June is the month of the Sacred Heart, and Father Dave welcomes back Executive Director of the Sacred Heart Enthronement Network, speaker and author Emily Jaminet. Her latest book is called, “Holy Habits from the Sacred Heart: Ten Ways to Build Stronger, More Loving Relationships.”
Emily first describes the basics of this devotion. “You can read the Scriptures, you can understand that Jesus just loves so much. He loves each one of us, and we can look at when he died on the cross, his heart was pierced. He has a wounded heart through his relationships that he was betrayed,” she says. Emily explains how the devotion to the Sacred Heart evolved when Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque received visions of Jesus in the 17th century.
“He told her how much he loves humanity, and how he wants his heart to be a place of refuge for each one of us,” Emily says. “The story took place during a time of Jansenism, [when] Catholics didn’t feel worthy to receive communion. It brought about this fantastic renewal and hope that all societies can be renewed. What I’m clinging to, as a Catholic mom, writer, and ministry leader, is that Jesus has this unbelievable love that he wants to get into our hearts, impact our relationships, and be the king of all of society.”
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In discussing her book, Father Dave highlights one of Emily’s holy habits of the Sacred Heart, spiritual stability. He says, “I liked the notion of spiritual stability because I bet that many people could point to moments in their lives, highlights, or mountaintop experiences. But sometimes the issue is the day-to-day, just like any long term relationship…How we find that spiritual stability is important in our relationship with God.”
Emily says, “In the society we live in, it’s all about the next thing: the next show, the next this, next that. But when I look at the devotion implemented in life, especially in relationships, you see that the Lord wants us to have peace. He wants us to be vessels of charity towards others as well, and as a result, he wants us to calm our inner waters. We’re not meant to just be on those high points, but he wants to level our mountains and bring up our valleys.”
Another habit she outlines is placing Jesus at the center of your relationships to help cultivate forgiveness. “One thing we can do is work on building better bridges within the relationships of the people in our life. We’re in a culture where we just walk away from key relationships,” Emily explains. “I think forgiveness begins with that grace, it’s not about looking perfect or being perfect. It’s about receiving the love of Jesus Christ, so that he impacts our heart and that love goes out to others. That we choose to forgive, we choose to be transformed, and as a result, we’re changing society one heart at a time.”
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Father Dave and Emily also discuss the concept of being meek, and how one can practice this habit in a modern world. “My mom once said, ‘Meekness is not weakness,’” Emily says. “Jesus tells us exactly what his heart was like, and I believe it’s for us now, in the age we live in. He says that his heart is meek and humble, and so that’s the path to true happiness. That’s the path to stronger relationships.”
“That’s the path to even bringing your family members who have drifted away from the Church back,” she continues. “I tell people, if you’re working on your relationships with your family members where they drift away, just say, ‘I’m working on my heart,’ and [they] can’t be offended. You tell them you’re working on having a heart more like Christ, more loving, more meek, and hopefully more forgiving, and charitable as well.”
