Jesus' Love for His Father
Since today is Father's Day (Happy Father's Day to all those "Dads" out there!) it seems appropriate to share with you about the Love of our life and His love for the Father.
The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Prior to entering the monastery I had little knowledge of this devotion...the theology and history of the devotion. This is one of a zillion blessings of being in a monastery - a deeper penetration of Jesus - the True, Beautiful and Good One.
The heart of Jesus is the symbol of Jesus' love for the Father and for mankind. A the Lord Jesus told Philip (and all of us): "He who has seen me has seen the Father." He who has seen, who knows the love of Christ Crucified knows the love of the Father.
Contemplation of the Heart of Christ is not merely a "devotion"...but rather an absolutely indispensable component of the Christian's interior life...the Heart of Jesus, pierced on the Cross for our sake, is the true fleshly Veil of the Temple, torn so that through it we may enter the sanctuary of God's holiness, there to dwell eternally (Hebrews 10:19f). Christ's Heart is the outer limit of the Incarnation, the visible human manifestation of God's eternal love, the Sacrament of our redemption. He who would be devoted to God must, by definition, be devoted to his incarnate love, whose living emblem, culmination and realization is the Heart of Jesus.
- Harry G. John - International Institute of the Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Sacred Heart is still relevant, and rediscovery of this form of worship will give us new strength to cooperate in the work of redemption and bring the peace of Christ in justice and charity to a disordered world.
- Archbishop of Toulouse - Andre Collini
On this day when we give thanks and praise to God for the gift of human fatherhood let us also offer a hymn of thanks and praise to our Father who art in Heaven and to Jesus who came to earth to reveal the Father's love and mercy to us.