A reflection by our Abbess, Mother Maria-Michael Newe, OSB
We can’t even begin to touch the depth of the Heart of Christ, so great a love is His.
But yet the Scriptures open His Heart to us:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matt. 11:28-30).
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.” (John 15:9)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)
“But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
“Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger, abounding in mercy.” (Psalm 103:8)
“But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:35-36)
“I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like those who raise an infant to their cheeks; I bent down to feed them.” (Hosea 11:4)
“At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matt. 9:36)
“Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, leading the ewes with care.” (Isaiah 40:11)
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) (Note: When you enter the monastery, you lay down your life. You are actually willing to die, because you are no longer living for yourself. You can no longer strive for your own ambitions. You live for God. It’s not about you; it’s about Him.)
Since the beginning, His love hasn’t stopped. Of all the hearts that have ever moved among men, it is Jesus Christ’s that is most sensitive. So quick to respond to those in need. So perceptive to feel the crushing rejection of those he came to save, and did save, despite the hatred that surrounded Him during His passion. Dying on the cross, His Heart was pierced so that the last drop might be poured out for the life of the Church.
The Rule of St. Benedict provides instructions for how to become holy and how to love. He tells us to “prefer nothing to the love of Christ” (Ch. 72), and “prefer nothing to the Work of God” (Ch. 43). In the Prologue, St. Benedict writes, “Therefore we intend to establish a school for the Lord’s service. In drawing up its regulations, we hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome. The good of all concerned, however, may prompt us to a little strictness in order to amend faults and to safeguard love” (v. 45-47). How do you safeguard love? How do you safeguard your love for Christ? How do you safeguard your vocation? How do you safeguard His life in you? Safeguarding involves caring for something very precious. It means doing everything you can to keep it safe. What do you put into your heart?
It seems to me that the Sacred Heart the tabernacle of our hearts. Can we say that our hearts are tabernacles for His Heart, too? It has been scientifically verified from some of the Eucharistic miracles that the Host is actually heart tissue. It is His Heart that is hidden in the Host. So we truly consume the Heart of Jesus at every communion, but it never takes away from His Heart. Only God can do that.
Everyone wants to be loved. Everyone wants to have someone look at them and say, “It’s you!” Well don’t think Jesus doesn’t do that. And you know, He’s actually jealous when you love something else more than Him (including ourselves!). Mature women have boundaries to safeguard their marriages and families. So should we. Let us learn to love His Heart more than our own. Let us quickly learn to return love for love. He is still looking for those who will comfort Him. May we be among them.
St. Benedict concludes his Prologue with, “Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation. It is bound to be narrow at the outset. But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love. Never swerving from his instructions, then, but faithfully observing his teaching in the monastery until death, we shall through patience share in the sufferings of Christ that we may deserve also to share in his kingdom. Amen.” (v. 48-50).
His Kingdom is His Heart.
Photos of our 2026 Corpus Christi procession, courtesy of a retreatant