THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS THE SYMBOL OF CHRIST’S BOUNDLESS LOVE

We celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus right after the Easter Season and the
solemnities of Pentecost, Holy Trinity and Corpus Christi. The solemnity of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus truly summarizes all the great feasts we have celebrated beginning with Christmas and
climaxing in Easter. It is the feast of the love of the God-man who was born, rose and lives forever.
St John Paul II, a great devotee of the Sacred Heart, said, “This feast reminds us of the mystery of
the love of God for the people of all times.” The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus adds great joy
and festivity to us as our Province is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. It is an occasion on which we
once again make the act of entrustment of the Province and ourselves to His Sacred Heart.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart is devotion to Jesus and his love. It is a sign or symbol of both the
divine and human love that Jesus has for his Father and for us. Symbolically the heart has long been
regarded as the centre of love, both in a physical and metaphorical sense. The heart of Jesus
represents the divine wellspring of love, the source from which flows an abundance of compassion,
mercy and grace. It is the heart that symbolises the core of Christ’s message – love God above all
else and love your neighbour as yourself. The heart is an apt symbol, but there is something more
than a symbol at work here. There is the very real love of Jesus for the world, a love that wells up
from both the divine as well as the human natures of Jesus. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is grounded
not just in a symbol but in real love.
Often depicted within the image of the Sacred Heart is a flame, representing the burning fire of
divine love. This flame signifies the intensity and transformative power of God’s love, capable of
purifying and enkindling our hearts. It calls us to a fervent love, one that is ardent and all-consuming,
yet profoundly gentle and self-sacrificial. Circling around the heart is the crown of thorns. It reminds
us of Christ’s suffering and the depths of His sacrificial love and His Kingship of the Universe. This
crown represents the pain and rejection Jesus endured, willingly embracing the weight of humanity’s
sins upon His shoulders. Atop the heart is the cross – the ultimate symbol of Christ’s self-giving
love. The cross represents not only the suffering and death of Jesus but also the triumph of the

resurrection. It is through the cross that Christ’s sacrificial love conquers sin and death, opening the
gates of eternal life.
In the image of the Sacred Heart, we encounter not only the profound essence of Christ’s love but
also a reflection of our own calling to embody that love in our daily lives. Pope Benedict XVI
beautifully captured this truth when he proclaimed, “Only when we meet the living God in Christ
do we know what life is.” Within the devotion to the Sacred Heart we discover that authentic life is
found in self-giving love, in wholeheartedly embracing the needs of others with compassion and
tenderness. The Sacred Heart serves as a reminder of the indispensable role of love in our

relationships – with God and with our fellow human beings. It beckons us to transcend our self-
interest and to embrace the needs of others, particularly those who are marginalised and suffering.

The image of the Sacred Heart compels us to go beyond mere symbolism, sentimentality or
superficiality, urging us to enter into the depths of compassionate love. By gazing upon the Sacred
Heart and allowing its image to permeate our hearts we are transformed into vessels of divine love,
radiating Christ’s compassion to the world. The Sacred Heart becomes a mirror that reflects not only
the perfect fusion of divinity and humanity in Christ but also our own reflection as bearers of God’s
love.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is an image of God’s gift to humanity. The heart is always open to those
who are willing to take refuge in it. It is a heart without compromise, it is a heart where we find
healing when we are sick or wounded, consolation when discouraged, and solace when desolate. It
is the heart that understands the pain of all hearts due to what he had suffered. It is the heart most
despised and derided. Talk of betrayal… he was first betrayed by his own disciples and later we also
followed suit. As for abandonment… he was abandoned by his disciples in the garden of
Gethsemane; when it comes to pain… he was wounded and bruised for our sins; and in term of false
accusation… he was falsely accused by the Pharisees. So the heart of Jesus is capable of carrying
our burdens, all because he was like us in everything except sin.
In the words of Pope Francis, the Sacred Heart teaches us that “The Heart of Jesus is the ultimate
symbol of God’s mercy. The mercy of God gives life to man, it raises him from the dead. The Lord
is always watching us with mercy, awaits us (always) with mercy.” Within the devotion to the
Sacred Heart we find a path paved with mercy – a call to forgive, heal and reconcile. It is through
Christ’s heart, wounded for our sake, that we are offered the gift of reconciliation with God and
with one another. In a world often marked by divisions and discord, the Sacred Heart reminds us
that the power of love can mend what is broken, heal what is wounded and restore what is lost. By
embodying mercy, we become agents of transformation, extending God’s forgiveness and
compassion to those who yearn for solace and redemption. St Theresa of the Child Jesus said that
love reciprocates love. Jesus accepted the painful cross, because he wanted to show us how great
God’s love is, a love beyond human reasoning. Jesus tells us in John 15, 12: “Love one another as I
have loved you.” Let us love and honour Christ our Saviour by reciprocating the love of his Sacred
Heart with our acts of love for Him in our daily life though a life of selfless love and service to our
brothers and sisters, especially those most in need.