Matters of the Heart

June 8 this year is the date for the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, when we recall how He reveals the depths of the Father's Great Love for us, even to the point of pouring out Himself for us.

This Feast on this date has notable timing this year.  The day before, June 7, marks 10 years since my cousin Greg and his wife Melissa married.

It was a special and very memorable day for me.  It was the first time I had ever attended a wedding ceremony.  And indeed, throughout my life, I had seen married couples and was fully aware of the effects of the love they expressed to one another and how they impacted me.

This was the first time, though, I saw how two people pledged their love and commitment to one another.  There was a sense of seriousness to the moment, as making such a commitment and entering into this vocation is not to be taken lightly.  I remember some words my Mom shared with the two of them, and sensing from just being a close observer how serious and profound this act was that they would be making.

I was also filled with a sense of joy on this occasion because I could see how much they loved each other, and it was wondrous to see them join themselves together in the love they shared.

And they continue to abound in that love, sharing it with one another, and now with their three fine children:  There's even more reason for celebration as their oldest, daughter Ava, turns 5 on June 12 this year, the same day her younger brother Micah turns 1.

Oh, what a delight to be in the glow of such celebration, even reminiscent of June 8, 1957, when my Grandpa Martin and Grandma Dorothy married.  It's amazing to think of how the effects of the love they shared and pledged themselves to that day have continued forth to the family we have now.

There's another reason for celebration on June 8:  Half a mile west of the church where my grandparents were married, and 48 years later, I had my final day as a student at Percy Julian Middle School, and in the evening was the graduation ceremony.

Being in middle school was the most wonderful thing that happened to me while growing up.  It was a time in my life when I discovered my passions and engaged with them fully through opportunities I had at school, and even outside of school.  By engaging my passions, I forged a sense of identity that I still carry with me today.

I've been back to visit Julian over a dozen times since June 8, 2005, with multiple occasion during just the month of May 2018 alone.  When I go back, I am reacquainted with those reasons why those years were so memorable and special.

I've been reading through Matthew Kelly's book Perfectly Yourself, in which states that God desires for us to be the best version of ourselves.  When it comes to my middle school days, I feel that was a time of life when I was truly myself because of the opportunities I had to engage with what truly resonated with me, and forged a sense of what really matters.

Most of all, I found a passion for my faith, that was stirred deep in my heart.  Indeed, I recognized the passionate love God has for me, and I responded by living passionately for him, in ways that would become more pronounced in later years, especially in teaching Religious Education, another experience in which I lived passionately by pouring myself out for my students.

And so upon the occasion of the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart, I come before God to engage passionately in relationship with Him, that I may continue to grow in love with Him that is expressed toward others.