Daily Meditations to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Adoration of the Holy Trinity and the Sacred Heart by Corrado Giaquinto (1703-1756); 1754; Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain;
DAY 1 - THE SACRED HEART, MODEL OF LOVE
I
What motives have induced the Lord to give us His Sacred Heart? Only the motives of love. Because He loved us he made himself man; because He loved us He suffered Passion and death; because He loved us he wanted to remain in the Eucharist; because He loved us He deigned to manifest Himself in these latter times through the riches of His adorable Heart.
And who did He love? Ungrateful and culpable creatures, not worthy to occupy themselves with even a single thought on Him. He saw us as we are: poor, unhappy, full of corruption and sins. For our greatest misery He loved us. O most tender love of the Heart of Jesus!
And how does He love us? Not like men love, nor like Angels love, not even how the very Virgin Mary loves. He loved us only like He can love: with love that is eternal, infinite, divine: love of the Heart of God.
O my poor heart! How noble is Yours! You have been loved in spite of Your misery as the Heart of God! Do you recognize, up to what point God has honored you, making you the object of His love?
Meditate on this for a few minutes.
II
And what does the Heart of Jesus ask in exchange for this love? It asks us neither for our life, nor our health nor our riches. He only asks for the love of our heart. He only asks to be loved, not as He deserves, but instead as we are capable of loving Him with our poor hearts. With a little drop of our love from our hearts He is content, in exchange for the ocean of love He gives from His heart.
I thirst! He clamors from the tabernacle, as He does from the Cross; I thirst for your love. Ah, brothers and sisters! Let us not become deaf to this amorous cry from the Heart of Jesus! Let us love the Sacred Heart!
And how does one love this Sacred Heart? One loves It by keeping His law, procuring to follow Its inspirations; finding friends that love Him; winning back souls that one day will be blissfully with Him; avoiding Him injuries and despisements; offering reparations for them. This is how people truly love one another. This is how we must love Jesus.
What do you do for that father, for that wife, for that brother, for that friend whom you love so much? How do you speak to them? How do you serve them? How do you make them happy? Well then: do the same for the Heart of your good Jesus, and He will be satisfied with you.
Woe on you if you do not love Him at least in this manner! Wretched, unhappy one! You ought to be abhored for all eternity.
Meditate and ask for this particular grace.