We often hear the plea, “Have a heart!” when someone is in need of compassion or in a tight spot looking for some support. For Catholics this plea can have an even more profound significance, especially in June. We remember that June is the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I would argue that we, and the whole world, could cry out, “Have a heart!” Jesus Himself would reply, “Have My Heart!”
We are living in a divided, confused and violent world. People are convinced that if they don’t want to be burdened by another person or if they don’t agree with another person’s views, they can simply do away with them. We see that in the war unfolding in Ukraine. We witness it in the horrific shootings in our own country. We have become numbed to the millions of preborn infants lost to abortion, to the euthanasia of the elderly and the disabled, and to the canceling of people by social media or the entertainment elite. The world tells us that some people have worth and others do not.
“Have a heart!,” we plead. The Lord Jesus says, “Look what I have for you in My Heart. I have a plan for your salvation. It is the way of love and mercy. In My Heart there is room for all people. In My Heart there is a clear plan for every person created in the image and likeness of God. In My Heart there is an abode of love for male and female, people of all colors and ethnic backgrounds, persons of every social status and profession. Each has a special place in My Heart because each is called to live a life of love and mercy, following My commands to live a morally upright life, which is ultimate liberation and peace. All are called to My Heart, because all are called to a life of holiness that leads to heaven.”
We see that the perfect antidote to the chaos, division and violence of this world is found in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As we encounter Him, especially in the Holy Eucharist, we find the clarity of our identity as men and women, each called to grow more like Him as we strive to love God above all and to love one another in self-sacrifice as the Lord Jesus taught us.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, in You we find true hope, truth, peace, and love!
Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid
Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh