The word “heart” is widely used in our culture. There are television programs that repeat it: “corazón, corazón” (heart, heart); the magazines of the heart are the best sellers, and this word is one of the essential words in every culture and country. However, we Christians do not delve very deeply into the human-divine “heart” of Jesus of Nazareth.
When Jesus speaks of his heart, he is referring to his personality, his way of being, his feelings, his joys and sorrows. All that is hidden inside. He talks about what he has inside and wants to share with us. Because we can see that his heart has two poles: the Father and us. And he says we have to learn from him.
That heart has compassion for the people who follow him and have nothing to eat, weeps when his friend Lazarus dies, forgives the sinful woman, goes out to meet the discouraged disciples, calls “friend” the one who is betraying him, forgives Peter after he denies him, loves his enemies when they are crushing him, offers his company in his Kingdom to the thief who repents, shows the scars of the passion to the disciple who doubts that he is alive, and is now in the tabernacle waiting for you to say at least good morning to him.
In the Gospel we have a good clue to enter into the riches of his interior life. For example, when he says: “Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). In the Gospel, he paints a self-portrait of who he is: “I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:35) to nourish human weakness with divine energies; “I am the light of the world” (Jn 8:12) to illuminate the darkness of humanity with the splendor of divine truth; “I am the good shepherd” (Jn 10:11) to lead humans to their destiny, because there are others who try to lead them astray along the wrong path; “I am the door” (Jn 10:9) that gives access to authentic human fulfillment and true happiness; “I am the way, the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6), all together, so that you may walk uprightly without skidding in the ditches of error or falling into the abyss of evil; “I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11:25) of which I want to make you participants in order to quench that irresistible thirst for eternity that lives in you.
He also wanted to add the dynamics of his action: “I have come that they may have life in abundance” (Jn 10:10) to add to the full human life, the divine life and thus give it a higher qualitative leap; “I have come to bring fire on the earth and I do not want it to be burning already” (Lk 12:49) so that all may burn in love for the Father and for others; “I have come to bear witness to the truth” (Jn 18:37) that I am the Son of God and that you are also, because that is your true identity.
Then, the personality of Jesus manifested itself by acting in an authentic history of love for humanity from the Incarnation to the Cross. He lived among us knowing that we would criticize, despise and crush him. He fulfilled the law of growth, progressing like everyone else in “stature, wisdom and grace before God and man” (Lk 2:52) to give us an example of ongoing formation in all aspects. He participated in everything human, exactly as we do, except sin, because sin is anti-human.
And, as if that were not enough, before the words that head this little article, we read this: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28), the simple ones, those who know about suffering, those who are tired of being good and being abused, those who are tired of sucking up poverty, those who know what it is to feel bad and live without security, come to me “and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). Do not be afraid, for I am not going to put a hard yoke on your neck, as others do, for I carry it along with you, at the same pace as you. A yoke is carried by two people at the same pace, so that it does not hurt either of the two who carry it.