The Sacred Heart of Jesus symbolizes God’s love for us humans. God’s love for the human race is not symbolic, it is actual and perpetual. It is revealed to us through the humanity of Jesus of Nazareth. Metaphorically and iconographically the heart is the seat of our human passions and emotions; tenderness, devotion, affection, commitment, attachment, love. Those words used in reference to the contents of Christ’s Heart are an attempt to convey what in His humanity He feels for mankind. The thoughts of Christ’s Heart are the truest reflection we have of what ‘feelings’ the Godhead has for His human creation.
Extraordinary though it is, God does actually still love what He made. In spite of our revolting fallen nature, in spite of the ocean of sin with which we have polluted our moral and spiritual lives, and indeed our entire world, in spite of our apparently unshakeable attachment to tribal warfare, nevertheless our Maker still loves us and takes us seriously, still thinks we are worth bothering with. His generous commitment is seen at its most affecting in the theandric love which pours forth from the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Heart of Christ is an ever-open portal through which the Creator’s infinite patience and mercy flow down to us, a torrent of long-suffering compassion and forgiveness.
The enduring patience which the Sacred Heart of Jesus shows to mankind should make us grateful that we are under the mercy. It should also make us very careful never to write-off anyone as hopeless or not worth taking trouble with. Many find it easy to dismiss other human beings as being too stupid, too boring, or too ugly, to waste time on. That is not the Mind and Heart of the Lord. He never stops taking any of us seriously. Again and again He takes us back. Again and again He renews His passionate commitment to us. Time and time again He helps us to get back on our feet and continue on our camino, stumbling along to the City of God.