Friday:       Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Date:         June 12, 2015.
Year:         B
The readings: [Hos. 11:1-4, 8-9; Eph. 3:8-19; Jn. 19:31-7]
The message:  The mystery of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Prepared by:  Catholic Doors Ministry.
Total words:  1965

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My brothers and sisters, may the fountain of graces of our Lord flow abundantly upon you as a blessing in recognition for your presence here today that surely pleases the Sacred Heart of Jesus. June is the month of the Sacred Heart and today is the day on which we commemorate the popular Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

I do not believe that it is necessary for me to show you a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus because most Catholics are familiar with it, His picture being found in endless Catholic homes. Some Catholics have this specific holy picture on a wall in a glassed frame or in a stand-up frame, some as a religious plaque or in 3-D effect, others as a statue, either indoor or outdoors. And then there are the many Churches, schools, hospitals, etc... that bear the Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

What is this beautiful devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus? When did it have its beginning? I will summarize my findings based on what I have found in the book "The Faith Of Millions" by Rev. John A. O'Brien, PH.D. (Published by "Our Sunday Visitor," Copyright 1938.) and The Catholic Encyclopedia that is available on the Internet. ( http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07163a.htm)

The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus had an unofficial and an official beginning. I say unofficial because as part of God's progressive Divine Plan to make the devotion to His Sacred Heart known to the world, it was revealed privately and consequently practiced by many before the Holy Catholic Church gave it its official recognition.

Based on the "Heart of Jesus" as a symbol of love, the Holy Catholic Church has always had a devotion to the love of God. This proof is found in the biblical writings of St. John and St. Paul. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believe in Him may not perish but may have eternal life." [Jn. 3:16] But this in itself is not a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus because it does not pay homage to the Heart of Jesus as the symbol of His love for us.

Moving ahead to the eleventh and twelfth centuries, in the days of the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, we find the first unmistakable indications of devotions to the Sacred Heart. To who exactly belongs the credit for promoting this devotion, it is impossible to say with certainty.

From the thirteenth to the sixteenth century, although the devotion to the Sacred Heart continued to spread, it remained an individual or at least a private devotion. It was not until August 31, 1670, in the Grand Seminary of Rennes, that the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus became public through the actions of Blessed Jean Eudes (1602-1680).

During this time frame, our Lord chose to reveal the desires of His Heart to Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), confiding to her the task of imparting new life to the devotion. On December 27, probably 1673, Jesus allowed Margaret Mary to rest her head upon His Heart during which time He revealed to her the wonders of His love, telling her that He desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of His goodness, and that He had chosen her for this work.

In the century that followed, many requests were made to Rome to officially recognize the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, each being turned down. It was not until 1765, at the request of the Queen of France, that Rome finally yield and the Feast to the Sacred Heart of Jesus received quasi officially by the episcopate of France. One century later, in 1856, at the urgent petition of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the Feast to the universal Church under the rite of double major. In 1889, it was raised to the double rite of first class.

While the personal acts of groups, congregations and State consecrations and of reparation were quickly spreading, it was not until June 11, 1899, by order of Leo XIII, and with the formula prescribed by him, that all mankind was solemnly consecrated to the Sacred Heart.

Today, the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is centered around the heart of Jesus as the emblem of Divine love. By this characteristic, the devotion to the Sacred Heart is naturally defined. Divine love is the highest of three levels of loves; Divine love, spiritual love and physical love.

In summary of what has been said, the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a devotion to "The Heart that has so loved men," this having been revealed by Jesus to St. Margaret Mary.

The final question that arise in the Catholic Encyclopedia on the subject of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is: "The love which we honour in this devotion, is it that with which Jesus loves us as Man or that with which He loves us as God; whether it is created or uncreated, His human or His Divine Love"? The opinion of authors vary greatly on this subject.

To answer that question, I researched the meaning of the words "Sacred" and "Heart." It is clear to all of us that the word "Sacred" means "Divine," this meaning that it is of God or God Himself. But what about the word "Heart?" What does it mean?

To answer that question, I had to review the meaning of the word "heart" in the Old and New Testaments. I read many Bible passages such as, "The law of their God is in their hearts..." [Ps. 37:31] "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." [Mt. 12:34] "But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart." [Lk. 2:19] Speaking to His disciples, Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." [Jn. 14:1]

In each of these Bible passages, it is a reference to the actions of the mind. The laws of God are written on the minds of His children. What comes out of the mouth is a reflection of what is on one's mind. Mary pondered upon what had been told to her through her mind. When the disciples of Jesus were troubled, the anxieties were on their minds. The word "heart" is synonym to "mind" in the Holy Scriptures.

As such, the Sacred Heart of Jesus can be perceived as the Divine Mind of Jesus, God manifested in human nature. One may wonder, is there anything else to support this? Yes, there is in the Holy Bible.

In the Old Testament, God promised to make a New Covenant through which He would replace the heart of stone with a new "heart", a new (human) "spirit" and place within man His "Holy Spirit." [Ezek. 11:19-20, 18:31, 36:26; Jer. 24:7, 31:33] When reviewing St. Paul's inspired writing in the New Testament, his references are always to the necessity of embracing the spiritual mind (of the human spirit) of the new creation that was received through the Blood of Christ. This is the new creation of the godly seed that was received through the Sacrament of Baptism through water and Spirit.

From the Letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament, we read, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds..." [Heb. 10:16]

Based on these biblical truths that are affirmed in the Holy Scriptures, man has a worldly mind because of his human nature and a new spiritual mind and nature as a result of having received his new creation during the Sacrament of Baptism. These are in constant conflict with one another. As St. Paul states, "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." [Rom. 7:15] St. Paul was fully aware of the ongoing inner conflict between the worldly and the spiritual minds that dwelled within him.

To further support this truth, when some of the saints bilocated, being seen at two different locations simultaneously, each of their two presences, the physical and the spiritual, had a mind of their own. While there were two separate presences, each having a mind of its own, both minds were united to the one soul, the self-consciousness of the individual. For man has only one soul. As such, it is made known that man possesses two minds, one of the human nature and one of the spiritual nature.

As to how this regards the divinity of God, while there is one God, there are three Divine minds in God. Each, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, possess a mind of their own, all three separate Divine Presences being united in the One Divine Soul consciousness of God. This truth is supported by the Council of Ephesus, 431 A.D., whereas it states,

"The manner of his (God) indwelling is not defined in the same way as he is said to dwell among the saints, he was united by nature and not turned into flesh and he made his indwelling in such a way as we may say that the soul of man does in his own body."

Therefore, since God the Father made His indwelling in the Lord Jesus in such a way as the soul of man does in his own body, the mind of the Lord Jesus was not the mind of God the Father. As in bilocation, in God the Father and in Jesus, two Divine minds were present, each manifesting itself individually through the one Soul of God.

To conclude, in the "Sacred Heart" is revealed the mystery of the "Divine Mind" of Jesus as God. The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus affirms that the Lord Jesus was God, one of the Three Divine Presences of the Holy Trinity. While the symbolic picture of the human heart echoes a Heart of Flesh of the human nature, the "Divine Mind" that is synonym to "Sacred Heart," echoes the Divine nature. As the Holy Catholic Church teaches, in Christ, God manifested as man, the Divine nature cannot be separated from the human nature.

In 1302, St. Gertrude had a vision on the feast of St. John the Evangelist. Allowing her to rest her head near the wound of the Saviour, she heard the beating of the Divine Heart and asked John if, on the night of the Last Supper, he too had felt these delightful pulsations and why he had never spoken of the fact. John replied that this revelation had been reserved for subsequent ages when the world, having grown cold, would have need of it to rekindle its love. ("Legatus divinae pietatis", IV, 305; "Revelationes Gertrudianae", ed. Poitiers and Paris, 1877.)

Today, seven hundred year later, when many doubt the divinity of the Lord Jesus, is made known the mystery of the Sacred Heart that affirms that through Jesus, God incarnated on earth, was manifested Divine love through His human nature. While Jesus had a human nature, begotten by the Father through the womb of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, His mind that proceeded from the Divine Soul of God was Divine in nature. For "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." [1 Pet. 2:22]

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The readings...

[The readings were taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (C) 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America.]

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First Reading...

"Hear the word of the Lord, O people. 'When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me.

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk. I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to the cheek. I went down to them and fed them.

How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.

I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no human being, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.'" [Hos. 11:1-4, 8-9]

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Second Reading...

"Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

"This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, God may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner self with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.

I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." [Eph. 3:8-19]

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Gospel Reading...

"Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the Sabbath, especially because that Sabbath was a day of great Solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed.

Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.

He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.

These things occurred so that the scriptures might be fulfilled, 'None of his bones shall be broken.' And again another passage of scripture says, 'They will look on the one whom they have pierced.'" [Jn. 19:31-7]

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