A Heart of Love, A Heart that Bleeds (Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 2021)

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We are used to seeing beautiful images of the heart specially symbolizing (or pointing to) LOVE. On engagement days, birthdays & wedding anniversaries or celebrations, state-of-the-art depictions of the heart are most solemnly exchanged by lovers, loved ones, friends and family members. But are those beautiful images truly reflective of a heart that TRULY loves? Let's reflect further and know! 


Things may become clearer and more interesting if we strive to understand the above question against the backdrop of the contents of the readings of today's mass (Hosea 11:1.3-4.8c-9; Ephesians 3:8-12.14-19; John 19:31-37). In Hosea 1, God instructed Prophet Hosea to marry Gomer, a harlot (who, as a harlot, must certainly be UNFAITHFUL to Hosea). God gave that instruction in order to symbolically depict the seriousness of His love for His people, Israel (a people whose name was almost becoming synonymous with UNFAITHFULNESS). Through Hosea, God assured the people of Israel that "His love for them grows warmer and tenderer. And despite their unfaithfulness, He will never execute His fierce anger". 


Whenever we read special accounts of God's unconditional love for a people who don't merit such love, let it NOT appear to us as if God condones sin or tolerates wrongdoing. Those accounts, however, serve to prove to us or to remind us that God does tolerate us; that He does not intend to destroy or annihilate us because of our unfaithfulness. Despite our grave acts of infidelity, God won't stop loving us. Even when He came to us in the person of His Son, He submitted Himself to a shameful and despicable death at the hands of lawless men just to further prove to us that He loves us unconditionally. Isn't it unimaginable that the ALMIGHTY or MOST POWERFUL God should surrender to be killed by POWERLESS men? It's what LOVE can do! He did not stop there. Even as He hung on the cross, He allowed His Side and His Sacred Heart to be gruesomely pierced just for our sake. By all these "uncommon" expressions of God's love, St Paul tells us, in the second reading, that we have got a special privilege of being rooted and grounded in love, and have thus got the power to comprehend and know the BREADTH, LENGTH, HEIGHT and DEPTH of Christ's love for us. 


From the above discussion, I believe it is now becoming clearer to us as to what it means to love TRULY. We may NOT BE REQUIRED to physically surrender our bodies to be crucified or bring out our hearts to be physically pierced in order to prove to others that we TRULY love them. However, we are REQUIRED to solemnly recognize and appreciate Jesus for His incomparable love towards us. More importantly, we are REQUIRED to make reparations or amends for the wounds our frequent falls have inflicted on this MOST SACRED HEART. And MOST IMPORTANTLY, we must know that such amends can only be possible when we have hearts that can ENDURE pains for the sake of others, hearts that can SACRIFICE for others, hearts that can BLEED for the sake of others, and hearts that can let go of offenses.


In our relationships and interactions with people, we must always be aware that we are dealing with human beings who are, by their fallen nature, imperfect and prone to sin and infidelity. What it then means is that IF WE ARE SERIOUS IN OUR CHRISTIAN COMMITMENT, IF WE REALLY WANT TO BE CHRIST-LIKE, IF WE TRULY WANT TO LOVE OTHERS AS CHRIST LOVED US, WE MUST BE READY TO BLEED FROM THE HEART, WE MUST BE READY TO HAVE OUR HEARTS BROKEN AND PIERCED. That's what it means to love TRULY! 


Prayer:

May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus grant us the POWER and GRACE that would enable us to love Jesus in others even when we think they don't deserve our love, Amen!


Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, may Your Kingdom (of love, joy, peace and righteousness) come!





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