Homily for the Sacred Heart of Jesus | Luke 15:3–7

Homily for the Sacred Heart of Jesus | Luke 15:3–7: A Story of Love, Sacrifice, and Joy

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

Once, a fire broke out in a forest. The fire spread very fast, and Birds and animals ran for their lives. After the fire stopped, some forest workers came to see what was left. They walked among the ashes.

Then one of them saw a small nest on a tree. He climbed the tree to see it, and his heart was broken by seeing the nest. A mother bird with her wings wide open.  The man touched her gently. She was dead, but still covering the nest with her wings. And when they slowly lifted her body, under her wings were two tiny chicks, alive and safe. They even opened their mouths for food.

The mother bird had covered the chicks to save them. She died so they could live. She could have flown away. She could have saved herself. But she did not. Her love was greater than her fear.

My dear friends, this is what love really means. It is not only a feeling. It is a sacrifice. It is choosing to stay even when it is easier to walk away. It is giving up comfort so that someone else can grow, smile, and live. That is what Jesus did for us. And that is what we celebrate today in the Sacred Heart.

Jesus did not run away from the cross. He did not save Himself. His heart was full of love, a love stronger than pain, stronger than fear. And because of His sacrifice, we are saved. This is the kind of love Jesus speaks about today in Luke’s Gospel. He tells us of a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine and goes in search of the one that is lost. It’s not a parable of numbers, but it is a parable of the heart: The Sacred Heart.

What surprises us is not just that Jesus goes after the lost but also it is how He receives the one who returns. “When he finds it,” Jesus says, “he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.” Not correcting, not scolding but rejoicing. And then He calls others to rejoice with Him.

Yes dear friends, the Heart of Jesus is not a cold heart, but it burns with love,  a love that never fades even when we walk away. The Heart  of Jesus is not a proud heart  but a heart that forgives our weaknesses and gently makes us whole.  It is not a heart that forgets or ignores us. His Heart is always watching, always waiting, always reaching out. It is not a heart that takes pleasure in our pain. It suffers with us. It feels our wounds as if they were His own. . And above all, it is not a heart that condemns, but a heart that rejoices when even one of us comes home.

The mother bird  stayed because she loved them. And for her, that was enough. That love cost her everything, but it also gave two tiny lives a future. The Sacred Heart of Jesus does the same — staying with us through fire, shielding us with mercy, never turning away even when we do.

In the Old Testament, God says, “Can a mother forget her child? Even if she could, I will not forget you.” That promise is fulfilled in the Sacred Heart, a heart that remembers the one that is lost, even when surrounded by many who are found.

Saint Catherine of Siena once said, “The heart is always drawn to where it has placed its love.” That is why Jesus goes after the one. That is why He rejoices. That is why His shoulders carry us when we are too tired to walk back.

On this special feast, let us ask ourselves, can I love like this in my daily life? Can I stay beside someone who is struggling? Can I forgive someone who hurt me? Can I give time to someone who is lonely? 

In our families, in our communities, in our schools and churches there are people who need our love, our patience, our listening heart. We cannot do great things all the time. But we can stay. We can love. We can help others in small ways.

Let the love of Jesus teach us to love one another, not only when it is easy, but even when it is hard. His heart still burns with love for each of us. Let our hearts be like His.

Jesus, give me a heart just like yours. Amen

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God Bless…