The Crown of Thorns Which Surrounds the Sacred Heart
1. When Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary, He showed her His Heart
encircled by a crown of sharp thorns. What was the significance of this?
In Heaven Jesus is happy and cannot suffer any more. The Angels, Saints
and the whole of creation sing a hymn of unceasing praise in His
honour. Nevertheless, He sees the immense tide of sin which
surges forth from the human race which He redeemed by His Precious
Blood, a redemption now made futile by many. He is aware of the insane
blasphemies hurled by so many against His lofty throne. He sees how His
gifts, His sacraments and His graces are abused by many. He sees,
finally, the number of privileged souls, often consecrated to His
service, who are indifferent and ungrateful while they should be trying
to make reparation for the evils of mankind by their love, prayers and
penances. The explanation for this mystical crown of thorns lies in His
infinite love. He does not suffer any more, because He cannot suffer,
but He still has an immense love for all men, even for sinners and for
those who are lukewarm and ungrateful. He loves and wishes to save all
men. In spite of their sinfulness and ingratitude, He still calls them
appealingly to His Heart, which they by their sins have crowned with
thorns and pierced with a lance.
This is a mystery of love
which we cannot properly understand. Only a man who loves Jesus
fervently can even have the slightest understanding of it. If we
sincerely love the divine Heart of Jesus, we shall realise that these
sharp thorns which once pierced His Heart in Gethsemane and on Calvary
were caused by our sins. Then we shall do our best to make a generous
return for such love and to make reparation, even with grave sacrifice,
for the offences which are still being committed by men against the
loving Heart of the Redeemer.
2. There are many ways of showing
our love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of making reparation for our
sins and for the sins of mankind. We can console ourselves with the
reflection that by these acts of love and reparation we are removing the
thorns which encircle the Heart of Jesus. The simplest ways of doing
this are by prayers, ejaculations, and expressions of love directed
towards the adorable Heart of our Redeemer; and by visits to Jesus in
the Blessed Sacrament. In silence and recollection before the Tabernacle
we shall feel the Heart of Jesus beating with love and shall offer in
return for His infinite love the affection of our poor hearts.
We can also receive Holy Communion in reparation. When Jesus is in us
and we are in Jesus, it will be easier and more pleasant to offer Him
our love and expiation. We can make reparation also by practicing the
devotion of the First Fridays of the month. This pious practice, so
pleasing to the Heart of Jesus, aims at being a mass offering of love
and reparation for the sins of the entire human race.
3. We can
also make reparation by voluntary penances or at least by offering up
our daily sufferings in a spirit of loving generosity. But the course
most pleasing of all to the Sacred Heart is the continual imitation of
His outstanding virtues in such a way as to become living reproductions
of our adorable Redeemer.
Ejaculation: Sacred Heart of Jesus, convert poor sinners.
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