The Sacred Heart
Infinite, eternal,
almighty qualities forestalled
the hint of tenderness
in a being
whose hands held such magnitude
that mercy seemed squeezed to stone,
until a baby cried in tender sobs
and registered an infant’s gentle love.
Commiseration and compassion
identified the rabbi
in preaching and wonder signs,
conveying forgiveness
before the sinner knew he wanted it,
the gift of mercy,
before the echo of sin had faded.
The visceral embrace
of human response
assigns Christ’s ever-vigilant heart
as the sacrament of tender love,
with immediate mercy
from a high priest who recognizes
each brother-sister by name,
remembering the strictures
of a million erring hearts,
and presses each to his sin-erasing heart
with encircling love that loses none.
June 2015
Bonaventure Stefun, OFM Cap.
See more reflections here.
Advent-Christmas