A Sunday Thought on Letting the Sacred Heart Simplify Your Prayers
As we come to the end of June, a month of special devotion to the Sacred Heart, the following thought occurred to me: The Sacred Heart helps simplify our prayers. That image we Catholics keep in our homes, the many statues of the Sacred Heart in our churches, can help us to heed the words of Our Lord:
So how does the Sacred Heart help us to simplify our prayer? Maybe it's because when Jesus "shows us" His Heart. We only need to look. No special words needed. And by that "showing" He lets us know He sees our hearts. If He can reveal that Heart, put it "out there," so to speak, so too can He penetrate and see your (and my) heart.
Just as we see His Heart wounded and suffering right before our eyes. His Holy gaze penetrates our own hearts and He sees all our wounds and our suffering too. He knows what we want, more importantly, what we need. Not that our words are useless when we pray, but we really don't need them. Do we really think we need to explain everything in great detail to Him, that somehow if we missed this or that detail He wouldn't know what we need? As for what we want, it's OK to ask, as long as our intention is pure and there's no "bargaining" going on (as in, "I'll do this if You do that").
His Heart, purest of hearts, serves as our example. Gazing at it, we begin to understand how our own hearts need to be pure. When we're tempted to sin or even to cut corners in carrying out our obligations, whether spiritual or material, our intentions may be good, but they're not pure. While we (appropriately) associate the word purity with freedom from immorality, especially of a sexual nature, the broader definition includes freedom from contamination or adulteration.
Summing up: Look at the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Open your own heart. Let His grace penetrate to the depths of your soul. You don't need many words - or any words - to let the Sacred Heart simplify your prayers.
When you are praying speak not much, as the heathens. For they think that in their much speaking they may be heard. Be you not therefore like to them: for your Father knoweth what is needful for you before you ask Him.There's no hint of a suggestion here. It's really a sort of commandment. Jesus tells us how we must pray: simply. And, as you remember, at another time He even gave us the words we can use in our simple prayer: the "Our Father." He told us it contains all the words we need for our prayer.
So how does the Sacred Heart help us to simplify our prayer? Maybe it's because when Jesus "shows us" His Heart. We only need to look. No special words needed. And by that "showing" He lets us know He sees our hearts. If He can reveal that Heart, put it "out there," so to speak, so too can He penetrate and see your (and my) heart.
Just as we see His Heart wounded and suffering right before our eyes. His Holy gaze penetrates our own hearts and He sees all our wounds and our suffering too. He knows what we want, more importantly, what we need. Not that our words are useless when we pray, but we really don't need them. Do we really think we need to explain everything in great detail to Him, that somehow if we missed this or that detail He wouldn't know what we need? As for what we want, it's OK to ask, as long as our intention is pure and there's no "bargaining" going on (as in, "I'll do this if You do that").
His Heart, purest of hearts, serves as our example. Gazing at it, we begin to understand how our own hearts need to be pure. When we're tempted to sin or even to cut corners in carrying out our obligations, whether spiritual or material, our intentions may be good, but they're not pure. While we (appropriately) associate the word purity with freedom from immorality, especially of a sexual nature, the broader definition includes freedom from contamination or adulteration.
Summing up: Look at the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Open your own heart. Let His grace penetrate to the depths of your soul. You don't need many words - or any words - to let the Sacred Heart simplify your prayers.
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