The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1956-06-01

Catholics everywhere, this means time for
renewing appreciation of Gods love for mankind
We are constantly in need of being reminded OF
important truths; the calendar is useful in
strument for this purpose.
When we speak of the Sacred Heart we mean.
first of ALL the actual physical human heart of
Our Lord Jesus Christ. Further we mean the
love divine and human, of which Our Lords
heart is the symbol. For Christ is both God and
Man in the one Divine Person of the Son Of God,
and His human nature with all that integrally
belongs to II is to be adored because of Its union
with the Godhead And the heart is universally
acknowledged as the symbol of love.
We do not love with Our hearts, to be sure,
but with our wills Since, however, the act of
love elected by the will is often associated with
feeling emotion that effects heart-acion,
we attribute love to the heart and use the heart
as symbol for love. II is for this reason that
we find IN the image of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, or in It's very Name, sensible expression
of the love that wrought our Redemption.
God loved the world as to send His only
begotten Son to redeem mankind God became
Man while changelessy remaining God TO suffer
and die in human nature, that man might he
freed from the eternal penalty of sin: that Justice
end that man should be restored to the possb
ity Of making his way TO heaven, and be furnished
with requisite aids to get there
The goodness of God the Creator gives us
existence, and the love of God is poured out up
on us Ii is the loving will of God that all men
should be saved and should come to the know
ledge of the truth. Yet ii would not be love if
God were to force men into heaven or to make
ic do
with free-will, the most precious of gifts the
most godllke. If getting TO heaven were an
automatic proceeding free-will would be negated
The glory of human life lies in IFS high ad-
venture, IN It's responsible activity in its
chosen conformity 10 the will of the Almighty
Human freewill, during earthly life involves
the constant possibility of mischoice and sin
Gods love has provided mans freewill with op
porlunity and aid that its choice may be
right. But Gods love has not destroyed human
freedom, so as to turn man into an automaton
Gods bOundess love asks our love in return
and the way of our love to God is perfectly ex
pressed by Our Lord, "If you love me- keep my
commandments"
For love, despite the fact that feelings and
heartbeat are often associated with it, is essent
tally matter of action of wili-choice of holding
to what is right Feelings may be fine but thew
may also be deceptive; they are volatile things
not things strong, steady reliable And a man
needs what is strong and reliable to helm him
through his .arduous journey TO judgment Our
loVihg Lord did not despse feelings at all for
he wept over Jerusalem, and He said in His
hour of agony, that His soul was sorrowfu But
He also warned us against trusting feelings
and said, Not everyone that saith Lord Lord
(as cry OF piouS emotion) shall enter into
the Kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the
Htt ol my Father dor this is truly TO love Cod
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven"
Inc Sacred Heart of Jesus prayerfully con.
templated, brings TO the Catholic mind remem-
brance Of all Our Lord has said and done IN win
us to vlrtuous life, to move us on towards
heaven, TO arouse our deep love for Him in re-
iufn Tor Ills love OF us II serves also to arouse
In us finely emotional love of Christ But this
emouonal love is secondary to the true love in
tne strong adhering of the will to the way Of
LIE Christ would have us follow.
we should strive 10 feel the emotional love
Io' our Lord, but II we cannot achieve IT, we
need not be disturbed; il is desirable express
ION of love, and it consoles and upfts ms. but
y IS MOI the essence of love This essence he II
repeated again and again, is found in the stead.
iast VIII TO be faithful to the law of God and
oi IhrlSt And 1t is for this love that we should
pray each day; it is this that we should seek as we
prScuee devotion to the loving Sacred Heart
Human love at its best resembles the sursr
natural love we have for God The affection which
brings good man and good woman into holv
"euiock Is lar more than an emotion II is the
SteadfaSt will to fidelity in their union that mani;
ieSS the true love of Spouses HIGH emotion
however line, simply cannot be present continn
ouSiy through life; human nature cannot endure
MS uhfeheVed tension, Yet real love is rock
flooed' solid steadily enduring The husband
ana wife who faithfully perform their boIu
% %uutieS and work together, perhaps pioddneIy
ana win very lnfrequent expression of tender feel
ing are giving the world a perfect example of
true marital love
me same fact is manifest in the love of GOOD
parents and devoted children The exnrass;o,,
~ emohonal love IS occasional, intermittent ner
maps seldom experienced Yet such parents and
children are altrdyS disposed for any sacrig,es
Tor one another when deep reed makes dc
mands The to'lt is right therefore true love is
present "
Most OF us indeed, would be the better for LITTLE
extra tenderness, for life tends to set us in
hardened rutS And so, though our first praver
Is Tor The love that consists in devout good will and
steadiast good purpose, might impore the
Sacred Heart to infuse into our lives betimes \
more frequent ennobling feeling for our tasks