will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence: they will not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their Sacraments. My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment."

Safe refuge. Is that not the desire of every man, even those who do not yet know Jesus? Is not there an irrepressible force within every human heart, whether Christian or otherwise, that leads us to both hope in and seek out permanent, safe refuge? There is perhaps no other time when the desire for safe refuge is more pressing than the moment of death. In our final hour the illusions of self-reliance and disordered autonomy and power, all of which are built up by the structures of pride, if they have not already done so, must evaporate in the face of our encounter with God.

But man desires safe refuge throughout his life. We might say, then, that man is a refuge seeker. The desire for safe refuge is bound up with man's desire for happiness. And it is no accident that man seeks happiness; for God has placed within man's heart such an unceasing desire in order to lead him steadily and with unwavering purpose toward his end-goal of perfect happiness: a reality attained in God alone. Ultimately, then, there can be no permanent, safe refuge apart from God. Nor can lasting and perfect happiness be attained outside of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who so loved the world as to open his own heart to it.

If we desire mercy and love, happiness and refuge, these and every other grace -- whether conceivable or inconceivable -- are freely offered by Jesus. For our part we may receive these treasures if we will but seek shelter through faith in the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and thus give our heart to him as he gave his to us, in an embrace of divine and human love.

"Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we, who glory in the Heart of your beloved Son and recall the wonders of his love for us, may be made worthy to receive an overflowing measure of grace from that fount of heavenly gifts" -- Roman Missal Collect, The Solemnity of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

-----

F. K. Bartels is a Catholic writer who knows his Catholic Faith is one of the greatest gifts a man could ever receive. He is a contributing writer for Catholic Online. Visit him also at catholicpathways.com
- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Sacred Heart of Jesus, most sacred heart, divine heart, divine love, the solemnity of the sacred heart, Jesus, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, F. K. Bartels

NEWSLETTERS »

E-mail:    Select Gender Male Female    Zip Code: (ex. 90001)

Today's Headlines Sign up for a roundup of the day's top stories. 5 days / week. See Sample