HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS, YEAR C
Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi
The human body is composed of a vast amount of tissues and organs that all work together to keep the person alive. Thanks to God who created human beings quite intricately. Now, out of all the organs in the beautifully designed human body, which one can you take to be the most important? Every organ has its own unique responsibility, but as many might agree, the most important organ in the human body is the human heart. The heart could be the most important organ because it carries necessities to the body, gets rid of waste in the body, and is connected to Jesus Himself.
The first reason is that the heart carries and pumps necessities to other various parts of the body. Without performing its function as the heart, other organs would fail. For example, the brain is in constant need of a supply of oxygen from blood. The brain receives this constant flow of oxygen when the heart does its job in pumping blood to particular parts of the body. So without the heart, these functions would fail. Essentially, if the heart was to fail, the entire body would shut down in a matter of minutes. The heart also aids to remove waste in the body. The heart collects Carbon dioxide and other waste products that the body produces so they can be removed. Through an amazing journey, the blood pumped by the heart gets rid of all chemicals such as carbon dioxide by sending them to the lung to be expelled from the body through the process of breathing. Without the heart, our bodies would be filled with harmful chemicals and substances.
The last reason is by no means a medical reason. The heart is an organ that has great connection to Jesus. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a very popular and cherished devotion. The feast we celebrate today is about this devotion. This heart is a symbol of God’s tender love, compassion and mercy. This is why the Good Shepherd could go in search of one strayed sheep even when he still has ninety-nine (cf. Gospel, Luke 15:3-7). He does the search himself and not with the help of envoys (cf. F.R., Ezekiel 34:11-16). According to John 19:33, when Jesus was dying on the cross, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. The celebration of the Sacred Heart is associated with the physical wound (and the associated sacrifice), the mystery of both blood and water pouring from Christ's chest, and the devotion God asks from humankind. Pope Pius XII wrote about the Sacred Heart in his 1956 encyclical, Haurietis Aquas (On Devotion To The Sacred Heart): Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is devotion to Jesus Christ Himself, but in the particular ways of meditating on his interior life and on His threefold love: His divine love, His burning love that fed His human will, and His sensible love that affects His interior life.
The Heart of Jesus then pumps out vices from the body of Christ -the Church- and transports necessary virtues and gifts within the body. This heart is necessary for the Christian living. Becoming a part of this body is a great insurance scheme for eternity. Without this heart that stands for love, compassion and mercy, the Christian life is dead. Also, as Christ’s followers, our hearts is the location where Jesus is figuratively housed in us. We constantly pray God to come into our hearts. This is why God’s love has been poured into our hearts (cf. S.R. Rom. 5:5b-11) to make our hearts neat for His dwelling in us. We must strive then to keep our hearts clean. Today, we pray like the Psalmist in Psalm 51:10, create in me a pure heart. Oh, Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in you; I believe in your love for me.
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