The ninth day from the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (i.e., if we celebrate it on a Thursday), we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is like a continuation of the celebration of Corpus Christi. Has not His Body a Heart which pumps Blood throughout our body, supplying oxygen and nutrients to our cells and removing carbon dioxide and other wastes? “If the heart is not able to supply blood to the organs and tissues, they’ll die.”
But of course, in celebrating this Feast, we are not talking of His physical Heart. We are just emphasizing that these two great Feasts – Corpus Christ and Sacred Heart are closely connected. In this Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, we celebrate His love. “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”(John 15:13)
Dr. Scott Hahn has a short but profound reflection on this Feast of our Lord’s Heart. He also connected it to the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary that we celebrate the next day after the Sacred Heart, for the Hearts of Jesus and Mary beat as one.
Here is a more extensive meditation on the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Fr. John Bartunek, LC, S.Th.D from the Regnum Christi Spirituality Center addresses these questions: Who is God? What does He most care about? What is the center of His personality? How can we love Him?
There are many reflections, meditations, and treatises about the Devotion to the Sacred Heart. Take advantage of all the available materials and opportunities to learn more about our Lord and His love. Many of these are available online. Use modern means we have nowadays. They are blessings and serve as help on our way to Him.
Our Father-founder Arnold Janssen, a great devotee of the Sacred Heart, bequeathed to us a short prayer which we recite after every Holy Mass: “May the Heart of Jesus live in every heart!” Short it may be, but it means volume!
Yes, may His Heart live in our hearts that we may love as He has loved.
