Solemnity Of The Most Sacred Heart Of Jesus

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of the most widely practiced and well-known devotions. The Sacred Heart of Jesus symbolized the boundless love that God has for mankind. You will often see an image of the heart of Jesus aflame and surrounded by divine light. The heart will have on it a crown of thorns, it has been pierced by a lance, surmounted by a cross, and is bleeding. All of this symbolizes the great love that Christ has for us —a love so great that He willingly laid down His life for us.

Solemnity Of The Most Sacred Heart Of Jesus

Gospel - Luke 15:3-7

Jesus addressed this parable to the Pharisees and scribes:

"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them

would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert

and go after the lost one until he finds it?

And when he does find it,

he sets it on his shoulders with great joy

and, upon his arrival home,

he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,

'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'

I tell you, in just the same way

there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents

than over ninety-nine righteous people

who have no need of repentance."

Scriptural Analysis

Ever since his banquet at Levi’s house, Jesus earned a reputation for being a friend of tax collectors and sinners. They come to listen to him, and he calls them to repentance. Undoubtedly, many of them have. They are among the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind who need an invitation to the banquet. In their usual fashion, the Pharisees object to Jesus associating with these sinners. They complain and grumble just as the wilderness generation of Israel grumbled against God.

Jesus defends his outreach to sinners with a parable. In the Old Testament God is often pictures as a shepherd, “by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.” (Genesis 49:24) A shepherd searching for the lost sheep draws upon a specific image found in Ezekiel, “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over; I will feed them in justice.” (Ezekiel 34:16) More than just that, he promises to set up a good shepherd for them, “And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.” (Ezekiel 34:23) Through his outreach to the sinners, Jesus is fulfilling the plan laid out in Ezekiel.

The shepherd is bound and determined to find the lost sheep. Compared to the ninety-nine, this lost sheep is equally important: not one that can simply be disregarded. However, that does not mean that our Lord does not value the perseverance of the just; He does, but He does not abandon the unrighteous. Once found, the shepherd carries back the sheep on his shoulders, “He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” (Isaac 40:11). By brining back sinners, Jesus is accomplishing the true restoration of Israel. The joy far outweighs the effort, and it must be shared with friends and neighbors in a celebration.

Jesus applies this parable to the tax collectors. The sheep represents the sinner who repents. The ninety-nine may represent the Pharisees who think that they have nothing to repent of. The celebration represents the joy in heaven; the joy of the angels and God Himself.

Daily Application

In 2024, Pope Francis wrote an encyclical entitled Dilexit Nos (He Loved Us). The theme of this encyclical was a meditation on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At the start of the encyclical, Pope Francis presents the faithful with the reason why he is writing about the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

Living as we do in an age of superficiality, rushing frenetically from one thing to another without really knowing why, and ending up as insatiable consumers and slaves to the mechanisms of a market unconcerned about the deeper meaning of our lives, all of us need to rediscover the importance of the heart.

This statement of our Holy Father is beautiful because it captures the pain and challenges of modern life that so many people face. We have become so focused on money, power, and earthly pleasures; we have become slaves to our passions, and we have forgotten the deeper meaning of life.

Later on in the document, he challenges us to stop, turn inward, and figure out first principles.

Instead of running after superficial satisfactions and playing a role for the benefit of others, we would do better to think about the really important questions in life.

1. Who am I, really?

2. What am I looking for?

3. What direction do I want to give to my life, my decisions, and my actions?

4. Why and for what purpose am I in this world?

5. How do I want to look back on my life once it ends?

6. What meaning do I want to give to all my experiences?

7. Who do I want to be for others?

8. Who am I for God?

This is why this feast day should hold such importance for us. It serves as an opportunity for us to focus on what is truly important in life. We are surrounded by constant images and noise, pushing us toward a life of consumerism. We are told that amassing more wealth and possessions will make us happier. If we have the latest fashions, drive a new car, spend our time on vacations we can’t afford; if we do these things, we will find happiness.

We must never forget the words of Saint Augustine, "Our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee." Our hearts know where we find true happiness and joy. It is not in the stuff of this world. Only God, through Jesus Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit, can bring us true joy and happiness. We do well to spend time contemplating the Sacred Heart of Jesus and sharing our hearts with Him. When we do that, we will deepen our relationship with Christ, which is essential to our identity as Catholics. Out of this relationship will grow a desire to live in holiness and spread the Gospel to all. We become the instruments through which the love of Christ, which has inflamed his heart, is carried to the ends of the earth.

Francis ends the encyclical with a prayer, which I will close this reflection with.

I ask our Lord Jesus Christ to grant that his Sacred Heart may continue to pour forth the streams of living water that can heal the hurt we have caused, strengthen our ability to love and serve others, and inspire us to journey together towards a just, solidary, and fraternal world. Until that day when we will rejoice in celebrating together the banquet of the heavenly kingdom in the presence of the risen Lord, who harmonizes all our differences in the light that radiates perpetually from his open heart. May he be blessed forever.