Commentary

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The days of this week are awesomely suspended between two major interrelated feasts – that of Corpus Christi and the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. At this time, it is fitting to explore the thematic interconnectivity between these two feasts, with specific emphasis on how the interrelated thematics intimately implicate us in giving some kind of honest answer to them as regards the suppleness of our consciences, and how these thematics intersect the everyday rhythms and contexts of our experiences, relative too to how we relate to both God and others in light of this.

St Teresa of Avila once said “Christ has no body on earth now but yours, Christ has no hands on earth now but yours, Christ has on earth, no feet now but yours…” And so it is that without hearts aligned with the tenderness and mercy of Jesus’ very own, most Sacred Heart, His Body cannot truly be present amongst and within us, and although we might avail ourselves of the Most Blessed Sacrament – the efficaciousness of this sacrament, the graces it affords are only effectively made manifest within and amongst us when each and every receiver of this Holy Communion cultivates the conscientious development within their lives, of the most blessed of virtues exclusive to the heart: that of tenderness and mercy. For that tenderness and mercy is the precious substance, the Seat of Jesus’ fully human and fully divine nature that comprises His most Sacred Heart, and they are the quintessential of all virtues that ideally ought to be flowing forth from the heart of each and every one of us if we are truly authentically, and not merely nominally or superficially, united to His Body, for without these, our claims to being a living testimony of Christ’s spiritual presence here on earth ring hollow to the core, like a clanging cymbal without ceremony, fest or fair.

The sad fact is however, there is a far greater prevalence of the clanging cymbal syndrome, the absence of such essential ingredients as tenderness and mercy residing perpetually within the heart than there is the manifestation of this magnificient presence thereof in and amongst us for the most part. And this is why also our Holy Father Leo has great need to remind us of this fact, inasmuch as many would perhaps prefer not to even examine their own consciences in this light. All the messages from our Blessed Mother as well as Jesus Himself speak profound volumes to this most arduous need for solid and unremitting interior conversions of the heart until we are made and found perfected in the sight of our Maker, free from stain or blemish.

Of course, our lives are a constant work-in-progress in this regard but the divinely revealed messages, be they those revealed to St Margaret Mary Alacoque or to the three young seers at Fatima or to St Faustina of the Divine Mercy and many others besides, with Salette, Akita, Kibeho, and Lourdes thrown in there for good measure, speak coherently and incessantly of the need for major changes to the ways we pay attention to how our thoughts, words, and deeds affect others in our midst and far away, i.e. how sincerely do our intentions line up with God’s holy will and its fulfillment in the very personal context of each and every one of our lives? Do we regularly reflect upon exactly how we use our hearts? Do we actually use them at all when relating to others (outside of romantic positions) or when making decisions, and if and when we do use them, are their murmurings in alignment with the tenderness and mercy of God or are they intellectually astute and success-driven but apart from that, on the whole are in the main cold, aloof, and far away from these two quintessential of divine inspirations?

Let it not be forgotten then, that it is the quality or depth of tenderness and mercy within the heart that gives the body it’s vitality, and that too, is the summation of what Jesus meant when He said:

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.” (Matthew 6:22–23)

For tenderness and mercy are the vanguard of true righteousness as true righteousness is justice without merciless judgement. Likewise, justice is not the antithesis of mercy but its comrade-in-arms.

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