The Social Dimension to the Sacred Heart

Looking at the headlines today, the world is in need of love. Becoming entrenched with all the world’s affairs, it’s easier to allow ourselves to remain disengaged. I recall a conversation with a friend last year and a common phrase that I hear them saying is “I’ll just do me,” or rather, “I’ll mind my own business,” as they express their dissatisfaction with current state of affairs in the world.
Part 4 of our exploration of Dilexit Nos (He Loved Us) looks at the communal dimension to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. St. John Paul II drew a connection between entrusting our heart to Christ and building up a civilization of love. “In union with Christ, amid the ruins we have left in this world by our sins, we are called to build a new civilization of love. That is what it means to make reparation as the heart of Christ would have us do. Amid the devastation wrought by evil, the heart of Christ desires that we cooperate with him in restoring goodness and beauty to our world,” (no. 182).
“They will know we are Christians by our love,” is a refrain from a common hymn that I heard at Mass growing up. Building up a civilization of love needs to go beyond just external works. Rather, as St. John Paul II put, our actions and our livelihood need to be imbued with the love of Christ. The heart of Christ needs to be at the essence of who we are and what we do. “These need a ‘mystique,’ a soul, a meaning that grants them strength, drive, and tireless creativity. They need the life, the fire and the light that radiate from the heart of Christ,” (no. 184).
Love Begins with Reparation

In order for us to walk the path of building up a civilization of love, we need to examine our relationships with our sisters and brothers. Have I wronged them? If so, have I sought to make amends? Pope Francis notes that the spirit of reparation reopens dialogue and is a means of reestablishing fraternal charity. “It touches the heart of our brother or sister, brings consolation and inspires acceptance of the forgiveness requested. Even if the irreparable cannot be repaired, love can always be reborn, making the heart bearable,” (189).
Pope Francis continues on, “a heart that is capable of compunction will grow in fraternity and solidarity,” (no. 190). I’m of the opinion that you cannot give what you do not have. In order for us to render our hearts in reparation, we have to experience mercy first in our lives. Think about who has sought your forgiveness. How did you react? Did you forgive them? If we have that sense of mercy in our lives, we are able to share it with others. A heart capable of compunction is able to draw closer to the poor.
In my last post, I encouraged us to have a deeper devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a New Year’s resolution. The first step in doing so is accepting Christ’s love for us instead of rejecting it. No matter where we are in our lives or what we have done, in order to bring the heart of Jesus into the world, we need to accept the love of Christ in our hearts. “If he does not encounter openness and confidence in me, his love is deprived – because he himself has willed it – of its extension, unique and unrepeatable, in my life and in this world, where he calls me to make him present,” (193).
The Missionary Aspect of Love

For the Christian message to be fully expressed in our times, we need to move beyond making religion a private matter. “Would it please the heart that so loved us, if we were to bask in a private religious experience while ignoring the implications for the society in which we live?” (no. 205). Our actions have implications on the lives of others. The moment we can begin to understand this, the missionary within us is born. Pope Francis notes that the “flames of love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus also expand through the Church’s missionary outreach, which proclaims the message of God’s love revealed in Christ,” (209).
Our Church is missionary in her essence. We are called to go out and bring the Good News to all peoples of all nations. Mission is the love radiating from the heart of Christ. To go out is to be totally consumed by this radiating love and be transformed by it to the core. As missionaries, we are in love with Christ and feel compelled to share this love that has changed our lives. I’m reminded of a line from a beautiful prayer, Fall in Love, by Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ:
It [love] will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, whom you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Accepting the love of Christ and deepening our devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus give us direction in life. It draws us to our sister and brother and to our community. To love others in this regard is a means of growing with Christ. “Love for the brothers and sisters of our communities – religious, parochial, diocesan and others – is a kind of fuel that feeds our friendship with Jesus,” (212). Love then becomes service to others.
Whatever our state of life, Jesus is calling you to go forth. “His call is one of service, a summons to do good, perhaps as a physician, a mother, a teacher or priest. Wherever you may be, you can hear this call and realize he is sending you forth to carry out that mission,” (215). Realize that your love is missionary work and the world, in desperate need of it, is waiting! Accept the love of Christ today, walk with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and go forth!