Reflection on the Most Lovable Heart of Jesus.

We have three Hearts to adore in our Savior which, nevertheless, are but one single Heart by their intimate union. The first is his divine Heart, which is God, for God is love; it is also the eternal love of the Word in the bosom of the Father which, with the love of the Father, is the source of the Spirit. The second is his spiritual Heart, which is the higher function of his soul, where the Holy Spirit wonderfully lives and reigns, and concentrates the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God; it is also his human will, whose work is love, love to the extent of laying down his life for us in obedience to the Father. Finally, the third is the organ of the body, hypostatically united to the Word, shaped by the Holy Spirit from the blood of his loving mother and pierced by a lance on the cross.

The most lovable Heart of Jesus is a furnace of love. He loves the Father eternally, immensely, and infinitely. He loves his Mother without measure or limit, which is abundantly proven by the inconceivable graces he has granted her. He also loves the Church—triumphant, suffering and militant—whose sacraments, especially the Eucharist, which is a summary of all the wonders of God’s goodness, are so many inexhaustible sources of grace and holiness flowing, as from an ocean, from the Sacred Heart of our Savior. Finally, he loves each and every one of us as he is loved by the Father. That is why he did everything and suffered everything to withdraw us from the abyss of evil in which we have been thrown by our sinfulness, and made us children of God, members of Christ, heirs of God with Christ, having the same kingdom that the Father gave his Son.

Our duty to this most loving Heart consists in this: that we adore him, praise him, bless him, glorify him, give him thanks and ask his forgiveness for ail that he suffered because of our sins; also, that we offer him, in atonement, all the joy given him by those who love and all the affliction endured by us for the sake of his love; and finally, that we love him fervently. We must also make use of this Heart, because it is ours: the eternal Father, the Holy Spirit, Mary, and Jesus himself have given it to us, to be our refuge in need, our revelation in doubt, and our treasure in difficulty. Moreover, they gave it to us not only to be the model and norm of our life, but also to be our very own Heart, so that we might, through this wonderful Heart, fulfill our duty to God and neighbor.