In the Mass of this Solemnity we pray: O God, who in the Heart of your Son, wounded by our sins, have deposited infinite treasures of charity; we ask you that, as we pay Him the homage of our love, we may offer Him an ample reparation.
From this time of prayer we must draw the immense joy of considering, once again, the living and current love of Jesus for each one of us. A God with a heart of flesh, just like ours! Jesus of Nazareth continues to pass through our streets and squares doing good$^7$ just as when He was in mortal flesh among men: helping, healing, comforting, forgiving, granting eternal life through His sacraments… These are the infinite treasures of His Heart, which He continues to pour out open-handedly. Saint Paul teaches that, when He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and poured out His gifts upon men$^8$. Each day, the graces, the inspirations, the help—both spiritual and material—that we receive from the loving Heart of Jesus are immeasurable. However, He "does not impose Himself by dominating: He begs for a little love, showing us, in silence, His wounded hands". How often we have denied it to Him! How many times has He expected more love, more fervor, in that Visit to the Blessed Sacrament, in that Communion… !
We have much to repair and make amends for to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For our past life, for so much wasted time, for so much coarseness in our dealing with Him, for so much lack of love… "I ask you," we say to Him in words left written by Saint Bernard, "to accept the offering of the remainder of my years. Do not despise, my God, this contrite and humbled heart, for all the years that I wasted in a bad way." Give me, Lord, the gift of contrition for so much current clumsiness in my dealing and love towards You, increase my aversion to all deliberate venial sin, teach me to offer You as expiation the physical and moral setbacks of each day, the weariness at work, the effort to leave tasks finished, just as You want.
In the face of so many who seem to flee from grace, we cannot remain indifferent. "Do not ask Jesus for forgiveness only for your faults: do not love Him with your heart alone…
»Make amends to Him for all the offenses that have been done to Him, are done to Him, and will be done to Him…, love Him with all the strength of all the hearts of all the men who have loved Him most.
»Be bold: tell Him that you are crazier for Him than Mary Magdalene, more than Teresa and Little Teresa…, more nuts than Augustine and Dominic and Francis, more than Ignatius and Xavier."
Note on standard abbreviations used in the text (like HCD): This typically corresponds to devotional editorial markers (e.g., "Hablar con Dios").