We live in a world that teaches us to be successful by working towards such temporal blessings as wealth, fame and power. The idea behind it is to strive to be self-sufficient so you never have to rely on anyone and to be the master of one’s own fate. Happiness is about joy in this world. If there is a world beyond death, it will not have the kinds of amenities we currently enjoy.
As Catholic Christians, we are called by our Baptism to follow another path that takes us beyond this life and provides us with spiritual blessings while we live here and in the world of eternal salvation later. Instead of putting ourselves first, we turn to the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit who provides us with everything we would ever need now and ever after.
It seems simple enough, but it is difficult to balance when the majority of eight billion people on the earth are prone to pursue outlets that lead to selfish pursuits. Their life is based on a perception of what life needs to give them as being reality. We, on the other hand, are provided with a plan by God that leads us to be selfless as we look to helping others in their journey to be God like in all they are and do, despite the many setbacks Satan puts in our way.
God knew we would be challenged throughout our life. He created us out of His love in His divine image and likeness so that we could with His help overcome negativity and look to Him for help. Jesus, as God and man, gave us multiple signs to follow so we could be one Him in heart, soul, mind and strength. In the fifth promise of His Sacred Heart, he tells us we will be abundantly blessed in all our undertakings if we follow His ways.
We begin doing that with prayer. We learn that from St. Paul in his Epistle to the Philippians, Chapter 4, verses 6 and 7 where he writes: “Dismiss all anxiety from your minds. Present your needs to God in every form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude. Then God’s own peace, which is beyond all understanding, will stand guard over your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus.”
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque who received the twelve promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus told us in her writings what the Lord promised. “It is certain we should experience every kind of help if only we had a true and genuine love for the Divine Heart. My loving Savior once assured me that He kept in eternal remembrance whatever a soul has done for the glory of His Sacred heart, and that not only would he recompense that person Himself, but also all his relatives and friends and those in whom he was in any way interested.”
The promise does not mean we will get rich, famous and powerful. It does mean that Jesus will help us and bless us and our loved ones if we stay truly devoted to His Sacred Heart. In a letter to her spiritual director St. Margaret Mary wrote, “My Divine Savior gave me to understand that through means of this admirable devotion souls will experience the blessings of heaven in all their enterprises.”
Every day we are given the opportunity to be the disciple we promised to be by our Baptism, whether our parents or godparents spoke on our behalf when baptized as a child, or we promised when we were baptized as an adult. The promise is about trusting in the Lord and seeking His guidance, knowing that we can confidently move forward with His blessing. Let us start this week to smooth out our bumpy path by saying the following prayer to the Sacred Heart:
Jesus, give me your blessing on all my weak endeavors,
That they may in some measure contribute towards making your divine love known,
And Your Sacred Heart honored and reverenced by all whom I meet.
Amen!
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