RBWords

     Literature, including the Bible, is full of instances where a part of something is mentioned in a way that means the whole.  The technical literary term is synecdoche!  In the psalms, one reads that the "right hand" of God is used  (by analogy since God does not have hands) to mean God.  When this literary practice was combined with the particular medical vision of the human person in the 16th century in which emotional life was considered to be centered in the heart, popular piety transformed this into the devotion to the "Sacred Heart of Jesus."  Even if our modern medical understanding of the human body has changed, our popular notion of the heart as a symbol of emotional love remains.  The celebration of Valentine's day is a big example.

     We speak of "heart to heart conversations."  We ask another person, "Have a heart!" when we want some special favor.  We write thousands of songs in which we refer to "hearts made of stone.." or "your cheating heart.."   I'm sure most of my Beloved Congregation can come up with plenty of examples.  On the wall of many Catholic homes one will find a picture of Jesus with his heart shown as a sign of his loving care and blessing.  This practice was known as the "enthronement of the Sacred Heart."  The feast of the Sacred Heart is a result of these powerful devotional needs for a savior who "has a heart."  Indeed, the quote from Hosea above has God implying that the human heart is fickle and God's heart is steadfast!

     On this feast of the Sacred Heart, we can benefit from some reflection on how we use "heart" as a way of expressing our faith or our expectations of God.  There are plenty of resources available - whole centuries of "heart-felt" devotion!!!!   AMEN