon His Heart with a
gaze of one utterly conquered by love. We have to stop, truly stop from the
busyness of our daily life to look long at the wound made by love.
Through His
loving and gentle Heart, He calls to us, draws us out of hiding, out of our
darkness to clothe us in the rays and beams of Light. A song I have heard
multiple times speaks about coming out of our hiddenness.
We may have places in our hearts where we might be afraid to allow Jesus to
come close. Here are some of the lyrics:
Come
out of hiding, you’re safe here with me
There’s
no need to cover what I already see.
Jesus
already knows our weaknesses and fears, but He doesn’t want us to experience them
alone. He wants to be so close to those weaknesses so He may show us how He
transforms them, transforms us into something even more beautiful. When we
allow ourselves to give everything to Him, He is glorified. He patiently waits
for us gently speaking, “do not be afraid, you are safe with me. There is no
need to keep me at a distance.” He alone gives us His peace. The refrain of the song reveals a part of
Christ’s Heart:
Cause
I loved you before you knew it was love
And
I saw it all, still I chose the Cross
And
you were the one that I was thinking of
When
I rose from the grave.
He has
loved us and continues to love us unconditionally even in our weaknesses and
imperfections. Trust in this Love! Rest in His Heart. Look, gaze upon Him who
has been wounded for you, wounded with Love. May you experience this
unconditional love as you simply gaze in silence upon His Heart.
- Sister M. Isabella, FSGM
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