3 June, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day

The Love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Revealed in the Gospel

1. If we meditate on the pages of the Gospel, we shall find that they are vibrant with the infinite love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Let us in imagination enter the cave of Bethlehem and kneel before the crib where the Divine Infant is lying. Darkness is all around, darkness over the earth, darkness in the minds and hearts of the majority of men. But now the heavens open and from the brightness the voices of angels ring out. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men of good will.” Who is this infant? He is the Eternal Word, the substantial image of God, Who for love of us has been made man. He is the Infinite One Who has willed to unite Himself with the finite in order to lift us towards Himself. This little heart is throbbing like that of any baby, but in this throb is expressed the love of the God-Man. It is a profound mystery that God should have loved man so much that He became a tiny infant. Yet He did this so that we might love Him more easily and in order to show us His own immeasurable love. There is about this Infant a fascination, at once human and divine, which compels us to love Him, even as Mary, Joseph and the simple shepherds loved Him. He is asking us for love, adoration and complete surrender. Can we refuse Him?

Now let us take ourselves in imagination to Calvary and kneel at the foot of the Cross. The heart which began to beat with the love in the manger at Bethlehem has given everything for us, has poured forth its precious blood for our salvation, and has bestowed on us a final gift the Blessed Mother of God. Now this heart is consumed with love for us and ceases to beat only when it has given us everything. "It is consummated." (John 19, 30) At Bethlehem we have experienced a joyful ecstasy of love. Here at the foot of the Cross we should experience a deep sorrow which will cause us to weep for our sins and to transform our lives after the model of Jesus Christ.

2. The whole life of our Saviour was motivated by love for us from the moment of birth to the moment of death. Let us recall to mind an incident of particular significance. Jesus was at the gate of Naim when a funeral procession came out from the city. The only son of a poor widow had died. He was all that she had in life. The Heart of Jesus was moved with compassion. He stopped the procession, recalled the young man to life, and restored him to his mother.

Once, when Jesus was preaching in the desert, He was surrounded by a vast multitude which had followed Him there without giving any thought to material necessities. His Heart was touched by the sight of this hungry crowd. "I have compassion on the crowd," (Mark 8,2) He said, and performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves.

One day Jesus saw a poor woman in tears who was surrounded by a group of men who were planning to stone her. She was an adulteress, and this was the penalty commanded by the law of Moses. But Jesus looked into the soul of the unfortunate woman and saw that she was repentant. He looked into the hearts of the old men who had condemned her and saw that they were full of evil. "Let him who is without sin among you," He said, "be the first to cast a stone at her." At this her accusers went away. Jesus turned to the woman. "Has no one condemned thee?" He asked her. "Neither will I condemn thee. Go thy way and from now on sin no more." (John 8, I-II)

Let us recall the touching parables of the prodigal son and the lost sheep. Let us recall all those pages in which the human-divine love of Jesus is forcefully shown and we shall feel eager to return such great love, to weep for our sins and to live entirely for Jesus, as He lived entirely for us.

3. Jesus, I live for you; Jesus, I die for you; Jesus, I am Yours in life and in death.