On the second Friday after Pentecost, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is a devotion to the rejected love of God. God loves men but this love is often rejected. The Wounded Heart of Jesus symbolizes this rejected love.
This devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is beneficial to human souls. First of all, it was mystical. It began among the mystic religious orders such as the Franciscans who practised meditations on the Five Wounds of Jesus. In fact, this devotion is destined to belong to the whole Church. Why not? The Church sees herself born from the water and blood gushed out from the pierced side of Jesus. Therefore, it is appropriate for the whole Church to meditate on her own origin. This devotion is never meant to be a private one, belonging to a handful of mystical elites.
Once Peter boasted of forgiving his brethren seven times. Jesus told him to forgive seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22). If man is to forgive others seventy times seven, how much more God will forgive us sinners! Seeing that men are unable to save themselves, God manifests His mercy by sending His Only Son to die for us. Men do not sit passively waiting for this mercy. In accepting it, men must return love for love. This is the motive behind the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Dear Lord, may our hearts appreciate the love manifested in Your Wounded Heart. May our love overflows to our brethren as well. Amen.
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