Congress attendees reminded Jesus knows what it’s like to be hurt

Those attending this year’s Columbus Sacred Heart Congress were reminded by the keynote speaker that in His full humanity, Jesus understands everything that every one of us may be going through.

“This heart is wounded for us and it’s also glorified,” said Father Joe Laramie, SJ. Jesus “knows what it’s like to be hurt, to be pushed aside, ignored, misunderstood. And yet in His risen and glorified heart, truly our hearts can find renewal, strength, healing, grace in life.

“In our hearts, we see an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, He who has a living, beating heart right now – a heart that is fully human and is fully divine, His risen heart gazing upon us with great love, even at this very moment,” said Father Laramie, national director for The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (also known as The Apostleship of Prayer) and spiritual director of the WelcomeHisHeart.com website of the Columbus-based Sacred Heart Enthronement Network.

Father Laramie said that as He hangs on the cross with a soldier’s lance piercing his side, Jesus represents “truly the sacraments of the Church – water for baptism, blood in the Eucharist.”

This is the 10th anniversary for the congress, which took place Saturday, Nov. 6 at Westerville St. Paul Church and was founded by Father Stash Dailey, pastor of Columbus Holy Family Church, who also founded the enthronement network.     

Also speaking were Father Peter John Cameron, OP, prior of Columbus St. Patrick Priory, and enthronement network executive director Emily Jaminet.

“The Sacred Heart denotes the entire mystery of Christ, the totality of His being and His person considered in its most intimate and essential manifestation,” Father Cameron said. “Our heart is made for Jesus Christ. He begs for our heart in the very way the human heart has been designed. It will not settle for anything less than what is truly and totally satisfying – that is, for the infinite, which is Jesus Himself.”

Jaminet praised Father Dailey’s vision in founding the congress and said that when people enthrone the Sacred Heart, “we begin to welcome Jesus as king, savior, brother, protector and provider of the family and of you, even if you are alone. Our mission here today is to implement and spread the love of God to others. In doing so, we can change our culture, which is suffering so deeply. For many of us, hopefully this is a new beginning. As Pope St. John Paul II said, ‘The future begins today.’”

The congress opened with Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert Brennan. In his homily, the bishop said, “One of the great blessings of the devotion to the Sacred Heart is that Jesus invites us to hear His invitation ‘Come, find your rest in Me.’ He gives Himself to us as food so that we might carry Him with us, that we might carry His love, that His heart might beat within the most secret corners of our lives.”