Thought for the Day – 6 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Worship of the Sacred Heart
in Relation to the Love of God and of Our Neighbour
“The cult of the Sacred Heart demands, especially, the practice of the two great fundamental precepts of our Catholic Faith, namely, that we should love God above all things and our neighbour as ourselves.
The implementation of this teaching will transform our lives.
Do we love God above all things and more than we love ourselves?
What is the predominant concept in our minds?
Is it the concept of God?
What is the first love in our hearts?
Is it the love of God?
What is our main desire in life?
Is it the glory of God?
Or is it our own glory or our own pleasure?
We have still, a long way to go in the way of love of God which is the way of perfectiuon.
We can only really be said to be ourselves moreover, when we love God above all things and more than ourselves.
If a man does not love God above all things, neither does he love himself in the way in which he ought to love himself because, God is our only true to happiness.
Do we love our neighbour as ourselves?
How much moral and physical wretchedness do we see around us?
But do we try to remedy it by every means in our power, no matter what the sacrifice?
Or are we cold and disinterested?
Let us remember the words of St John the Apostle of Charity.
“In this we have come to know His love that He laid down His life for us and we likewise, ought to lay down our life for the brethren” (1 Jn 3:16).
Are we prepared to do this?
Are we at least prepared to give away whatever do do not need ourselves, in order to relieve poverty and want?
Anyone who is lacking in an effective love for God and for his neighbours, has no real devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus!”
Antonio Cardinal Bacci
AnaStpaul 