the healer of the broken-hearted (see ps 34:19)
"We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us." —1 John 4:16
On the day before the feast of the Sacred Heart, I visited a man in a hospital who was close to death. The doctors had called the family to the bedside of the dying man. At that point, the man rallied slightly and did not die. When I was talking to his wife, she said: "Father, I hope he dies tomorrow on the feast of the Sacred Heart. That would be an assurance." Her husband died the next day — on the feast of the Sacred Heart.
There is something extraordinary about the prophetic image of the Sacred Heart. When the weary and burdened come to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, they find rest (Mt 11:28). When the dying and the bereaved come to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, they find assurance. When the broken and rejected see the Sacred Heart of Jesus, they have hope.
Therefore, on this solemn feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, consecrate every aspect of your life to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Receive the love of God more than ever before. Pray: "Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, make my heart like Yours" (see Mt 11:29). Pray: "Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You."
Prayer: Father, I obey Pope John Paul II's directive for this feast day, and I pray for all priests to be holy as You are holy (1 Pt 1:16).
Promise: "It was because the Lord loved you and because of His fidelity to the oath He had sworn to your fathers, that He brought you out with His strong hand from the place of slavery." —Dt 7:8
Praise: All praise, honor, thanksgiving, and glory be to the Sacred Heart of Jesus!
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape on Sacred Heart on audio AV 19-1 or video V-19.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, December 4, 2001
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 10, 2001