By Susan Ciancio
This week, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1673, while praying, a French nun by the name of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque heard Jesus tell her that He wanted people to venerate His Sacred Heart. He explained, “My Sacred Heart is so intense in its love for men, and for you in particular, that not being able to contain within it the flames of its ardent charity, they must be transmitted through all means.”
This began the veneration of Jesus’ Sacred Heart. And as we approach this solemnity, now is the perfect time to contemplate the love Christ has for us and allow it to transform our lives. When we do so, we will then be able to translate that love to others.
To help you along this path, we have five suggestions for actions you can take in your own lives, thus bringing you and others closer to Jesus as you teach of His immense love and build a society where all His children are loved, cherished, and cared for.
1. Pray
Why do we list pray first? Prayer has the power to transform you personally. And you are no good to others if you are not strong in your own faith. Strengthen your faith in God by talking to Him, by praying the rosary and reflecting on His life, and by reading the Gospels and gaining a greater understanding of His teachings. All of these increase our knowledge of the Lord who loves us. And when we grow in understanding, we can then lead others to Him.
2. Receive the sacraments often
Through the sacraments, especially reconciliation and the Eucharist (as those are two that we can receive more than once), we receive divine graces that will strengthen us as we live out our faith. Reflect on sins you committed and on things you failed to do. Then go to confession regularly. When free of mortal sin, receive the Eucharist. Teach your family about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Sit in Adoration and pray. Spending one-on-one time with Jesus will help you get to know His heart. Take your children with you to pray, even if it’s just for 10-15 minutes at a time.
3. Speak with kindness
The words that come out of our mouths have the ability to build people up or harm them. We must watch what we say and how we talk, especially within our families. These are the people we love and cherish most in life; let our words reflect that love and the love burning in Christ’s Sacred Heart. When angered or upset, ask yourself if the words you’re about to speak are words that would come from Christ’s mouth. Or as I used to tell my kids, imagine yourself standing before God and telling Him about this interaction. Would you be proud of or ashamed by what you said? The answer to that should direct your speech.
4. Treat others as you would want them to treat you
This Golden Rule taught to us by Christ during the Sermon on the Mount (and taught to your children in our two lessons) instructs us to do unto others as we would want done to us. That means taking a step back before we act and asking ourselves how we would feel if someone did this to us. We must remember that love is an action; it’s not just a feeling. To love someone is to will good for them. We are not willing good for others if we treat them badly.
5. Live according to the Gospels and the Church’s teaching
Many people like to pick and choose which tenets of the faith they adhere to, but the truths of the faith are not here to appease you or to seek the influence of society so they can be changed to something easier to comply with. They are here to guide you on the path to heaven. That path is not filled with compromise or half-hearted attempts at holiness. We know that it’s often very difficult to stand up for the faith in a world that belittles, criticizes, and dismisses it, but if we truly love our faith and our Lord, we will put Him first. Remember that Jesus taught, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”
Our end goal is heaven. How we live our lives will determine where we go after death. Do we want to spend eternity surrounded by the burning love in Christ’s Sacred Heart? Or do we want to spend eternity surrounded by the burning hatred that consumes hell? The choice is ours to make.