Homily: Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1 Jn. 4:7-16) “The Heart of It All”

At various times in church history the Theology of the church was somewhat distorted. An emphasis was placed on the wickedness and unworthiness of human beings. In order to be saved, it was thought that a person needed to be perfect in their ethical behavior.

We think of spiritualities in the church like Jansenism which was prevalent in the late 19th and early 20th century. When such a Theology has been prevalent, many faithful people have fallen into despair. And at such times devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has grown stronger.

We have had this push and pull between a sense of people being inherently wicked on the one hand and the infinite mercy of God on the other hand. The heart of Jesus is a symbol that he has a boundless love for all of us.

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius emphasize a need for an examination of one’s life. We try to grow in holiness. The exercises are challenging, and the retreatant can grow despondent. Perhaps there is a sense that improvement is next to impossible.

St. Ignatius sensed that this could happen. Whenever someone making the exercises would grow discouraged St. Ignatius would start over again with first steps of the retreat. The first step of the exercises was a meditation on God’s love.

Ignatius believed that we had to start our relationship with God with the realization that we are loved. We are loved without measure. We are made in the image of God. We are God’s sons and daughters. God will never forsake us. God wants only what is best for us. Our walk with the Lord does not start with a confession of sin but it starts with a realization that we are loved.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Do I grow discouraged in my Christian walk? What is it that leads me to despair?

2.   If I am in a spiritual funk, how can I get out of it? Is there a scripture I point to?

 Dear Parishioners,

           Today we celebrate our parish feast. When our parish started Fr. Culemans and the parishioners chose the name Sacred Heart. This was quite deliberate. We see several parishes in our area that are named Sacred Heart. All these parishes started around the same time, in the early 20th century. Why was this such a popular name?

          At that time there was a heresy called Jansenism that was prevalent in the church. Jansenism was especially emphasized in Belgium. The heresy stressed the idea of an angry vengeful God. The devotion to the Sacred Heart pointed to God’s great mercy. Our parish is always challenged to reflect God’s mercy since we want to be true to our name. We pray that we may do that every day.

          May the Sacred Heart of Jesus comfort us.

          Fr. Mark