The Sacred Heart to the Rescue

Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Gospel of Matthew 11:25-30

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Over-burdened   Some weeks slip by without any real issues.  The traffic flows nicely.  Work load is at a moderate pace.  Overall people are in good moods and things seem to be calm.  But, then a "life storm" swarms through and everything hits the fan.  For example, this week started out rough when I receiving two bills relating to my alarm monitoring service that I forgot were due in June.  Then the next day good old Mr. Postman placed a jury duty summons in my mailbox scheduled for mid July. Later on in the week my dog, because of all the rain, decided to mess up the carpet and hardwood floor in chosen spots.  (Mess to clean!) Finally, when I turned on my dependable electric lawn mower to mow the grass I discovered it had no juice.  The connection housing is toast.  Yikes!  So I had to order another mower which will arrive Tuesday.  (Hurray for Amazon Prime 2 day free shipping!)  In the mean time, I'll weed whack the areas of the front lawn with the more unsightly "high" grass until my new equipment arrives. Talk about over-burdened. Yes, this seems quite minor compared to other circumstances people experience.  All the same, it's still one huge headache!  I can't stand when "life happens" in inconvenient and aggravating ways.  One good thing: This gives me an excellent excuse to turn to Jesus for comfort and a bit of spiritual guidance.

The Sacred Heart to the Rescue  Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Devotion to the Sacred Heart has been around for centuries.  There's something soothing and comforting about looking at the image of Jesus with his heart bursting out of his chest.  The unmistakable heart of Jesus on fire is an awesome sight!  When times are tough and I feel overburdened and anxious, I imagine my heart beating alongside Jesus' sacred heart.  I imagine my heart's rhythm in sync with Christ's.  My burden-induced high blood pressures subsides.  I feel an incredible peace and calm.  I pray to Our Lord, "I know you are with me, Dear Jesus!  I feel your outpouring of love and grace entering my arteries and veins.  Why do I feel like I need to runaway from you?  Why do I think I'm so unworthy of your compassion? Please ease my burdens however minor they may be.  Please open my heart so that I always praise you, not curse you.  Dear Sacred Heart, fill me with your most precious blood so that I am satisfied.  Help me to be humble of heart just like you.  I love you and adore you.  Thank you for dying for my salvation.  Amen."

-J. 

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O most holy heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore you, I love you, and with lively sorrow for my sins I offer you this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to your will. Grant, Good Jesus, that I may live in you and for you. Protect me in the midst of danger. Comfort me in my afflictions. Give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, your blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Amen.