The month of June is dedicated to Jesus’ Sacred Heart, with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart celebrated on June 11. The beloved disciple, St. John the Evangelist, writes much about the heart of Jesus, both directly and indirectly.
In John, Chapter 4 when He meets the woman at the well, we see a thirst not coming from Jesus’ lips, but from His heart: “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, Give me a drink…” These words leave us in suspense for what Jesus has to give us: “…If you knew the gift…” His thirst bears witness to a richness and a joy that is precisely the burning love of His Sacred Heart. He wants us to thirst for Him as He thirsts for us. This opens our souls to the saturating love of Jesus’ Sacred Heart.
Later in his Gospel, St. John quotes Jesus’ numerous exhortations of, “Let not your hearts be troubled…” St. John knew precisely what a troubled heart felt like. He experienced it and lived with this troubled heart, which comes so naturally to all of us with our day-to-day cares. We are creatures that tend to fear (How many times did Jesus have to say, “Do not be afraid”?) and the greatest mistake is to take that fear and try to conquer it with our own strength, securities, and methods. Jesus is telling us to do as St. John did at the night of the last Supper, when there was fear and anxiety about the gravity of the moment and uncertainty about the imminent future: “One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying close to the breast of Jesus…”
Let us draw close to the Sacred Heart and find our rest in it. His Heart can never be exhausted. The hope and fulfillment it holds can never disappoint. Strength is freely given to us in proportion to how close we allow ourselves to approach to this flame of His divine love.
Like John, we invite you to reflect on Jesus’ words through Lectio Divina. By meditating on Sacred Scripture, we come to know better the Heart of Jesus.
