Many of us have memories of a picture of the Sacred Heart displayed in our homes when we were growing up. Perhaps we still say the prayers that we learned at that time. Perhaps we have different thoughts and prayers now
What follows are random jottings for you, dear Reader, to ponder. My hope is that each of you will find something that draws the Heart of Jesus and your heart together. That is what matters.
You may want to begin by considering the various ways we use the word "Heart." What does it mean to have a Good Heart, to be Hard Hearted? To have a Soft Heart?
Think about your heart and feel it beating... it is an organ that prompts us to marvel at the gift of life that is both physical and spiritual.
Or let the following words speak to you:
Search me, O God, and know my heart.
"Live Jesus" is the motto of the Sisters of the Visitation. We need not be Sisters to "Live Jesus."
John the Baptist said, "He must increase; I must decrease." May the Sacred Heart of Jesus increase in me, and may my ego decrease.
I once asked the priest who hired me for a chaplaincy position what my job description was. His answer was "Just be Jesus." I have had many other jobs, but I still consider "Just be Jesus" the best job description I've ever had.
Thomas Merton advised a young activist that what he or she does is less important than what God does with what we do.
Dear Reader, be still and wait for the Sacred Heart of Jesus to penetrate your heart and reside there.
– Sister Lesley Block, OP
Sister Lesley recently retired from her work as a counselor at a group residence supporting adults living with mental illness. She now volunteers at Dominican Convent and continues to live out her vocation as an active contemplative.