The month of June surely is a colorful one… and one where love and hearts and all their definitions are plastered all over every website, store, social media, TV, newspaper, magazine, billboard, sports team… you get it…everywhere. And at the end of the day if each individual loves according to their own ideology, then hey, what a ONEderful world…. Sounds lovely in theory, but can it stand the test of time?
In the Gospel today, Jesus says that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, and a house divided against itself cannot stand. So it sounds like looking out for #1 is not only unsustainable, but also pretty lonely…. And of course it is! It goes against our very nature as relational beings and follows a path of distortion. Fluffy hearts and niceties aside, love at the heart of it means “to will the good of another FOR the other’s good.” It’s not the love that’s easy or always appealing, but it’s the love we were made for and the love we desire above all things. It’s the love for which we’re screaming and marching and demanding that people just GET! “Gosh, just know me! Just love me!”...
June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Around since the 11th century (made official in the 17th century) it is a time the Church designates for us to immerse ourselves in the ocean of Christ’s infinitely loving heart. A time to remind us that He gets us. HE GETS US!!! He gets that we’re sinful. He gets that we have baggage, and issues, and anxiety. He gets that above all, we just want to be loved. And that’s why He tells us in the Gospel today that anyone… ANYONE (no specifications… anyone means anyone) who does the will of my Father is mother, brother, sister to Me. It’s not always easy. It doesn’t always look nice, but it’s real. My exposed heart, crucified heart, heart made flesh is real so that you may know with every assurance, I love you… FOR YOU. Come to me. And I will give you everything you need in community, not isolation. You have nothing to fear.
This age of progress and politics is still full of hardships and heartaches. And no sunshine, butterfly nor even the most colorful of rainbows can mask the fact that beneath the surface of every human heart lies a tremendous desire for the One who loves with our every good in mind...who’s Heart has stood the test of time. Sacred Heart of Jesus, we trust in you. ~Sara