40 Crosses for 40 Days: 32nd Cross - Cruz del Sagrado Corazón

Continuing on the theme of 'No greater Love' from yesterday, today's cross is the Cruz del Sagrado Corazón, the Sacred Heart Cross. This cross is a representation of one of the most well-known and beloved Catholic devotions - that of the Sacred Heart. Just as the crosses around St. Patrick's Day represented the faith as well as the culture of the Irish, this cross also points to the way a specific culture represents its understanding of an aspect of the faith. This ability of various Catholic communities in different countries and cultures, as well as at different periods of time, to reflect back their faith through an artistic, visible means is part of the genius of the Catholic imagination.

In all the crosses that we have pondered this Lent, there is an underlying unity - the cross itself, representing the one, great Cross of Christ that saves us. But each cross has nevertheless been able to mirror the people who made it, the culture gathered around it. This is important, because it reminds us that we each, individually, have to freely chose to follow Christ by taking up the specific, unique cross that He has given us to carry. Our crosses may be similar in some respects, but widely dissimilar in others. But because "God has no grandchildren," (a reference to John 1:12) we each have to decide whether we will carry it.

Additionally, all these crosses remind us that many people in certain cultures routinely carry one type of burden, but people in other cultures may not. For example, the US is a nation that has been blessed to be a country of abundance in many ways. Therefore, it makes sense that we also struggle particularly with the temptation to consumerism and materialism. That's why something like the Clothespin Cross is good for the US, because it's a simple, unpretentious cross focused on smallness and the mundane, turning away from excessiveness and individualism.

But other cultures are more concerned with basic survival, not prosperity. Accordingly, their crosses might be more elaborate, as a way of displaying their hope in a better life to come, through the faithfulness of God. The Cruz del Sagrado Corazón is one of those crosses, and its particular art form has a long history.

Come in closer and gaze upon the heart of God, who died for love of us.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart is often represented in Hispanic communities and countries through a specific metal art form called "milagros." Since the Sacred Heart is a visual representation of the heart of Christ, on fire with love, it is often portrayed in a shape much closer to an actual human heart, instead of the double-sided bubble we associate with St. Valentine's Day, and is usually bright red. Many saints have written that being close to the Sacred Heart was like being in a living furnace. The heat and intensity were overwhelming.

This cross does double duty. Not only does it express the rays of the heart, fanning out to all four corners of the world (a carry-over from the Abrahamic covenant proclaimed in the first reading at Mass today), but it also gives an updated nod to a particular cultural expression of the Catholic faith, held dear to millions of people and practiced faithfully for hundreds of years.

Crosses of the Sagrado Corazón also remind us of something in particular from Jesus' crucifixion. The planks of wood forming the cross meet almost exactly at the spot where the heart of Christ must have lain, standing out as a brilliant red spark against a black background. From His pierced heart, water and blood flowed out, the living water and the new life. These artistic renderings of Christ's death on the cross invite us to come in closer, and reflect on the heart of God who died for love of us.

Let us pray: Holy Trinity, help us to recognize and understand more deeply the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We pray that we are moved to respond to the love Christ showed by sharing His life and love in our own lives. And, in all things, let us praise You. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

a traditional rendering of the Sacred Heart of Christ