To Jesus through Mary…To the Sacred Heart through the Immaculate Heart of Mary… During the Last Supper, he gave us the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist as the memorial of his selfless love towards us. He entrusted his mother, who remained close to His Sacred Heart to his beloved disciple at the altar of the cross. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother! And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own home” (Jn.19:26-27). At the very outset, we may tend to think that Jesus wants his mother to be looked after by his beloved disciple. Why did he entrust his dear mother to his beloved disciple? Why did he call her ‘woman’ and John as ‘son’? If his intention was merely taking care of her, he could have done that in so many other ways. The theological motive of St. John is that Jesus wants – ‘the woman’ who was specially chosen handmaid of the Lord, ‘the woman who was as a faithful mother and disciple from crib to Calvary and ‘the woman’ who remained the bride of the Holy Spirit, to take his place and accompany his followers with her Immaculate Heart, which is filled with her maternal and filial love.
The Sacred Heart is the perfect mediator and intercessor for humanity before our heavenly Father. Along with the Sacred Heart, we have the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the first fruit of Jesus’ redemption and his perfect disciple. This woman of God was singularly privileged to be the immaculate mother of God through the merits of our divine saviour. His role as our redeemer gave her this privilege. Therefore, in a particular way, she is responsible for leading all of us to the salvation that Jesus gained for us through his meritorious sacrifice. The Sacred Heart took flesh in her womb, and she nurtured the divine saviour with her being. Similarly, she would help each one of us to grow in our devotion to the Sacred Heart and help us to imbibe a Sacred Heart like that of Christ, which is bleeding with sacrificial love for humanity and burning with zeal for God… As we conclude the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart, may the entire world be liberated from the clutches of the pandemic and protected under the caring love of the Sacred Heart… May the Sacred Heart of Jesus bless us all… Amen.

Leaning on the Sacred Heart of Jesus… Leaning on the Sacred Heart of Jesus… Don Bosco had filial devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He used to say: “The devotion to the Sacred Heart includes all the rest and that the source of this devotion is to be found precisely in the Blessed Sacrament. Keep always before your minds, the thought of the love of God in the Holy Eucharist.” The unfathomable love of the Sacred Heart is concretely expressed in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Sacred Heart comes to our heart as a sacramental presence through the Holy Eucharist. The Salesian houses are filled with this Eucharistic Spirit, and Salesian spirituality emphasises the reception of the Holy Communion because Don Bosco considered it an intimate moment of encounter with Jesus. He used to say: “What joy it is to receive our Divine Redeemer into our hearts, that same God from whom we must draw the strength and constancy needed every moment of our lives.” In Jn. 4, we read Jesus telling Samaritan woman: “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (Jn. 4:14) In Jn.6, Jesus says: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (Jn. 6:35)In the Eucharist institution account Jesus offers his own body and blood as the true food and drink for humanity: “Take, eat; this is my body…” (Mt. 26:26) “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins…” (Mt. 26:28) Thus, Jesus becomes the true bread and drink that sustain and nourish our spiritual person in this earthly sojourn.
In the book of Exodus, we see the Lord providing manna and meat for the people of Israel in their wilderness journey. It was carried on for forty years until they step into the Promised Land, and once they entered into the Promised Land, it was stopped. The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is our daily manna, which gives us strength and nourishment for our journey towards the eternal Promised Land. Our participation in the Holy Eucharist should not be a mere fulfilment of the obligation whereas, it should be an encounter with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Similarly, the offering of this Holy Sacrifice should not be a repetition of rituals, rather the supreme moments of worship that should transform our human hearts into Eucharistic hearts. There should be an inseparable bond between our life and the Sacrament of the Eucharist; nowhere, it should be disconnected. Our participation in the Holy Eucharist helps us break our selfishness and create a Eucharistic Heart that shares our best with our needy brethren like the Sacred Heart who emptied his heavenly richness for us we too inherit the divine life. Our Eucharistic adoration in the Blessed Sacrament should be an ongoing encounter with the Sacred Heart. We should have a passionate desire to be in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, wherein the sacred heart is present in a sacramental way. Each moment we spend before the Blessed Sacrament may transform our hearts as Eucharistic and Sacred Heart like Christ…

Leaning on the Sacred Heart of Jesus… When Simeon witnessed the child Jesus in the temple, the promise of the Holy Spirit that he would not die without witnessing the saviour had fulfilled, and he prays to grant him grace to depart in peace from this life. St. Joseph is considered the patron saint of a good death. He breathed his last in the presence of Jesus and Mary, who are the beloveds of the Lord. He was incredibly privileged because no one else is blessed to die in the presence of Jesus, who is the Lord of our lives. The Sacred Heart is comforter and our sure shelter in these moments of struggles.
Jesus experienced this human struggle to accept death, thinking about his intense passion and death at Gethsemane. Anyhow, when he surrendered himself to the Father’s will, he felt comforted and strengthened. As a result, Jesus approached his end composed and serene. Though he felt his Father’s abandonment, he closed his eyes in peace, realizing that His Father is with him: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Lk.23:46) One of the assurances of the Sacred Heart to Mary Margaret Alacoque was concerning the comforting presence of the Sacred Heart with us, especially at the moments of our death. When the good thief implored his mercy on the cross amidst his intense suffering, Jesus assured him: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”(Lk.23:43) Jesus neither reminded him of his past nor his present. He gave him a future – An eternity in the bosom of his heavenly Father.
I want to mention a personal experience with you. My Father had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart. While I was preparing for my First Holy Communion, he reminded me that he had received the Holy Communion on the first nine good Fridays consecutively. He used to demand the same also from me and sharing with me why we would never die in disgrace? All the same, I did it because of his insistence and never convinced of what he said. The death of my Father changed my outlook towards the devotion to the Sacred Heart. He died because of cancer. He suffered severe pain like any other cancer patients. He was in a hospice towards the end of his life. He was prepared to accept his death over there. He received the anointing of the sick, two days before his death. He received the Holy Communion on the day he died. Immediately after the communion, he started to breathe his last. It lasted for some time. Our parish priest had come there after a while. While our parish priest was praying over my Father, he opened his eyes, looked at everyone and passed away peacefully… Those moments I cherish as a celebration of God’s grace and mercy. Today when I look back, I realize that the experience of my father’s peaceful passing from this life to life after death was the grace of the Sacred Heart. Let us grow in our friendship with the Sacred Heart…

“I am with you always, to the end of the age.”(Mt. 28:20) The greatest blessing that we could cherish from the Sacred Heart is his ever-abiding presence and unfailing friendship. Our ordinary human friendships are conditional and mutual. If we don’t show sufficient interest to relate with another person, the friendship will die off in time. In contrast, the one friendship that we can be sure of is friendship with the Sacred Heart. In our times, several factors can hinder our friendship with the Sacred Heart, like our busy schedule, laxity in prayer, our addictions, etc. These elements can distance us from the friendship of the Sacred Heart. Even if we go astray from the closeness of the Sacred Heart, he will be eagerly longing for our return like the Father of the prodigal son.
Another major challenge that humans face today is depression. Several people experience terrible loneliness and lack of meaning in their lives. As a result, they ponder always to end up their life. If they could grow in this unfailing friendship, who always remain close to their Heart, who is ever ready to listen to their pains, absorbs their mental pain and alleviate their loneliness, they would never think of putting a full stop to their journey. The Sacred Heart will be with us in those moments we are close to him, and those moments we go astray from his friendship like the sheep that go astray from the shepherding love of the shepherd. The heartily love of the Lord revealed in the book of prophet Isaiah: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”(Is. 43:1-2)Let us spend a few minutes today to introspect our friendship with the Sacred Heart, thank him for his friendship, and seek his grace to grow in our intimacy with the Sacred Heart…

Leaning on the Sacred Heart of Jesus… “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (Jn. 8:12) Today let us meditate on the fire that we see on the Sacred Heart. The light and fire represent the divinity of Christ. In the scriptures, we see the manifestation of God through the symbol of fire. When Abraham offered sacrifices, God accepted those offerings by consuming them with fire. (Gen. 15:17) Moses had the experience of theophany through witnessing the burning bush. (Ex. 3: 2) God manifest himself to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai in the form of fire. (Ex. 19:18) He accompanied the people of Israel during their wilderness journey as fire by night. (Ex. 13:21) Similarly, the Lord accepted Prophet Elijah’s offering, sending His fire against the prophets of Baal. (1kg.13:18) Psalmist prophesied about this Messianic age: “In your light do we see the light.” (Ps. 36:9)
In the New Testament, the evangelist John presents Jesus, “the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” (Jn. 3:19) Zechariah is his Benedictus Sang: “Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Lk.1:78-79) Jesus says: “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!” (Lk. 12:49) On Pentecost day, apostles received the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire. (Acts.2:3) The light that we see on the Sacred Heart invites us to experience the divinity of Christ in our life journey. When we grow in our intimacy with the Sacred Heart, this fire will help us recognize the darkness in our lives, and this darkness will be removed just like burning coal cleansed the tongue of prophet Isaiah. (Is. 6:7) Jesus gave us an invitation to be the light as much we could reflect the light of the Sacred Heart through our witness. Let us allow ourselves to be moulded in this Sacred Fire of the Sacred Heart. We will be cleansed like the silver in the fire and reflect the person of Jesus through our lives.

“One of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.” (Jn.19:34) Today let us reflect on the wound that we observe on the Sacred Heart. This wound reminds us of his everlasting and steadfast love towards each one of us. In Jn. 6, we see the dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Jesus assures her the living water that will quench her thirst forever. “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (Jn.6:14) This life-giving water that He assured us provided from the cross when his heart was pierced. Hence, his wounded heart becomes the source of all the graces. From his wounded heart flows the streams of grace that nurture and give life. Prophet Ezekiel prophesied about the effectiveness of this life-giving water flowing from the sanctuary: “Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary.” (Ez. 47:12) All the sacraments that we receive bless us with an opportune moment to experience this living water flow from the pierced Heart of Jesus. The living water reconciles us with God. It renews our lives and strengthens our souls with hope so that we may be able to carry on our life journey. As prophesied by Ezekiel, this living water makes us fruitful. The Lord tells us through prophet Zechariah: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”(Zech 12:10) There is a Christian legend concerning Longinus, the blind centurion who pierced the side of Jesus, and some of Jesus’ blood fell on his eyes, and he was cured of his blindness and became a follower of Christ. From Adam’s side, Abba Father brought forth Eve, here from the side of Jesus, the second Adam, Abba Father brought forth the Church, the new Eve who possess the economy of salvation. Let us experience this life-giving water that flows from the Sacred Heart and experience his healing and nurturing grace through our active sacramental life.

Leaning on the Sacred Heart of Jesus… “And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.” (Mt. 27:28-30) Today let us reflect on the crown that we see on the Sacred Heart. The crown represents royal power and dignity. When Jesus was born, angels announced: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.” (Lk.2:11) When Magi came to pay their homage to the newborn saviour, they offered him gold symbolising his kingship. At the end of his public life, when he entered Jerusalem, “Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.” (Lk.21:8) However, Jesus did not have any intention to be an earthly king. He clarifies this truth with Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world”(Jn.18:36). It was a brutal mockery by soldiers, crowning him with thorns. The pain of thorns piercing the tender tissue of his forehead is beyond our imagination. Jesus never complained or asking only one to remove this crown of thorns because he had to fight this battle voluntarily accepting this suffering. In the end, Pilate wrote the charge against him as follows: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” It was not the reverence of Pilate towards Jesus rather scornful feeling towards the helpless king on the cross.
Similarly, priests and scribes mocked him, saying: “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.”(Lk.15:31). The earthly kings wear a crown made of gold as a sign of their power and dignity. However, Jesus chose the crown of thorns so that we, his subjects, inherit his eternal kingdom. He fought this battle on Calvary using the cross as his throne and crown of thorns as royal diadem so that we may be delivered from the bondage of sin forever. May the crown of thorns that we observe on the Sacred Heart reminds us of his unfathomable and sacrificial love towards each one of us.

one of the symbols we encounter at the Sacred Heart is that of a cross. From the moment of his birth onwards, he lived under the shadow of a cross. He never tries to escape from his cross. He showed us how to carry on our daily cross with his life witness. He derived his strength to take his daily crosses from his Abba. When disciples asked about his food, he said to them: “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” (Jn. 4:32) His being was relished and strengthened these moments of communion and intimacy with His Father. During public ministry, his days were hectic, and he had to manage the tension created by religious aristocracies such as Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes. They accompanied him just like his disciples. All the same, they had hidden motivations. They always tried to find fault with him so that they could punish him. We also see his family members thought that he had gone mad and tried to stop him. Having witnessed his miracles, the crowd wanted to make him king, and he had to settle disputes among his disciples concerning who is the greatest among them? Like this, his days were challenged by various forms of crosses. Finally, the actual cross that awaited him was the symbol of disgrace and shame. He did not carry the cross as a punishment for his failures. Nevertheless, he took the burden of the cross as a punishment for our sins. Way of the cross-tradition speaks about his three falls on the way of the cross; it was the burden of our sins that put him down, yet he was not ready to give up. He remained close to his cross. Thus a symbol that was considered as a symbol of public shame became a symbol of hope, love and salvation. Just like the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the desert, the crucified Christ became the source of our salvation. “When I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (Jn. 12:32) Whenever we are exhausted and feel no more strength to carry on our life journey. Let us lean ourselves to the Sacred Heart’s closeness and strengthen us to carry our cross with hope.

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”(Mt.9:36) The self-offering of Jesus at Calvary is the supreme moment of self-sacrifice noted in human history. Jesus incarnated into our midst, out of his compassion towards humanity. The word ‘compassion’ derives from its Latin root ‘com’, and ‘pati’ enlighten us about the profound depth of this virtue: ‘ to suffer with’ or ‘co-suffering.’ Some of the characteristic features of God are Omnipresent and Omnipotent. These features indicate His all-pervading presence and fullness of knowledge on everything. Jesus could easily understand the challenges of human existence by remaining in his eternity. Then why did he incarnate in our midst? Wasn’t it possible for God to redeem humanity without the bloody sacrifice of his son? Yes, it is possible for him.
Incarnation can be considered the most crucial mystery and moment of our faith journey. The virtue that made the Holy Trinity come into our midst in the person of Jesus is the fullness of compassion that the Holy Trinity is. A God who created us in His image and likeness, who gave the gift of freedom and will, wanted to be with us. At the Exodus journey, we see Yahweh accompanying the people of Israel cloud by day and fire by night. In the fullness of time, He present with his people in the person of Jesus. The episode of his compassion does not come over with his resurrection and ascension. He comes into our midst, into our hearts through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharistic. He gives himself in the form of Eucharistic species and continue to be present and suffer with us in all the challenges of our existence. He tells us: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Is. 41:10).” Let us trust in the compassion of the Sacred Heart, and let us look at the world through the compassionate eyes of Jesus…

“He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed.” (Is.53:5) The greatest evil that humanity encountered from its very beginning is suffering. All the world religions, great spiritual leaders tried to address the problem of suffering. Some of them gave insightful wisdom to escape from the evil of suffering by embracing the path of self-renouncement, good works, etc. However, it remained a perineal problem. We have no perfect answer for a reason behind the problem of suffering. If we consider it as the aftereffect of evil done by oneself or someone else, why did innocent people and even children suffer? When we analyze the sufferings of Jesus, we realize that he did not suffer for himself. He accepted vicarious suffering on behalf of each one of us. Every sin causes self-destruction and self-alienation. He carried the burdens and wounds of our sinful deeds in his person. It was not merely the burdens of the people of Israel rather the entire humanity, those who were alive at that time, those who were dead ad those who are yet to be born. Every sin causes alienation of a person from God, others and one’s self. Jesus experienced self-alienation from himself at Gethsemane, he felt alienated from others in his way of the cross, and he underwent alienation from God on the cross. Even so, his perfect obedience to the Father’s will conquered this alienation and gave back the intimacy of God that we lost in the Garden of Eden. His innocent and vicarious suffering on behalf of us transformed the evil of suffering into redemptive. Our suffering is no more, the moments of condemnation, and it is an opportunity to join with that of Christ and find meaning. Though he redeemed us with his passion, every sin that we commit cause great pain to His Sacred Heart… Let us stand close to His Sacred Heart and try to grow in holiness day by day…

Leaning on the Sacred Heart… Israelites had a fearful and respectful adoration towards Yahweh. They never dare to address him ‘Yahweh’; instead, they would address him ‘Adonai.’ They firmly believed that they would die if they see the Lord. Yahweh was presented and understood as a just judge who loves the good and punishes the wicked. There was a strict separation between divine and human in their spiritual practises. The Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple depicted this reality. They kept the tabernacle in the Holy of Holies, and the veil entirely covered it. The high priest enters there to perform the atonement rituals once a year. They would tie a rope on his leg. If something happens to him by chance, they wanted to pull him out from the sanctuary and even then, they did not dare to enter into the presence of the Lord. However, Jesus presented the true nature of Yahweh. Through his life instances, he revealed that Yahweh is not merely a just judge rather a loving Father. He taught them to address Yahweh as Abba Father. When he taught them how to pray, he asked them to pray like this: “Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name…” (Mt. 6:10). One of the primary missions of Jesus was to reveal this unconditional and infinite love of Abba for humanity. The parable of the prodigal son lost sheep and lost coin speaks about God’s immense love towards sinners. The unconditional forgiveness that extended to the so-called sinners presented the true nature of Abba as a loving and forgiving Father, whose mercy is boundless and everlasting. The most significant revelation on His Being is the revelation about the Holy Trinity that Triune God is a communion of three persons united in love as one. Thus, Jesus removed the separation between divinity and humanity. When he died, “The curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” (Mt. 27: 51) God is no more behind the veil, but He is with us, His own people. He offered his redeeming sacrifice at the heart of the world. He offered his sacrifice on the altar of Calvary, and there he bleeds his love for each one of us… Let us experience the love of our heavenly Father in the Sacred Heart of Jesus…

Israelites ardently believed that there is no communion without a sacrifice. The atonement sacrifice was the most significant sacrifice for them. The purpose of these sacrifices was to mend the broken relationship between God and human person, which was broken the covenant due to violation of the Ten Commandments. The Day of Atonement was the most important feast of Israelites wherein the high priest enters the holy of holies with the lamb’s blood for the sin of the people and blood of the oxen for his sins. He sprinkles the altar with blood as an expiation for the sins of the people. However, these sacrifices could not reconcile the broken relationship between God and human persons. The blood of an animal was not all-sufficient to pay the ransom for human failures. Nevertheless, Jesus the Son of God allowed himself to be the paschal lamb and entered into the heavenly tent, not made by human hands but by God. “He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” (Heb. 9:12) At the Last Supper, Jesus asked his disciple to do this sacrifice in remembrance of him. In every Eucharistic celebration, we witness the re-enactment of the same sacrifice that Jesus offered at Calvary, and we experience the same unconditional love of the Sacred Heart for us. As we are on the third Friday of the month of Sacred Heart, let us meditate on this great sacrifice that Jesus offered and expression of his supreme love that there is no greater love than laying down one’s life for his friends.

Leaning on the Sacred Heart… For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? (Mt. 16:26) The most outstanding achievement that we can have is in our sojourn is to know and experience the boundless love of the Sacred Heat. The introductory catechism lesson teaches us that we are created in the image and likeness of God with a purpose to know Our Creator love Him and be with him forever. This is the ultimate destiny for each one of us is called. Realizing this wisdom, Augustine says: “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” However, from time immemorial, humanity had a great struggle to choose between Creator and his creation. This struggle begins from the very beginning itself. We witness the struggle of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They failed to choose their Creator over his creation. The greatest that God has given us our freedom. The nobility of our freedom is such that we have the freedom to choose the one who has given us the freedom, who is God Himself. He passionately desires our being, and he wanted our presence with him forever. He loves each one of us so passionately as though no one else in this world. Nevertheless, if we choose not to give our supreme love for him, he accepts our freedom and Will with great pain. God sent his only begotten Son into our midst is the ultimate expression of his unconditional love. He did so because through his incarnation into human nature, our fragile nature, which was torn by sin, would be perfected. So that we may be able to inherit what we lost because of our sinful inclinations, let us live a life close to his SACRED Heart so that we may strengthen to choose our God always and preserve our being to be with him for all eternity.

“He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philip. 2:8) The perfect obedience to God and human was the outstanding virtue of the Sacred Heart. In Jn. 3:16, we read the summary of our salvation history: “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” The Son of God always glorified His Father through his perfect act of obedience from eternity. The incarnation was the visible manifestation of his perfect obedience to the Father’s Will. Prophets foretold his earthly ministry’s significant moments, and He fulfilled it as it was written. He never tried to change these prophecies according to his wish. A decisive moment in his public life was his Baptism at Jordan. John the Baptism was conferring the Baptism of repentance. Jesus, who is all holy, never in need of the Baptism of repentance. However, he allows John the Baptist to baptise Him to fulfil all righteousness. Abba Father was so pleased and acknowledged his perfect obedience saying: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Jn. 3:17)Another defining moment we see at Gethsemane, wherein he was filled with anxiety concerning the cup that he would drink and fearful thoughts about his intense passion and suffering. Under any circumstances, He surrendered Himself to the Father’s will, saying: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Lk. 22:42)
He was not only obedient to the Heavenly Father but also to humans around him. He lived as an obedient Son to Mary and Joseph. When he was twelve, he was found missing. Finally, they found him in the temple, and they express their concern for him. Though he knew his mission, he goes with them and lives as an obedient son. He obeyed all the human laws except the laws that undermined human dignity. When he was asked to give tax, he stated: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mk. 12: 17). In the end, when he was met with crucifixion, he obeyed all the human authorities though they were unjust… As we mediate the obedience of the Sacred Heart, let us seek graces from the Sacred Heart that we may always seek God’s Will and surrender to Him through our act of obedience. Let us grow like Jesus in favour of God and human…

Leaning on the Sacred Heart… “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Lk. 9:58) Every new-born baby comes to this earth to live, but Jesus came to this world to die (Bp. Fulton J. Sheen). Jesus lived his earthly sojourn as a pilgrimage to his Father. He lived an ordinary life and met the challenges of everyday human existence. He never tried to possess any material goods. We see hearing his sermon and witnessing his miracles, and people wanted to make him their king anyhow he always moved away from such crowd. He could practise a sense of detachment from earthly pomp and glory. He lived in the awareness of this momentariness of this life and the beauty of enjoying eternity at the bosom of His Father. This does not mean that he aloof himself from the little joys of our life. He cherished each moment of his sojourn with great enthusiasm. We see accounts of Jesus participating in the wedding feast at Cana and all the banquets organized in honour of him. Though he was in the midst of the world, he could manage without being possessed by the world. He could practise this voluntary poverty and detachment because of his filial attachment with His Father and unfailing trust in the providence of the Father. He was born as poor and remained as a poor man and concluded his earthly life placing his soul at his Father’s hand and with a sense of satisfaction, saying: “It is finished.” (Jn. 19:30) Let us mediate this detachment attitude of the Sacred Heart and seek the grace to live our early sojourn as a pilgrimage.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mt.5:8). The Sacred Heart is the source of purity. Jesus always sought the glory of God in everything with an undivided heart. He was fully human and fully God. He was tempted like any of us but never succumbed to sin. He had great compassion for sinners but never compromised with sins. The Jewish law considered the physical act of adultery as a violation of the Ten Commandments of Moses and, therefore, considered a severe sin. However, Jesus renewed the spirit of this law by saying: “I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Mt. 5:28) He stressed further: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.” (Mt. 5:29) We are not asked to understand these words literally; instead, he meant the importance of the virtue of purity in our lives. He demanded the priority of this undivided love for God.
All those who approached him felt at home because they experienced pure and sincere love from him. The sinners who came close to him never returned to their old lifestyles because their lives were renewed in his love. We see the woman who was caught in adultery brought to him for judging. Nevertheless, he forgave her unconditionally. All the same, he reminded her that sin no more. All those who remained close to his heart, like Mother Mary, St. Joseph, and St. John etc., were known for their undivided love for God and the virtue of purity. All saints are acknowledged for their virtue of seeking God with their undivided heart. Let us place our hearts in the Sacred Heart and seek his divine assistance so that our hearts may be transformed as his dwelling place.

One of the greatest virtues that we encounter in the Sacred Heart is endurance towards suffering. In his thirty-three years of life span, Jesus had gone through all the possible sufferings that human existence could undergo. He had mental as well as physical sufferings. When we glance through the gospels, we see various instances of his physical sufferings. His relatives considered him insane at the beginning stages of his public ministry. His natives looked down on him as the son of a carpenter. The religious aristocracies such as Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes never acknowledged his divine wisdom and tried out all the possible means to trap him. His disciples always failed to recognize his identity as the long-awaited Messiah, Peter denied him thrice, Judas betrayed him, He had to experience severe mental agony at Gethsemane, all his close collaborators abandoned him at his moments of the trail when he was most in need of their friendship and support.
His physical sufferings began from his birth; he was born in a manger without any necessary arrangements for a new-born baby, Holy family’s plight to Egypt and their challenging journey through the desert, finally his tremendous suffering in his way of the cross, he had to experience the mockery of the soldiers, they slapped him on the face, chastised him brutally at the praetorium of Pilate, crowning with thorns, journey to Calvary carrying his heavy cross, his three falls during this painful journey, he was beaten up badly during this journey, his clothes were stripped from his wounded body, nailing his hands and legs to the wooden cross etc. all these physical and mental suffering the Sacred Heart endured with hope. The Sacred Heart willingly accepted these sufferings and transformed these sufferings as redemptive for humanity. The Son of God brightened all our dark moments of sufferings with his hopeful and graceful endurance. When our hearts are burdened with a heavy cross, we need to realize that we are never alone. The Sacred Heart is present on the other side of our cross. Let us draw strength from the Sacred heart and endure all our suffering moments with hope…

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Mt. 11:29) Today we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is fitting to celebrate this feast immediately after the solemnity of Sacred Heart because she is the perfect role model who imitated the gentileness and lowliness of the Sacred Heart in its perfection. When the Sacred Heart was pierced at Calvary, her heart too was pierced mystically as Simeon prophesied. She was the privileged one to carry the new born, the Son of God for the first time in the crib and she was also destined to carry his lifeless body in her arms at Calvary…The streams of maternal love flows from her pierced immaculate heart… Like the Sacred Heart who surrendered himself to God’s will and sought God’s glory, Mary, the humble handmaid of the Lord, surrender herself fully for God’s mission and lived for his glory. The Sacred Heart is filled with the unconditional love for humanity similarly her immaculate heart is filled with flames of charity towards God and humanity… The wedding feast of Cana is not mere a past event. The similar situation can happen to any of us who are his followers. We may run short of necessary strength and grace to fulfill our mission. It is her maternal love and intercession that fills our empty jars with necessary graces that we stand in need and save us from public disgrace… Her Immaculate Heart teaches the whole hearted consecration of our lives to the Sacred Heart, and radiate the flames of charity towards God who said fiat in all the circumstances of her life and our fellow brethern as she humbled herself to serve her cousin Elizabeth… Let us imitate the burning charity of the Sacred Heart being a Marian…

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus… We see the lasting impression of the unconditional love of the Sacred Heart at Calvary. “The soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.” (Jn.19: 34) Thus, from his pieced side emerged our means of salvation: The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and Baptism. In the Exodus journey we see when people were stricken by fiery serpents, God asked Moses to prepare a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole and instructed him that all those who looked at the bronze serpent would be restored to life. When Jesus was lifted upon the cross the old age prophecy was fulfilled: “They will look on him whom they have pierced.” The water and blood flew from his Sacred Heart became the source of new life. Through the Sacrament of the Eucharist and Baptism, Jesus drew all people to himself, who is the Well of Salvation…Jesus says: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”(Jn. 7:37)Let us grow in our intimacy to the Sacred Heart and cherish the graces of our salvation… As we keep the the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests today, let us pray for all our priests that they may grow in their devotion to the Sacred Heart and minister the people of God with the burning zeal of the Sacred Heart…

In the letter to the Hebrews we see the author quoting the Messianic prophecy from Psalm 40: “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.”(Heb. 10:7) Fulfillment of the Father’s Will was the most pleasing matter for the Sacred Heart.Once, Jesus conveyed the supremacy of Father’s Will to his disciples when they insisted him to have food, He said:“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” (Jn.4:34) During his earthly mission all his words and deeds meant to glorify his Abba. Early in the morning and late in the night, he spent time in prayer to know the Will of His Father and sought His grace to fulfill His Will. It was his custom to thank his Father before every miracle, it depicted his union with the Father and dependence on Him. When he was tempted in the desert to go against his Father’s Will, he resisted those moments giving primacy for the Father’s Will and His glory. At the end of his mission, when he struggled to accept sufferings and perils of being a paschal lamb for the salvation of entire cosmos, he remained faithful to the Father’s Will saying: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Lk. 22:42) Like the Sacred Heart, let us always seek the Will of our Heavenly Father and dedicate all our actions and words for His greater glory…

Leaning on the Sacred Heart… “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philip. 2:6-8) The incarnation of the Son of God is the greatest expression of the kindness of the Sacred Heart. The Son of God could have remained in His eternal glory along with His Father, leaving humanity to its destiny of condemnation… However, He descended into our midst so that our history became a salvation history. He accepted human form with all its fullness and limitations. He identified himself one with us. He experienced all the hard realities of our existence with His own being. He experienced the conditions of extreme poverty, difficulties of being a migrant , life threat from the king himself, all forms of temptations, when he began his Itinerant preaching he was looked down as a son of a carpenter by his own people, he was called drunkard, glutton, friend of tax collectors and prostitutes, rejected when he revealed his identity, betrayal and rejection by his own colleagues and finally tremendous mental and physical suffering and the most tragic death on the cross… Thus, the Sacred Heart reveals himself as Emmanuel, God with us… a heart that beats for humanity…This boundless compassion and mercy of the Sacred Heart redeemed our time and restored our hope of eternity with our Abba Father which was lost due to our sinfulness… Let us focus our gaze on the Sacred Heart and experience the grace of boundless mercy and compassion…

“Remain before my face. Stay close to my wounded heart in the sacrament of my love, and I will do for what I, and no one else, can do trust me…” The Sacred Heart of Jesus desires our whole hearted consecration to Him. When our hearts are fragmented for temporary matters, we cannot dedicate ourselves totally to the Sacred Heart…In the gospels, we see instances for the demanding love of the Sacred Heart. Peter promised his fidelity to his Master saying:”Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!”(Mt. 26:35) However, he failed in his fidelity to the Master and denied him thrice publicly, stating: “I do not know the man.”(Mt. 26:72)Anyhow, the gaze of the Sacred Heart was not ready to abandon him, His merciful gaze touched him and led to transformation: “And he went out and wept bitterly.”(Mt. 26:75)Nevertheless, the Sacred Heart was not ready to leave Peter in his remorse feelings for the rest of his life. The Sacred Heart comes in search of Peter and asks Peter the same question thrice: “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”(Jn.21:15) These questions purify his intentions and dedicate himself wholly to the love of the Sacred Heart. At the end, a heart filled with genuine love for the Master, he acknowledges: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” (Jn. 21:17) The Sacred Heart commissions Peter as the head of His Church as He promised: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt. 16:18-20) Like Peter, let us purify our intentions and consecrate ourselves wholly to the Sacred Heart of Jesus…

“I love you with an undying love. Nothing can separate you now from the burning love of my Eucharistic Heart…” The Sacred Heart passionately longs for every human soul. However there are many who are indifferent to the Sacred Heart. Though they have received Christian faith through the sacrament of baptism, absolutely cut themselves from their relationship with the Sacred Heart. They are neither grateful nor respectful towards the redeeming love of the Sacred Heart. They consciously and deliberately deny the graces that the Sacred Heart showers in their lives. These acts of humanity give intense pain to the Sacred Heart, for whom the Sacred Heart was pierced and bleed, they reject His selfless love and lead a sinful life without being in communion with the Sacred Heart and the Holy Trinity…In the book of Revelation we read: “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:16) The conscious denial and indifference towards the selfless love of the sacred heart lead oneself to eternal separation from this experience of love. Whereas, those who are docile to the love of the sacred heart will dine with him in his eternal banquet…”Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev.3:20)Let us pray for the whole world that they may turn themselves to the burning and undying love of the Sacred Heart…

“I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”(Lk.15:7) The sacred heart of Jesus desires the conversion of hearts especially of those who completely cut away relationship with their Creator. The Sacred Heart patiently and eagerly waiting for their return. When these prodigal children take thier first step, the Sacred Heart runs and embraces them to his unconditional love and forgiveness. When the good thief asked Jesus for his forgiveness and rememberance at his kingdom, Jesus told him: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”(Lk. 23:43) When the woman who was caught in adultery brought to Jesus for condemnation but Jesus forgave her unconditionally: “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”(Jn.8:11) The sinful woman, who wet Jesus’ feet with her tears, wiped with her hair, kissed his feet and anointed… Witnessing her heartfelt love Jesus says: ‘Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much.” (Lk.7:47)These words of Jesus reveal to us the intense love of the Sacred Heart for the sinners. Let us acknowledge our sinfulness to the Sacred Heart and seek his unconditional forgiveness and experience his immense love …

Jesus offered his body and blood mystically on Maundy Thursday and sacrificed his body and blood physically at the altar of cross on Good Friday. Every Eucharistic celebration is the re-enactment of Jesus’ Eucharistic sacrifice that he offered once and for all. In every Eucharistic celebration Jesus reveals and reminds us of the new covenant that he sealed with his own blood. All the Old Testament sacrifices were incomplete because priests and offerings were separate and incomplete. “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”(Heb.10:4) Nevertheless, no priests were freed from the bond of sin. “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.” (Heb. 10:11) Jesus, the high priest who was sinless and the perfect victim before our Abba Father. “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” (Heb. 10:14) Thus, He offered the perfect sacrifice, acceptable to his Abba Father. Vatican II calls Eucharistic celebration as the source and summit of Christian life. Therefore, we need to partake in every Eucharistic celebration with at most devotion and sincerity of heart… “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh…” (Heb.10: 19-21) Our meaningful preparations and active participation in the Eucharist will help us to meditate and grow deeper in our understanding on the sacrificial love of the sacred heart for each one of us…

The Holy Eucharist is the opportune moment to encounter the unfathomable love of the Sacred Heart in our lives. The Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano testifies this inseparable relationship between the Sacred Heart and the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharistic bread which was transformed into human flesh at Lanciano contained cardiac tissues of type AB. In this sacrament Jesus allows us to experience his Sacred Heart in an intimate manner. Thus, Jesus allows our bodily self to be nurtured by his own bodily self and moreover our bodily self becomes part of his own bodily self, especially one with his Sacred heart. Jesus says: “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.”(Jn. 6: 54-56). Hence, the Holy Eucharist becomes the moment of grace that helps us to experience the Self-giving love of the Sacred Heart and help us to grow in our intimacy with Jesus. Let us imitate this Self-giving love of Sacred Heart in our day to day life…

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you,and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mt. 11:28-30) Today we begin the month which is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. Sacred heart is the greatest expression of God’s unconditional love for the humanity which bleed till the last for the humanity so that we may have life in all its abundance… The sacred heart is the meeting place of divine and human. In Jesus both the natures are united in an inseperable manner. The sacred heart carried all the hardships of suffering humanity and at the same time it revealed God’s uncondional mercy and love for the entire cosmos… Let us place ourselves close to the Sacred heart of Jesus and experience the warmth of his tender love and allow ourselelves to be transformed by his rythm of grace…

One of the greatest devotees of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. She had series of apparitions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, starting from 27 December 1673. It was the feast day of John the apostle. Jesus permitted her to rest her head upon the heart of Jesus. Jesus blessed her to experience the depth of his unconditional love and reveled her that he wanted to make it known ‘his immense love’ to the whole world through her instrumentality. In those apparitions Jesus revealed her that he would shower incredible graces to those who commit themselves in their devotion to the Sacred Heart. He asked all his devotees to receive the Holy Communion on First Fridays and Holy Hour of Eucharistic adoration on every Thursday. Those who are faithful in these practises, will find great consolation in Jesus and they would be blessed with graceful death… Let us meditate on the revelations that Jesus gave to this saint of His Heart and like Margaret Mary Alacoque, let us experience the warmth of His love and carry this love to our needy brethren.

When one of the scribes asked which is the most important commandment Jesus answered : ” The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mk. 12: 29) We are created in the image and likeness of God with this divine end of being with God forever. Devotion to the Sacred Heart, instill in us this passionate desire for God and give him the first place in our lives. Jesus who expressed His supreme love for his Father and unconditional love for humanity by dieing on the cross, would grant us this divine grace of seeking God whole heartedly and love our fellow brethren as we love ourselves… Let us lean on to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and grow in our love for the Lord and our fellow brethren…