Daily Reflections ...

For many, because of its familiarity, the claim that God loves us seems a little ‘ho-hum’ and so it often fails to move us. Yet, if we stop to think about it, the idea that God even notices us, let alone loves us, is something truly wondrous. The psalmist expresses this sentiment, musing: ‘what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?’ (Psalm 8:4)

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This feast bids us pause and marvel at this mystery, to notice and be filled with ‘wonder and awe’.  For not only does God love us, but God loves us so much that he become one with us. In Jesus the love of God has been made flesh and beats within a human heart!

Today, as we celebrate the love of Jesus for all humanity, the Gospel invites us to ‘look on the one whom they have pierced’ and so contemplate His heart. The inner heart of a person is often a closely guarded secret. Yet upon the cross, the Sacred Heart of Jesus is exposed for all to see, as he gives his life for the life of the world. From his ‘pierced’ heart, there flows blood and water, a vivid symbol of Jesus’ total gift of himself. He has quite literally loved us with the final beat of his heart, and he has poured himself out for us, even to the last drop of his blood.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of mercy, teach our hearts to love, just as you have loved us.

By Fr Michael Grace