“Sacred Heart of Jesus,
make my heart like thy own.”
By Rev. Dr. Vincent Kundukulam
When I meditate on the Scared Heart of Jesus, a little
prayer, so often repeated by me as a child, comes to my mind – “Sacred Heart
of Jesus, make my heart like thy own.” I do not think I fully grasped the
implications of this beautiful little prayer as I recited it a number of times
daily, especially during the fasting seasons and special feast days. Well,
obviously, childhood is not a period when things are done after a proper and
clear understanding.
This little prayer constituted a tiny little flower in the
bouquet offered to Jesus, who came into the heart through the Holy Communion.
Now, as the setting sun of my life begins its inexorable descent after its
brightest noon and afternoon glitter, I very much like to look back
nostalgically to the little pious acts of the yester-years and their inner,
subtler, wider, implications and nuances. It is then that life truly becomes a
pilgrimage.
I have always felt that although very short and simple, I
used to recite this prayer which contains deep spiritual truths.
What are the significantly special features of the heart?
What does it mean when somebody says to make my heart
like the heart of Jesus?
What are the qualities that accompany those that are dear
to the Sacred Heart?
All these questions lead us to the inner beauty of this
simple prayer. The Holy Scripture pictures the heart as the reservoir of
emotions.
When Joseph was the ruler of Egypt, his brothers came to see him
bringing Benjamin with them. When Joseph saw Benjamin, the Bible tells us, he
was overcome with affection for his brother, and he was about to weep. So he
went into a private room and wept there (Gen 43:30).
Let us listen to the lament of the Proverb, Ones own folly
leads to ruin, yet the heart rages against the Lord (Proverb 19:3).
During his speech on the day of the Pentecost, St. Peter
said, my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced (Acts 2:26).
St. Paul
openly admits, I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart (Rom
9:2).
Among the references to the heart, the heart of God also
found mention.
Prophet Jeremiah makes it obvious that the dwelling place of
mercy and compassion is the heart of God. Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he the
child I delight in? As often as I speak against him, I still remember him.
Therefore I am deeply moved for him; I will surely have mercy on him (Jeremiah
31:20).
Thus, whether in man or in God, the heart is portrayed as
the seat of emotions. That being the case, what exactly is meant by the
prayer of the devotee that his heart should be like the heart of Jesus?
There are many people who view emotions in a negative light
with derogatory and pejorative connotations. It is so because the protagonists
of this view consider all emotions to be blind and illogical. I think this is
diametrically opposite to the truth.
Aren’t emotions really the fountainhead of
all the wisdom of man?
In fact it is the emotions and not the intelligence of a
person that influence him and persuade him with a sense of dedication. The
wisdom, one has gained through experience is inscribed deep in him like a
brand. When need arises, this deeply branded wisdom reawakens in him and makes
him take appropriate steps. It is these emotions that often make people forget
about their conveniences and pleasures and venture to do sacrifices for others.
People without emotions will be lacking humanity.
There are many instances in the Bible where we see Jesus
getting emotionally charged.
It is not only when he drove away the traders from the Jerusalem Temple (Mk 11:15-19) that we find
him overcome with emotions, but there are numerous other instances too.
When he saw the great crowd assembled in the deserted place
to listen to his words, he felt compassion for them (Mk 6:30-44). Then
he multiplied the five loaves and two fish and fed five thousand people to
their hearts content and plenty was left over.
John testifies that Jesus shed tears at the tomb of Lazarus (Jn
11:34).
We have the image of Jesus at Gethsemane
sweating ruddy drops because of the excruciating mental pain he experienced (Lk
22:39-46) imprinted in our hearts.
To have a heart like that of Jesus means to have a
compassionate heart like his own, to have a heart that throbs with humanitarian
feelings and sensibilities. It is the capacity to acquire the depth of
understanding everyone and the loftiness and energy to recognize everybody’s
merit. Those with hearts similar to the Sacred Heart will be persons who are
filled with love, peace and forgiveness - the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Heart is the symbol of our inner being. It is in the heart
that the essence of man dwells and in fact the heart depicts ones personality. Remember
what Jesus said, Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Lk
12:34). It means where there is no heart there is no person.
Through Isaiah God laments: These people adore me only
through their lips. Their hearts are far removed from me. Heart is the inner
being of a person. So those who wish to live just and righteous lives should
ensure that they love their Lord with all their heart (Mk 12:30).
Today the number of those who abandon their hearts the finer
emotions therein is on the increase. They indulge themselves limitlessly in the
glory, glitter, glamour and glitz, chanting childishly the Epicurean philosophy
of Eat, drink and be merry. They erroneously assume the weight of wealth as the
weight of the soul. They are the pretenders who give money and think they have
given their hearts. Through the facade of artificial and insincere smiles and
shedding crocodile tears, they also hide what they really are. In this era of
the consumerist culture our prayers should reflect our thirst to venture deep
into the depths of humanity.
We should be people searching for the essence of life and
not satisfied by scratching at the periphery. It is when we touch the divinity
of man that our search becomes fruitful.
God has sent the Spirit of the Son into our hearts (Gal
4:6).
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Mt
5:8).
Let the Holy Spirit help us to grow into the finer emotions
and spirituality so that our hearts become similar to the heart of Jesus. Even
as we grow in the piety to the Sacred Heart, we must constantly make spiritual
examinations to see how far we have imbibed the essence and attributes of the
Sacred Heart.
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