p. 69The Sacred Heart and Social Charity

Harmony and mutual forbearance are necessary for the right working of Catholic societies, such as those of which we have been speaking. The very idea of a society is cooperation among the members for some common end, which all desire to obtain. Unless the work of the society is harmonious and carried on in peace and concord, nothing effective can be accomplished. It is not enough, therefore, for Catholics to go into Catholic societies, but they ought to try their best to preserve harmony in them, to keep peace and concord in all their activities.

True devotion to the Sacred Heart and a deep and practical understanding of the desires of this adorable Heart will be a strong influence for concord, cooperation, and peace. It is the wish of the Sacred Heart that all Christians should dwell together in harmony and mutual love. “Little children love one another,” He says to us constantly. Whenever we see an image of the Sacred Heart, those blessed words should recur to our minds. He is the Prince of Peace! In His touching discourse to His disciples at the Last Supper, when the sentiments of His Sacred Heart welled up in burning words of loving eloquence at that last touching hour of communion with His own, He declared to them, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you” (St. John, xiv. 27).

Again, in His prayer for His disciples, our Blessed Lord pleads out of the depth of His Sacred Heart, with His eyes uplifted to Heaven, that all His followers “may be one, as Thou, Father, in Me, and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me” (St. John xvii. 21). Clearly, then, it is the most ardent desire of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that the peace and concord which exist among His followers should be a sign of His Divine power and mission. Those who preserve this charity and peace, therefore, in Catholic societies, fulfill the wishes of the divine Heart of Jesus, and those who trouble and destroy this peace are going against the desires and directions of Christ.

Our human nature is, unfortunately, too much inclined to disputes, factions, cliques, and quarrels. Selfishness, and opinionativeness, tend to produce disunion and discord. Envy and jealousy, sad indeed to say, are too often the pet vices of people who are otherwise good and well-meaning. They do not realize the reason of their dislike of and opposition to others, but the reason is a secret jealousy, an unrecognized envy which they disguise as zeal, or honest criticism, or frankness, or some similar good quality. Yet, at the bottom, their opposition and discord is based on nothing better than envious dissatisfaction at the good qualities, the prominence, or the success of others.

Real devotion to the Sacred Heart and a great desire to carry out the wishes of our divine Lord should be an effective antidote against these unhappy causes of disunion. When anyone, who truly loves our Lord, is tempted to inject some element of discord into Catholic activities, to launch some opposition, or to start or support some faction, he or she ought first of all to examine critically the real motives for such an action and to ask honestly, “What would the Sacred Heart of Jesus desire me to do in this situation?” If the motives are selfish, merely personal, still more if they are based on secret envy or quarrelsomeness, our love for the Sacred Heart ought to be enough to keep us from yielding to such a temptation.

But, if after we have thought the matter over in the presence of our Lord, it still seems to us that we have real reason to resist and oppose what is being planned or carried on in the society, then we ought to proceed with the greatest gentleness, charity, and kindness as our Lord would have done under similar circumstances. Sometimes, in the differences and disputes which injure or wreck Catholic societies, it is not so much the difference of opinion which causes the disaster, as the way in which this difference is manifested, and the resulting hard feelings and animosities. By being gentle, considerate, and kind for the sake of the Heart of our Lord, by putting ourselves in another’s place and trying to enter into the views and attitude of others we can often avert disaster.

Anyone who has experience in Catholic organization and who knows how many complaints are made from time to time about the want of cooperation, of unity, and of the self-sacrifice which is required for success will realize how precious and how much required is the strength and fervor, zeal and self-control which come from true devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Our whole Catholic religion is the imitation, service, and following of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, in faith, hope, and charity. Every truly Catholic organization, however humble and obscure, or however great and important, has for its final object the love and service of Christ.

The more sincerely, therefore, we love our Lord and the more eager we are to carry out the desires of the Sacred Heart, the more we shall work and pray for the success of Catholic societies. The prayer of our Lord for peace and concord among His own will forever echo in our hearts. We shall always remember His exhortations to love one another and to help one another, and so we shall never give occasion for discord, factions, or unnecessary divisions in Catholic societies; but we shall promote always the cooperation, charity, and mutual helpfulness which are so dear to the Heart of Christ.