First Friday

Happy First Friday!

I am so glad that we- as Caholics- have the Sacred Heart. I know that the Sacred Heart belongs to everyone but most people from other religions probably think the Sacred Heart is a little odd...

I can remember being in first grade and looking at the Sacred Heart picture which happened to be in front of my desk. I really didn't understand the meaning behind it but I really liked it. Jesus looked so lovely and He always made me feel so warm when I looked at His gentle smile. It was a cheerful yet reverant picture- with soft light eminating from the heart of Jesus into the darkness surrounding Him. I remember looking at the picture and really loving Him- really wanting to know Him.

I always associated the Sacred Heart with that school and those nuns- who were mostly Irish. At my second grade school, there was no Sacred Heart and no nuns. I never saw another Sacred Heart picture again until I visited my family in Ireland.

There, everyone had the Sacred Heart- it was everywhere. I could not get away from it! - Not that I wanted to. It was amazing how- even after all those years and lots of straying- I felt such a love for Jesus while looking at His Sacred Heart and I felt that He, too loved me. Still, I was ignorant of the meaning behind it all.

What I really liked in Ireland were the Sacred Heart pictures with the little lights attached to them. These little fake candles added something very interesting to it all. I have since looked for something like this in the US but haven't been able to find it.

Life went on, day after day in Ireland with the light from the Sacred Heart flickering over me- it was always there- that orange light of the Sacred Heart.

In any case, my brain now always connects Ireland to the Sacred Heart- replacing the connection betwen it and nuns.

When I grew up a bit, I learned about the Sacred Heart and it made sense that I always felt love when I looked at it and always felt loved. Now, the more I love Jesus, the more my love grows... if that makes any sense. It's like, it just multiplies and seems to feel more massive as I allow myself to feel it. Sometimes it is even alarming...

The real beauty of the Sacred Heart is that it really belongs to everyone- even people who don't believe, refuse to believe or have never had the opportunity to believe. The love of Jesus- the burning love so wonderfully expressed by the Sacred Heart- belongs to everyone and it is unconditional. What a beautiful thing!