Thursday marked the end of the Octave of Corpus Christi, and Friday began a new octave, that of the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Today, Trinity II, is the Sunday within the Octave of the Sacred Heart.
Some think of this feast as a saccharine devotion to an anatomical organ. And such might be the case in certain parts of the world. However, in the history of the Church, there is a long and distinguished catalog of reflection upon the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Perhaps the greatest theologian to reflect on this sacred mystery is S. Bernard of Clairvaux (A.D. 1090-1153), who helped to establish the Cistercian reform of the Rule of S. Benedict. As an aside, the Cistercians had a profound influence in the life of the medieval English church. The great abbeys of Rielvaux in Yorkshire, Melrose in Scotland and Revesby in Lincolnshire were all founded by Cistercians in the 12th century. Others were later added to this number, including Fountains Abbey in Ripon.
S. Bernard was a gifted preacher and writer, and most of his sermons and commentaries are still extant. We sing one of his more famous prayers during Passiontide: O sacred head surrounded, the Passion Chorale. Meditating upon the piercing of Our Lord’s side while He was suspended upon the cross, S. Bernard sees past the vindictive act of sinful man to God’s loving and merciful response. Whereas the Roman soldier acted out of malevolence, God manifests forth the saving grace whereby we are brought back into communion with our Maker. The water and the blood flowing from Our Lord’s sacred heart, signifies the grace to be found in the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist, grace that brings us into fellowship with the Blessed Trinity!
Pierced by the Roman soldier, the heart of Christ becomes a fountainhead of mercy and love. Through those flowing graces, man, once estranged from his Creator, finds his way back to the source of his being. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the fount of God’s infinite love made manifest on the cross.
In the Epistle for today, S. John considers the state of our hearts. We are either living in a state of love towards others, or we are in a state of spiritual death. There is no in-between for S. John. Once we have reflected upon the love of God revealed in Christ, we will be forever changed: Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us…
We perceive God’s love most clearly in the Cross. This is why the crucifix is such an important sign for Christians. As we meditate upon the love of God for us, we begin to appropriate that love in our relationships with others. If we find ourselves resentful of others, or ill-willed or short-tempered with those we come across, never mind truly wishing someone evil, we know that God’s love has not penetrated our hearts as deeply as it ought. We are living in a state of spiritual death: He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
The life of the Godhead is the life of love, an infinite and self-giving love. This truth has been the basis of our meditations upon the Blessed Trinity. God Himself is love. So when we participate in that love, we are in union with God, with His purposes and intentions. May we strive to open our hearts to the Sacred Heart, as the Psalmist says: Teach me thy way, O Lord, and I will walk in thy truth: O knit my heart unto thee, that I may fear thy Name.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Tygh Bailes and John Whitlow. Two (2) very fine gentlemen.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE UNITED STATES ARMY! Founded by Congress in 1775, it is 251 years old today.
“It is time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget: that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American Flag.”
–Donald Trump
“I stand fearlessly for small dogs, the American Flag, motherhood and the Bible. That’s why people love me.”
–Art Linkletter
“The American flag is the most recognized symbol of freedom and democracy in the world.”
–Representative Virginia Foxx (R. N.C.)
Say, can you see
By the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed
At the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars
Through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watched,
Were so gallantly, yeah, streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare
The bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave
–Francis Scott Key (author, The Star Spangled Banner)
TODAY IS FLAG DAY! Fly Old Glory with pride, today and every day.
Our current flag is the 27th version. The 13 red and white stripes represent the 13 original colonies which fought for and secured their independence from Great Britain. The 50 white stars represent each of our States. The color red represents valour and hardiness, blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice, while white represents purity and innocence.
The American flag was adopted by resolution of the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. The first official commemoration of the flag’s adoption was on June 14 in 1916, by proclamation of President Wilson.
I realize, and accept, that the desecration of, and protest against the, flag is protected by our freedom of speech. Still, I hate to see anyone engaging in such behavior. And it angers me no less, and perhaps even more, to see American citizens protesting our symbol of national unity (I have gotten over the Iranians daily burning of the U.S. flag; old news). Be it a highly paid professional athlete, or an ignorant Leftist professional protester, denigrating the flag, a symbol of the freedoms you are exercising, to me, is abhorrent.
America is truly different, a country founded upon the notions of equality of all men before the law, and that the government’s power flows from the people, and that that power can always be revoked. The natural state of rule on Earth was at our founding, and is today, that government is omnipotent, and the people receive their rights, in reality, privileges, from the government. Not here. Our rights emanate from God, and the people, not the government is sovereign.
America is not perfect. It never has been. It never will be. But if there is a better place on Earth for men to live free, I urge the dissenters to move there. They, and we, will be happier. May God always bless the United States of America.
GFK
Observations From The Fifth Estate 