June 2nd

The Love of the Sacred Heart for Man


The world has never witnessed such love as the love of the Sacred Heart for fallen man. The tenderest, fondest earthly love fades away and becomes as nothing in comparison with the love of Jesus. It combines in itself the love of the most devoted friend, of the most affectionate brother, of the lover for his beloved, of the mother for her darling son. Every form of love is united in the yearning love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

There never was a love so patient, so much-enduring, as the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It waits uncomplainingly until we choose to return our feeble love for all its love to us. It puts up with neglect, coldness, nay, even outrage and insult. Any earthly friend or lover, nay, even the fond mother, would long ago have been repelled by such treatment as He receives from ungrateful man. But not so Jesus. "Can a woman forget her infant," He asks, "so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? Even if she should forget, yet will I not forget thee."

The love of Jesus is a love which shows itself in deeds. He delights to pour out the treasures of His mercy on men, even on the ungrateful and on His enemies, and how much more on those who return Him love for love? For them there is no end to His gifts of love. Every day, every hour, some fresh favor and benefit, and all these only preliminary to the eternal reward He has prepared for them in Heaven. How generous He has been to me, and what have I been in return?

June 4th

The Sacred Heart formed in Mary's Womb


Time was when there was no Heart of Jesus burning with love for men. God loved men, pitied them, perfectly understood human treachery and human misery, but not from personal experience of it. Before Jesus came, mankind were hurrying down to Hell. Reflect on the hopeless condition of the heathen world, and thank God from your heart that you did not live then. Would you not have been among the worst?

But God had long looked down with pity on the earth's darkness. The Word was made Flesh, and in taking to Himself flesh He necessarily took a human heart, glowing with love for every child of Adam, sorrowing with their sorrows, moved by their distress, rejoicing in their happiness, craving for their love, wounded by their unkindness. It was from the first moment of the Incarnation, when Mary conceived of the Holy Ghost, that the Sacred Heart of Jesus first began to throb with unspeakable love for fallen man.

In that first instant of its existence the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in virtue of the Divine personality to which it was inseparably united, embraced in its Divine compassion all the sorrows of men as long as the world should last. My troubles and sorrows were not overlooked. From that time until the end, the Sacred Heart has been sympathizing, and will continue to sympathize, with all that gives me joy or sorrow. O wondrous love of God made man!

June 6th

The Earliest Pulsations of the Sacred Heart


What was the first thought that flashed through the Sacred Heart of Jesus? Naught else than an act of complete and absolute submission to the holy will of God: "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O my God," and a joy in the prospect of living for no other end than this: "I am content to do it, yea. Thy law is within my heart." Here is the foundation of all holiness--perfect conformity to the Divine will. Yet how rare it is! How sadly wanting in my sinful heart!

What was the second thought following close on this, and, in a manner, one with it? It was an acceptance of the special work God had sent Him to do. God sent His Son into the world that the world through Him might be saved. He received with Joy the task of the world's redemption, though He knew full well all it would cost Him. I shall never tread in the footsteps of Jesus until I learn by the sacrifice of myself to imitate His Sacred Heart.

The will of God thus recognized, the Sacred Heart conceived at once an intense love for each and all of those whom He had come to redeem. They were entrusted to Him by His Eternal Father, they were His brethren, flesh of His flesh, and bone of His bone, and His Heart went out towards them with the yearning of an intense affection. He yearned for the happiness and salvation of each with a Divine longing. He yearned then and yearns now for my happiness. Courage, then, faint heart, and think of the love of the Heart of Jesus for thee!

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June 14th

The Chief Desires of the Sacred Heart


While our Lord was upon earth. He several times expressed to His Apostles what He had most at heart, and what was the work He had chiefly come to perform. He told them that He had come to send fire on the earth, and asked them what else they could expect Him to desire except that that fire should speedily be enkindled. (St. Luke xii. 49.) Yes, Jesus came to kindle on earth the fire of Divine Love. Does this fire burn brightly in my heart, and do I fulfil His longing that it should be kindled more and more in me?

This fire was not merely the fire of love to God, it was also the fire of mutual charity amongst men. When Christ came, hatred, jealousy, selfishness, strife were the order of the day. He came to spread charity, self-sacrifice, peace, mutual good-will. Yet how faintly this flame burns in my cold heart! How much of selfishness and ill-feeling and petty jealousy still remains there!

This fire of love to God and man gives birth to another fire, which also consumes the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and burns in the hearts of all who love Him; the fire of zeal tor souls and a desire to labor and suffer for them. How this fire burned in the hearts of the saints--of St. Paul, St. Francis Xavier, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Alphonsus Liguori! How eager they were to bring others to God! how unselfish in their exertions in their behalf! I must pray for more of that true zeal that animated the saints of God.

June 16th

The Sacred Heart Among Sinners


One of the things at which the Pharisees took scandal during Our Lord's Sacred Ministry was His association with publicans and sinners. They taunted Him with His friendship for sinners. They asked His disciples why He ate and drank with them, talked to them words of gentleness and sympathy, seemed attracted by their company. Yes, it was all true. He was, above all, the Friend of sinners. He came to search them out and bring them back to the fold. He had a tender love for the miserable outcast, because she was an outcast, and the compassion of His Sacred Heart went out towards her and longed to bring her back to purity and peace. Am I at all like to Jesus in His pity and love for sinners?

Once upon a time an unhappy woman was brought to Him who had been taken in adultery. She was a great sinner and deserved to die. But how did Jesus treat her? By silence He rebuked her accusers, and then turned with Divine Compassion to the poor adulteress and spoke to her words of peace. Where should I have been? On the side of the accusers or on the side of Jesus?

Jesus is just the same now, the Friend of sinners, and therefore my friend. He is the Friend of sinners, and therefore woe to me if I am hard on sinners as the Pharisees were. He is the Friend of sinners; I can therefore win His love by showing great kindness and tenderness and love to these. His friends. How many there are whom I might help to love Him, and so take part in the work of Divine charity that He wrought among sinners!

June 18th

The Cravings of the Sacred Heart


What is it that we desire, one and all, with a strong desire? It is to be loved. The Heart of Jesus does not differ in this respect from the hearts of ordinary men. He, too, longs for love. While on earth, the bitterest pang of His Sacred Heart was that He came to His own and they refused Him their love. He still desires our love. He still cries out to each of us from His Cross: I thirst--I thirst for your love. Alas! how faintly I have loved in return.

What sort of a love does He ask for? What are its marks if it is to satisfy Him? (1) It must be a love of obedience. "It you love Me, keep My commandments." It must obey each whispered inspiration, it must have no will save His. (2) It must be a generous love, a love that rejoices in making some sacrifice for Him, a love which counts it a joy to follow in His footsteps and to suffer for Him. (3) It must be a love of compassion. It must grieve at all that grieves Him. It must lament over the sins of others. It must seek to make reparation in some way or other for all the coldness and ingratitude of men.

How am I to know whether my love is one that at all satisfies the desire of the Sacred Heart? There is one certain test; when self contests my obedience with Jesus, whom do I obey? When self-love resents some injury, do I indulge it? When self craves some pleasure which Jesus asks me to forego, do I listen to self or to the gentle voice of the Sacred Heart of Jesus?

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June 20th

The Disappointments of the Sacred Heart


We often see a morning that opens bright and fair clouded over before midday, and the afternoon dark and gloomy, ending in storm and desolation. So too there is many a life which opens with the happiest promise; a natural attraction to piety, great graces, good influences, an amicable character give hopes that he to whom these privileges are given will turn out an eminent servant of God, and love with an ever-increasing devotion the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Yet how often the brilliant promise comes to nothing, or next to nothing. The soul which might have risen to a high degree of sanctity, enjoying continual peace and joy, is still battling with passion, anger, sloth, impatience, self-indulgence, vanity, distastes for the things of God, jealousy and ill-feeling, uncharitableness in thought and word. How is it that so little progress has been made? How is it that the Sacred Heart of Jesus has been disappointed in His desire for a complete possession of the heart that He loved?

Alas! it is the old story--unfaithfulness to grace in little things. Jesus spoke plainly enough, asking for some little sacrifice, and was refused. He asked again, and another refusal. Gradually His requests became less frequent, and His voice scarce sounded in the ears that had neglected to listen. At length He ceased to ask, or the unfaithful soul ceased to hear His voice. What a sad disappointment for Him. What an irreparable loss for the soul that was thus ungrateful to the invitations of her Divine Spouse. Is not this my case?