LOVE WITHOUT MEASURE

Marami tayong mga bagay na sinusukat. Sinusukat ang mga bewang at timbang para mamonitor ang kalusugan. Sinusukat ang t-shirt upang hindi maging hapit na hapit, dahil hindi lahat ng hapit ay kaakit akit, yung iba kalait lait. Sinusukat ang sapatos bago bilhin ng hindi mabili ang over size at maakusahang fan ni Ronald McDonald. Ang mindset ng pagsusukat ay nadadala rin natin sa ibang aspeto ng ating buhay. Sinusukat ang tagumpay, ang talino, ang kakayahan ng tao sa maraming kaparaanan. At minsan nagagawa rin nating sukatin ang pagmamahal. 

 

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The devotion to the Sacred Heart can be traced back from 11th century as an outgrowth of the devotion on the Passion of Christ and on the Holy Wounds of Christ by the Crusaders returning from Holy Land. The works of St. Bernard of Clairvaux (11th century), and St. Gertrude (12th century) further enriched the devotion. In 1673-1675, in a private revelation, Christ communicated to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque His desire to make known His love for humanity. He said "My Heart is so full of love for men that It can no longer contain the flames of Its burning love. I must discover to men the treasures of My Heart and save them from hell.” Thereafter, the devotion to the Sacred Heart was propagated as we have it today.

Ang natatanging mensahe ng Sagradong Puso ni Hesus ay ang dakilang pagmamahal ng Diyos para sa atin.

Gaano ba tayo kamahal ng Diyos? Paano ba tayo minahal ng Diyos?

In loving us, God uses the greatest measure of love. What is the greatest measure of love? The greatest measure of love is to love without measure (Bernard of Clairvaux). This is how much God loves us; a love that is beyond measure. We are loved beyond measure. Di masukat ang pagmamahal sa atin ng Diyos (1 Timoteo 1:16, Efeso 2:4-9).

What do we do with this love? Christ in his private revelation to St Margaret Mary Alacoque said "Behold the Heart that has so loved men. ...Instead of gratitude, I receive from the greater part (of humankind) only ingratitude." But despite our ingratitude for God's immeasurable love he continues to love us, for God love is not when the lover and the beloved like each other. It’s when one ignores, but the other continues to love till the end (William Shakespeare)." 

Ganito tayo kamahal ng Diyos; pagmamahal na hindi nagtatantsa ng halaga, hindi naghihintay ng kapalit; pagmamahal na di masukat. Ganito rin ang pagmamahal na inaasahan Niya mula sa atin, sapagkat ito ang pagmamahal na ipinagkaloob sa atin ng Sagradong puso ni Hesus.

Ngunit sa ating pagmamahal, kapag nagsimula na tayong magtantsa ng halaga ng ating pagmamahal o maghintay ng kapalit, hindi na tayo nagmamahal. Negosyo na ang tawag doon. When we wait for a return on investment for love we have given away; we begin to measure love. And our acts cease to be acts of charity. We begin to do business. There is no ROI in love.

 

Magmahal tayo nang di masukat na pagmamahal. Love without measure.

We are blessed to celebrate this solemnity in a Eucharistic celebration. The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is closely linked with the Holy Eucharist that is why we are celebrating it within the octave of Corpus Christi. In the Eucharist, the Sacred Heart of Jesus is made present to us, physically. In many Eucharistic miracles approved by the Church, as in Lanciano, Italy, where the consecrated host appeared as blood and human flesh to the naked eye, the flesh was scientifically proven to be human cardiac tissue. As we receive the Holy Communion, we receive the flesh and blood of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, given to us in love that knows no measure.

May we be grateful for receiving such immeasurable love through the Sacred Heart of Jesus.