The heart of the matter.

The Sacred Heart reminds us that Jesus took all people into his heart, and so should we.

WHEN I WORKED IN A PARISH RITE OF Christian Initiation of Adults program, one of the most popular activities was the "church tour." The group would troop from the rectory basement to the church, and the pastor would show us around, using the building to tell the history of the parish and teach a little about sacraments and Catholic beliefs and practices. The tour also provided an opportunity for questions.

After one of these tours, when we were chatting in the pews, Linda, one of the candidates, looked up at a statue and asked me what it was. As usual in these situations, I tried to sound as if I knew what I was talking about: "Oh, that's Jesus showing his Sacred Heart."

The way she looked at me, I might have been speaking in an obscure Balkan dialect. I tried to muster an explanation. "You know," she said, "I think I know what you're talking about. I'll let you know at next week's meeting."

Some Catholics may remember First Friday observances, the "enthronement" of the Sacred Heart in their homes--the consecration of a family to the Sacred Heart--and the litany (not to exclude the ever-popular Sacred Heart Auto League). But to others, like my inquisitive RCIA candidate, the devotion and its symbols seem like museum pieces, relics of a different time, even a different church.

While some think that devotion to the Sacred Heart began in 17th-century France following the visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, it actually goes back to the Middle Ages. And if you trace its sources to scripture and the early church, further back than that. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, `Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water'" (7:37-38). This passage, taken with the story of blood and water flowing from Jesus' side at his Crucifixion, formed the early Christian picture of the Sacred Heart as the fountain from which the Spirit flows.

Catholics don't flock to Mass on First Fridays or practice the traditional Sacred Heart devotions the way they used to--and perhaps they never will again--but the Sacred Heart, with its message that God has a place in the world and lives at the heart of the world, may have more to say to our times than those sometimes neglected statues and paintings seem to indicate.

The church teaches that devotion to the Sacred Heart means devotion to the Word made flesh--the Incarnation. This means devotion to both the physical heart of Jesus--the symbol of the love he bore on earth for all people--and the Spirit, the continuation of his love through the ages. The Sacred Heart reminds us that Jesus took people into his heart. Just as Jesus took all people into his heart, those who believe in him are to take all people into their hearts. If we fail to see Jesus in everyone, we fail to see him in anyone.

The Sacred Heart also speaks of forgiveness to our human heart. We think of our heart as the seat of our lives, a metaphor for where our emotions, mind, and faith come together. Sometimes, though, our hearts can overflow. Anger can become rage and overwhelm respect for others. Desire can overflow a heart and destroy commitment. The heart of Jesus stands ready to absorb and transform our breakdowns.

Fountain of the Spirit, the love at the heart of the world. By enthroning the Sacred Heart in our hearts we help make a place for the love of God in Jesus that enfolds the whole world and embraces the poor and the sinner in forgiveness. "God's justice," writes the scripture scholar John P. Meier, "is forgiving and saving, not punitive and vindictive."

At the next week's RCIA meeting, Linda handed me a compact disc containing a song by the singer and songwriter Mike Scott. I read the song's lyrics printed on the blood-red liner of the CD: "Bring the unforgiven, bring the unredeemed. Bring the lost, the nameless, let them all be seen. Bring them out of exile, bring them, bring them out of sleep. Bring them to the portal, lay them at my feet. Bring them all into my heart."

"Is this what you meant?" she asked. "Yes," I said, "I think it is."