ISAIAH 35:2-6They will see the glory of the LORD,the splendor of our God.Strengthen the hands that are feeble,make firm the knees that are weak,Say to those whose hearts are frightened:Be strong, fear not!Here is your God, he comes with vindication;With divine recompense he comes to save you.Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,the ears of the deaf be cleared;Then will the lame leap like a stag,then the tongue of the mute will sing.
Lentz’s Sacred Heart of Jesus calls those of us who claim a devotion to God's Heart into the mystery of the heart of the world – a heart longing for peace, a world longing for love. Christ is hovering over the cosmos waiting for us to give birth to his presence in our time and place. As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the readings transport us to the ancient expectation of Jesus' imminent return and the ancient Church's desire to be rescued from the anxieties of daily life. Yet, here we are three millennia later with the same anxieties. We, too, want to be rescued from the violence of our daily experiences – sexism, racism, militarism, consumerism, heterosexism, clericalism, perfectionism – but God doesn't do that. God draws us deeply into his Heart, a Heart that beats for those on the margins, reminding us that it is our generosity, our compassion, our anger at injustice that must reveal the tender Mercy of God's Heart. Like Sophie Barat, our devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus draws its meaning from an experience of God that is pure openness to the insights of others, profound hope in the goodness of the human community, and total generosity manifested in compassionate presence. May the heat of Christ’s Heart fuel our devotion to the heart of the world. – Reflection by Dr. James Everitt, Principal, Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton, California– Image of The Sacred Heart by Robert Lentz, OFM
