A reflection by Sr Lynne fcJ from FCJ Centre St Hugh’s, in Liverpool
To rest our head on the heart of Jesus. What a beautiful and evocative image! This was one of the powerful spiritual experiences of Margaret Mary Alacoque’s (1647 – 1690) life and her devotion to the Sacred Heart has been an inspiration for the Church throughout the centuries. The image still speaks powerfully today – the Heart of Jesus is a wounded heart, it is full of compassion and love for the weakest, most fragile in our Society. It is here, with the weakest that we are invited to place ourselves and witness to the loving heart of God.
In the new encyclical Fratelli Tutti Pope Francis reminds that we are all connected as brothers and sisters – where even one person suffers, we all suffer. If we are to be signs of Christ’s loving heart “the smallest, the weakest, the poorest should touch our hearts: indeed, they have a ‘right’ to appeal to our heart and soul. They are our brothers and sisters, and as such we must love and care for them” [194]
The experience of God’s love calls us to respond. St Margaret Mary revealed in her life the mercy and love of God for the suffering world, we are invited to do the same. As Faithful Companions of Jesus our recent Chapter has called us to ‘widen the circle’ of our love, encountering God in all people and in the whole of creation, and letting our hearts be stretched to love more fully.
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Photo of heart by Roman Kraft on Unsplash
