This Friday, the church celebrates the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The day is celebrated on the Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost- the descent of the Holy Spirit. These two feasts are tied together since the outpouring love of Jesus most Sacred Heart IS where we find the Holy Spirit.
On this feast day at the cathedral, we will be singing the hymn, “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”. After doing some research and reflection on the Charles Wesley hymn, it is easy to conclude that not only is this an appropriate hymn to sing on this solemn feast, but also offers rich spiritual ties to the celebration of Matrimony and the love between husbands and wives. For example, the last line of the first verse states, “Let your love in us endure. “ This simple prayer can be prayed frequently by married couples.
At the celebration of Matrimony, we most clearly see the visible image of what love is in the wedding couple. We see the presence of Christ made visible in this most sacred sacrament. When Christ is at the center of the marriage, love has no bounds.
Karen and I will be celebrating our 14
th Wedding Anniversary next month and my parents will be celebrating their 60
th Wedding Anniversary in September. We thank God for continuing to shower his blessings upon us. Karen and I are blessed with a daughter, and my parents are blessed with two grandchildren. Praying together and remaining open to the Divine plan is the key to true happiness in marriage.
As quoted from the hymnary.org link below, “God is Love and we are the mirrors and bearers of that love to each other”.