Mt 11, 25-30 – Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – Solemnity
The feast of the Sacred Heart becomes understandable starting from the words that Jesus gives us in today’s Gospel: “Come to me, all you who are tired and oppressed, and I will give you rest”. It’s as if Christ is there revealed the deepest secret of his heart: God is not someone to defend ourselves from, but someone with whom we can find rest. The Heart of Jesus is a true school of life.
Those who frequent his love are slowly transformed. Learn to look at reality with different eyes, to judge situations with greater freedom, to love with a new measure. For this reason, the Christian faith does not consist primarily of a moral effort or a series of religious practices, but of allowing ourselves to be reached by a love that precedes us and accompanies us. The most beautiful image of this experience is perhaps that of the apostle John at the Last Supper. He reclines his head on Jesus’ chest. Even before understanding everything, even before being strong in faith, John simply lets himself be loved.
This is the source of holiness. No one truly changes because they strive to be better. He changes because he experiences being loved. From the Heart of Christ we receive that spiritual oxygen that we often lack. We receive hope when everything seems closed, strength when we are tired, consolation when we feel alone. And above all we discover that The burdens of life are not to be carried alone. We can place them on the shoulders of the One who carried the weight of the cross out of love and gave his all for us. This is why the yoke Jesus speaks of is not a crushing weight, but a sustaining relationship.
When we bring life together with Him, what seemed impossible becomes tackleable and what seemed unbearable finds meaning. The feast of the Sacred Heart, then, is not simply one devotion among others. It is the very heart of Christianity. It is the invitation to let yourself be loved by Christ to learn to love like Christ.
