My dear parishioners,
Peace! The Catechism of the Catholic Church mentions the Heart of Jesus variously. “Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God’s plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since His Passover. The phrase ‘heart of Christ’ can refer to Sacred Scripture, which makes known His heart, closed before the Passion, as the Scripture was obscure” (CCC, 112; cf. Luke 24:25-27, 44-46; Psalm 22:14). how in view of the incarnation He loves with a human heart, and “the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation ‘is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that … love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings’ without exception” (cf. CCC, 470, 478; John 19:34; Pius XII Encyclical Haurietis aquas). One form of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Here we consider the ninth of the thirty-three invocations: Heart of Jesus, abode of justice and love.
What does it mean to say that the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an abode of justice? Of the nearly four hundred verses in Sacred Scripture (Douay edition) which address justice two-hundred eighty-four are in the Old Testament. Hebrew has two words for justice cedhakah, cedhek while Greek has one dikaiosune. These are sometimes translated as “righteousness” (cf. Matthew 5:6). For his part, Saint Thomas Aquinas, OP (+1274) treats justice in twelve articles (Summa Theologiae II-II Q. 58). With the help of Saint Augustine (+430) and Saint Isidore of Seville (+636) and recognizing the Ethics of Aristotle (+322BC) Saint Thomas reminds us that justice is a habit whereby one renders to each one what is due by a constant and perpetual will. The constant and perpetual will of Jesus Christ and His Sacred Heart is that we be saved, redeemed by His precious blood (cf. 1 Timothy 2:4). When we venerate the Sacred Heart of Jesus we are giving God His due. He is worthy of worship. It is his right to receive our worship.
What does it mean to say that the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an abode of love? There two hundred forty-four verses in Sacred Scripture which address “love.” One hundred of these are in the New Testament. We are called to “love our enemies” (Matthew 5:44) by the Lord who loved us to the end. By loving our neighbor we fulfill the Law and the Prophets as summarized by the Lord Himself (cf. Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:30-31; John 14:15; Romans 13:8, 10). The Lord Jesus has prepared a place for us to dwell, an abode for His beloved ones, His Heart (cf. John 14:3). When we live lives pleasing to the Lord our hearts are full of love for Him and for all He loves.
There is an abode opposite that of love, namely Hell, where there is no love for God or neighbor.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr