Dr Jeanette Pinto
Have you ever wondered what Agnosticism, Nihilism, Populism, Relativism and other ‘isms’ is all about? People constantly face innumerable challenges with radical ideologies, confusing sex, gender issues and morals with the line getting blurred all the time. Jesus is hard to see in this chaotic 21st century. Our calling is to be a light in the storm, and what we need is God’s overflowing boundless love and mercy. The human heart has long been a symbol of love, and the source of all human activity – intellectual, emotional and spiritual. June 16 this year, celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus reminding us of Christ’s magnanimous love for all of humanity.
The Church has constantly been through various heresies, yet it has withstood the test of time. In 1856, the Feast of the Sacred Heart became a universal feast. St. John Paul II, a great devotee of the Sacred Heart said, “This feast reminds us of the mystery of the love of God for the people of all times.” The deepest longing of Christ’s Heart is that we discover how much he loves us, and the extent of his love for creatures many who look only inwards at themselves. God loves humankind unconditionally, asks nothing but gives everything.
We are aware of broken hearts that Vladimir Putin’s ruthless invasion of Ukraine continues to evoke; images of fear, distress, death and trauma. Millions have lost their lives and amidst this carnage, there is chaos, fear, danger and insecurity. Against the back drop of this situation, many mothers are still going crazy, some clinging to their crying babies and little children; some have lost their children in the crowds at the border and are desperately trying to retrieve them. They are going crazy with anxiety, tension and mental agony.
Amidst the horrible gloom, one news clip struck me as incredible and amazing. In a corner of the railway station of the Polish town of Przemysl, a woman is seen delving into her tote bag, desperately searching for something. She can’t find what she’s looking for. She looks a wreck; dishevelled hair, tears streaming down her cheeks, blank stares paralysed by fear. Seconds later she makes another attempt at ruffling through and peering into the bag. Suddenly, hah! relieved! she finds her treasure – a small framed picture of the Sacred Heart with the words, “Jesus, I trust in Thee.” She had grabbed it among the few essential things and hurriedly shoved them into her bag before leaving her home in Ukraine. She knelt, kissed the picture, held it close to her breast, bitterly crying aloud, “Jesus! Jesus! help me find my baby.”
Miraculously, almost in answer to her prayer the cry of Mama! Mama! rent the air. She stood up looked around in numb disbelief, screamed “Ivana, Ivana.” Everyone around thought her to be crazy. In a motley crowd about 30 feet away stood a Polish border police officer leading five children to the rest room. The woman rushed and clung to her 4 year old daughter Ivana. Everyone was aghast at the sight. She cried bitterly, clung to her child, and told the police officer, “She’s my baby, my child!”
There was a sudden madness in the air, clapping, laughter, screaming, and unimaginable sharing of joy in the crowd. The meeting of mother and child under these circumstances was amazing, unbelievable, a miracle! Lost in this striking scene, my thoughts rushed back to the framed picture of the Sacred Heart she held. Truly the overflowing love and divine mercy of Jesus is immeasurable, Jesus had responded to the faith and cries of this prayerful distraught mother. It was awesome!
Devotion to the Sacred Heart took centuries to become a universal celebration. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque had multiple visions of the Sacred Heart between 1673 and 1675, but it wasn’t until 90 years later in 1765 that the feast was officially celebrated in France. Later in 1856 Pope Pius IX made the Feast of the Sacred Heart a universal celebration. Congregations, states, families and groups are consecrated to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, President Gabriel Garcia Moreno issued a petition that led to Ecuador becoming the first country consecrated to the Sacred Heart. What a blessing!
The image of the Sacred Heart is not mentioned in Sacred Scripture, but its meaning is invisibly imprinted on every page from Genesis to Revelation. The Church celebrates today a love so profound, that it denies human reason. It goes beyond any logical construct and extends beyond our faculty to comprehend intense love of the Sacred Heart, a symbol of God’s incarnate love, a dynamic love brought to life by the incarnation of Jesus.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is depicted as a human fleshy heart, a living throbbing, intimate love for each person. It is also a pierced bleeding heart, encircled with a crown of thorns and punctured by the blade of a spear. May our hearts be conformed unto the heart of Jesus, and become channels of His magnanimous love.
‘May the Sacred Heart of Jesus by praised, adored, glorified and loved throughout the whole world now and forever. Amen!’
Dr Jeanette Pinto, an educator for the past 5 decades, headed the Department of History was Vice Principal of St. Xavier’s College Mumbai, and retired as Principal of Sophia College, Mumbai. She is a counsellor and conductor of Personal Enrichment Programmes for students and teachers.
She set up the Human Life Committee in the Archdiocese of Bombay. As a sex educator she has given talks on Human Sexuality in India and abroad. In 2014 she received the Rachana Outstanding Woman of the Year for her Pro-life work presented by the Diocese of Mangalore. She has attended many National and International Pro-life conferences and given talks at other fora on various women’s issues.
She is author of a couple of books, her most recent ones are titled: I’m Pro-Life Are you? & Sex Talk: Parent to Child. She has also written a number of articles on a variety of themes and subjects, which have been published in research journals, The Examiner and other Catholic publications.