We celebrate two hearts as liturgical feasts. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the deep mystery of the Incarnation: what is most central and personal in man is indistinguishable, totally one with the Word. The Immaculate Heart of Mary is also a miraculous work of God, but it defines the person of Mary and her particular role in salvation. The Immaculate Heart is the pure and transparent water of grace fully received into the heart of a woman. The waters of our life so often ebb and flow, the difficulties and struggles remove our peace and we can no longer see clearly. The Sacred Heart, existing by the divinity of the Word, is invincible on its own. The Immaculate Heart of Mary is invincible by a particular grace of God animating and raising it.
Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The human heart is this most noble and precious organ from which life and love flow like blood through our veins. Our heart is our hidden core, our most important, intimate, and personal identity. If you never discover someone’s heart, you will never really know them – and even when you’ve known and loved someone for a long time their heart remains hidden like a secret that they must choose to reveal again and again and you must choose to rediscover constantly. Our heart remains hidden within our body, and it is only by loving and becoming vulnerable that it can be know by others.
Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
It is important often to recall the simplicity of the Christian vocation: Love God above all things and love your neighbor as yourself.
CHRYSOSTOM:
But now God has made us such that nothing can subdue us. For our hands are bound but not our tongue, since nothing can bind the tongue but cowardice and unbelief. Where these are not, though you fasten chains upon us, the preaching of the gospel is not bound.
Any cloud passing over our skies may from time to time make us gloomy. But Paul’s heart had no such storms sweeping over it. Or better, there did sweep over him, and often, many storms, but his day was not darkened. Rather in the midst of the temptations and dangers the light shone out. Thus when bound with his chain he kept exclaiming, “The word of God is not bound.” Thus continually by means of that tongue the Word was sending forth its rays.