St. Therese of the Child Jesus used to sum up her vocation in two words: “to Love.” She would repeatedly say her vocation is “to Love.” And that is the essence of what we celebrate during the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, as well as the the whole month of June (which is traditionally dedicated to Christ’s Sacred Heart). In other words, the physical heart of Jesus was created in time with one chief motive: to Love; to Love humanity infinitely.
And although St. Therese probably loved Jesus with her whole heart, mind and soul (she is a canonized saint after all), her love, or any other human love for that matter, does not even begin to compare to the Love that Jesus Christ has for all of human beings.
Therese’s and our love is limited by our finite human heart, and although our love is certainly strengthened and maintained by the grace of God, Jesus’ love is immeasurable. It has no boundaries; it is limitless. His created human heart which looks and feels like our own hearts, transcends all human love put together.
In Sacred Scripture, we hear of the many acts God has done throughout the history of the world that manifested His supreme love. In the Old Testament, God’s acts of love were revealed primarily through the patriarchs, prophets and kings. But it was only until the New Covenant, God’s love was revealed fully, not just with words, but also with deeds. It was in the person of Jesus Christ, humanity finally realized how much the Father has loved us through His Son.
So what does that mean for us today? A simple answer that should motivate all of our actions from the morning to the evening on a daily basis is: –Love is repaid with Love-. Love is what separates us Christians from everybody else. Like Scripture says, “They will know we are Christians by our Love.” In addition, St. John of the Cross says, we will be judged by our love.
Therefore, what frustrates a life is not pain, suffering, sickness, or even death itself, but a lack of love. The Love of Christ CONQUERS DEATH. So we ask our Lord (throughout this month especially):
O Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make our hearts like unto thine.
And we know and realize that Holiness isn’t measured by the specific amount of work we do or the actual difficulty of the job that we accomplish; rather, holiness is measured by the amount of love we put into our actions!
In conclusion, we recall what Pope Pius XII said: The Heart of Christ still lives and beats today! It YEARNS for the love of all People, to unite their wills with His and to repay Love with Love! Hence, let us agree with St. Josemaria Escriva, that it must be a special grace that God has loved us so much, and yet we haven’t lost our minds!
(By Fr. Joseph Aytona, CPM)