For it is to Jesus that we pray and of Jesus that we speak when we say "Sacred Heart." By faith, we believe that Jesus is both God and human like ourselves. In the Bible, we learn of his life and of his dying for us. And at Mass, we pray to him together with family and friends.
But a belief may be only words unless it makes a difference in the way we live. The story of Jesus can seem like any other story if we are not personally involved. And at times, we may even find it difficult to pray.
It is at moments like these that we need to be reminded that Jesus is Mary's son as well as the Son of God; that he lived and worked, ate and slept, laughed and cried, even prayed as we do now; and that he knows and understands us better than anyone else.
We recall that the story of Jesus is a story not yet finished. He is risen! He is alive, and he brings us into his story. We become part of the story-telling.
And so we regain the courage to pray, to pray as if speaking with a good friend - one who has time for us, who is interested in us and who can do everything for us. We not only believe he is merciful, or know he dealt mercifully with sinners long ago. We pray for him to show mercy to us right now.
Jesus, with his title of "Sacred Heart," is one of us-helping us to be one with God. This is both a comfort and a challenge, appealing as well as unsettling. The Sacred Heart of Jesus enters into our daily life and we are profoundly different because of him.
"This small booklet, written by Paul A. Murphy, M.A., was published by the Sacred Heart League, an apostolate of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. Copyright © 1988, Sacred Heart League, Walls, Mississippi."