June is the month of the Sacred Heart, and I have had some experiences over the past few weeks that have given me a glimpse into what Jesus Sacred Heart means to me. It is Jesus, it is His heart that encompasses us all, unites us all and keeps us grounded. The Jews of the Old Testament understood that to refer to a person’s heart was to refer to all of that person, their intimacy, their very being. And with that knowledge, I know that His heart is certainly my foundation and I think that in a way it is the foundation for all of us, whether we realize it or not. There are a couple different circumstances that have helped me come to this light.
First of all, I am spending the vast majority of my summer outside of the formation center in Greenville this year. I recently spent over a week at a Challenge camp in Kansas City, then a few days with our team in Chicago, went on a home visit to Cincinnati, and by the time you read this I will most likely be at another camp in the Denver area. I am spending my summer as a bit of a vagabond and so far I love it. I have noticed something in the midst of all of this moving (besides the fact that I think I enjoy living out of a duffel bag — at least for now); I noticed that I feel most “at home” when I am with Him. He is my home. It is in front of the Eucharist that I can ‘relax’. My home is His Sacred Heart- so my home is just about anywhere. This realization has been so beautiful. There is such an excitement thinking about it, there is a freedom and a comfort, it gives me the energy I need to go out and help others make His heart their home as well. Something else I think is beautiful about this is that no one really told me this, it wasn’t something that came to me from someone’s preaching (and if it did, I’m not sure I was paying much attention). This came from adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, from having the chapel down the hall to being in a place where He wasn’t kept, and many different chapels in between. There is one thing that remains in the midst of our ever changing lives.
This goes hand in hand with another circumstance that confirms this truth: all of us, all of His faithful are perpetually united in His heart, as His body. The school year has ended and with it comes the inevitable goodbyes that follow the completion of any phase of life. New assignments, new living arrangements, new schools, new jobs. They all mean the end of one thing but the beginning of a new. Goodbyes can really hurt. But for us as believers, as Catholics, as members of Regnum Christi I firmly believe that we do not say goodbye because we are always together in Him, in His heart. It’s so important to remember this!! I was preaching for a group of young women once and tried to express this to them (they were understandably sad about saying goodbye to friends — it can feel like your world is collapsing).
We are always united to each other in Jesus Christ- He is our foundation. What a beautiful gift we have! With Him as our foundation we can, we should, we do live with peace and joy; a peace and joy that make the world wonder what it is we have. This is the peace that the world cannot offer. This is what I am going to keep in mind this summer with the all of the moving around and the hello’s that don’t really have a goodbye. Because home, that place that holds all those I love, is where His heart is.
