The Heart that Bleeds for Love

Sacred Heart of Jesus (Solemnity)

Sweet Heart of Jesus

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life…. No one has greater love than this to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 3:16; 15:13 NRSV)

It is quite amazing how one would choose to die just because of another person; because of someone who does not even deserve such love. Funny as it sounds, it is true. Christ is the manifestation of the love of the Father for his children. Even though no human actually merits such unfathomable love, it has been a part of God’s plan for the salvation of the fallen mankind. This love of the Father, given freely to man, persists throughout the history of man’s salvation – from creation to the crucifixion of Christ, and even to our own time. But what does it mean to us?

Of what use is this love which God so generously pours out on us? Christ calls us his “friends”, and that is what we are, by virtue of which we receive this unconditional love of God. Being friends of Christ saddles us with the duty of keeping his commandments (John 15:14). And what is the commandment of Christ? It is to “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Christ, in the words of Moses to the Israelites, gives us a new commandment which takes two dimensions. First, to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength”, and second, to “love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31 cf Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

Talking about love, we often misconceive it, don’t we? We say, “I love you” more often than we mean it (if we ever do mean it). Most times we define love by utility; we claim to love someone just because of what we stand to gain and for as long as that person is useful to us. Other times, we mistake lust for love. We love someone only to the extent to which our sexual desires can be met. Unfortunately, only very few of us, if any, do actually love. Love in its real sense is meant to be without expectation of anything in return. St. Paul rightly tells us what love is, and should be. He characterizes love with patience, kindness, and endurance, amongst other qualities (cf 1 Cor. 13:4-8a). These qualities clearly oppose the utilitarian understanding of love. We must, therefore, love as God loves, if we believe we are of God, if we say we know God. We must radiate God by the way we love. As such, St. John says, “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us – and we ought to lay down our lives for one another…. Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” (1John 3:16, 18)

The heart is the seat of emotions, greatest of which is love, the heart of Jesus is that which has the fullness of love; the heart which was pierced for the sake of his love for mankind; the heart that bleeds for love of us. We, for whom this heart bleeds, must love just as he loves us. As John says,

“Let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another, God lives in us and his love is perfected in us…. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers and sisters, are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also”. (1 John 4:7-12, 20-21)

PRAYER

Grant us, Lord, the grace to love you above all things, and our neighbour like ourselves. Help us to radiate to everyone that same love with which you have loved us, that the world may see you in us.