Where Does Your Heart Lie?
Colleen M. Donohoe was born and raised just North of Boston, the youngest of 7 children. She is the proud “Auntie” to 17 nieces and nephews and 5 great nieces and nephews who bring tremendous joy to her life! For the past 25 years, Colleen has served in a variety of roles in the Archdiocese of Boston, primarily as a Catholic Educator. After spending many years as a theology teacher and campus minister, she currently serves as the Associate Superintendent of Catholic Identity and Respect Life Educator for the Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Schools. It is a great honor and blessing for Colleen to continue little Christina Dangond’s legacy to “Build the Faith” wherever and however God calls.
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
As I prayed and reflected on what it means to have the gift of faith, to keep the faith and to build the faith, I was drawn to the Living God, Jesus Christ, found in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Our hearts were made for Jesus: The Way, The Truth and The Life. Yet, many have forgotten about God or only call upon Him when it’s convenient. Perhaps some find it difficult to keep the faith with all the division, illogical behavior, violence, lack of respect for human life, and the list goes on. People may even ask, “Where is God and why is He not acting?”
When I adopted the discipline of attending daily Mass, praying the Rosary and spending time before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, I became abundantly more aware of His Loving Presence in my life. I can assure you; God is very much here! He is ever close to us each day, longing to be close to us! I have undergone great difficulty in both my personal and professional life and I can attest to the fact that without the gift of faith and without the gift of God’s grace, I would never know of Jesus’ abundant Love, His healing touch, and His consolation that is freely given without measure.
To illustrate the Lord’s immense Love and consolation, I will (feebly) attempt to share a truly extraordinary encounter that occurred to me about six weeks ago when I attended Mass on the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. At the consecration, when the priest elevated the chalice above his head (something I’ve seen thousands of times), something was different…so very different, that tears began streaming from my eyes. I have never doubted Jesus’ true presence (His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity present in the Holy Eucharist), but I’ll be the first to admit that it’s quite difficult to fully grasp the mystery of the Incarnation. Yet, on June 24, 2022, it became abundantly clear to me when I looked up and instead of seeing the chalice cradled in the priest’s holy hands, I saw the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. His beautiful Sacred Heart wounded and bleeding for us. Now I don’t claim to be a visionary, but that day the Lord gave me a gift that consoled my heart beyond measure and reminded me that He is truly alive, He is truly present and His beautiful, precious, Sacred Heart beats for us…even and especially now.
Since that encounter with our Living God, my utmost attention, devotion, and respect for the Most Blessed Sacrament has only intensified and grown one thousand-fold! In turn, so have my faith, my hope, and my trust in the Lord. Don’t get me wrong, the challenges of this life are still ever present, but faced hand in hand with our Living God and the help of Our Blessed Mother, one can more easily put them in perspective and remember that this world and its challenges are only temporary. Our eternal Home is in Heaven and that is where we must fix our gaze.
In today’s Gospel, the disciples [we] are reminded to be faithful, prudent, vigilant, and prepared because we do not know the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come. Jesus also calls us to look deeply into our hearts and remember, “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”(Matthew 6:21) Today, let us fully embrace this gift of faith and allow our hearts to encounter the greatest love story they will ever know by conducting an interior inventory and asking ourselves: Does Jesus radically capture my heart above all else? Does my treasure truly lie within the Heart of Jesus Christ? If not, run to the Father. Now!