Sacred Heart - A heart always for us

Poetically, the heart is a symbol of the human centre — our emotions, love, passions, desires, dreams, the power of the will etc. Scientifically, the human life span is the life span of the heart, making it one of the most robust, vital and hardest working muscle in the human body.

The wellness of human life depends on the wellness of its mind, as popularly said ‘sound mind in sound body’ which is asserted by most psychologists. If the wellness of our body excels due to the strength of our mind, then where is our mind? Is it in Body? Or Brain? Or Heart?

I would rather shun any scientific approach to prove anything, but our spiritual depth leads us to be convinced that the heart is the resting place of our mind.  When it gets reinforced, the whole body deems fit. The Heart seems to me is everything for human living, because our daily lives is clouded with words like  heartbroken, heartless, hand on heart, don’t take it to the heart, follow one’s heart etc.

In any culture of any age, the heart is the natural symbol of love and unsurprisingly the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus is the extraordinary symbol eternal love. Contemplation of Jesus’ Heart shows us, how lovable we are in height, depth, wide as in the popular English hymn ‘God’s love is  so wonderful’. From His words “come to me all those who are heavily laden and I will give you rest” till He made that unreserved offering on the Cross ‘till the last drop of blood and water’ and keeps assuring us to this day, the Sacred Heart makes a home for us, for all that we are and all that we carry, a sanctuary beyond words.

The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, shines forth, crowned with thorns, pierced and bleeding and life giving “to give his life as ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28), proves the words of St. John, “God is love” (1 Jn 4). In the Heart of the Lord, we experience the overwhelming mercy of God and His infinite desire to be in relationship with us.

Life Implications: Jesus’ Heart is a bench mark for 1. true love “goes after the lost sheep until he finds (Lk.15.5), 2. Empties everything, ‘till the last drop of blood and water’, 3. A Model to live a more virtuous life “gentle and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29), a Heart which embraces all, a Heart which call back the lonely the unloved, the Heart which open as a door to many to enter anytime, a Heart which penetrates the radiance of compassion, a Heart which can be found a place of refuge and consolation, the Heart that beat in His divine breast at the moment of incarnation glorious in heaven and still dwelling among us in the blessed sacrament , heart which is inspiring us through His words every day in the Holy scripture.

Take a turn to look and listen what he wish to tell us, especially in this time of world’s virulent pandemic.  Sacred Heart, a heart always for us.  Walk into the ray of hope.

"There is in the Sacred Heart the symbol and express image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love in return." – Pope Leo XIII   

Sr. Ligi Thayil