Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a feast that invites us to reflect deeply on the boundless love and divine passion of Christ for humanity. This Sacred Heart is not a passive affection but a blazing furnace of divine love, a fire that devours all that is worldly, transforming the soul into one of pure devotion and self-giving.
In our modern age, however, the word "passion" has become diluted. It is often associated with fleeting emotions, desires, or the lower movements of the soul—those impulses that draw us toward immediate gratification, distraction, or self-interest. Passions, in this sense, are often seen as forces of instability, leading the soul away from virtue and toward excess or indulgence. The lower passions—the appetites for comfort, pleasure, and self-centered pursuits—can leave us restless and unfulfilled, always searching for something that satisfies, yet never truly filling the soul.
To express the type of divine, higher passion that we see in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I have coined the word "Lumorik." This term blends the ideas of light (from the Latin lumen) and amore (love in Italian and other languages) to reflect a transcendent, divine passion. Lumorik is a radiant, higher passion that moves the will to seek the good and the intellect to pursue truth. It is a passionate fervor that awakens the soul, drawing it toward truth, goodness, and divine beauty. This kind of passion is the fervor of Christ's love, which St. Paul describes as “the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19).
Unlike the fleeting passions that often govern our daily lives, Lumorik is sustained and transcendent. It is a divine fire that ignites both the heart and the mind. Without Lumorik, both the will and intellect can grow tired or bored, leaving us spiritually stagnant. When this higher passion is absent, our pursuit of truth can feel dull, and our desire for the good can lack energy and direction. But when Lumorik is kindled within us, it fills us with purpose, joy, and clarity, propelling us toward agape—the selfless love that Christ modeled on the Cross.
In the Devotion to the Sacred Heart, we are called to contemplate the depth of Christ’s love and His passionate desire for our salvation. As St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who promoted the devotion, received the words from Christ: “Behold this heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify to them its love.” (Revelations of St. Margaret Mary). This passion is the very Lumorik we seek—a burning, self-giving love that moves us to action, to give of ourselves in service to God and to others.
In light of the Sacred Heart, we should pray for Lumorik to ignite within us. Let us ask Christ, whose heart burns with love for us, to awaken in our souls this higher passion—a passion that will sustain us in the face of life’s challenges, guide our intellect toward divine truth, and empower our will to seek what is truly good. When Lumorik is present, our lives are filled with purpose, beauty, and a devotion that transcends the fleeting passions of this world.
As we celebrate the Sacred Heart today, let us remember that the love Christ offers is not just a feeling—it is a fire, a transforming passion that can stir us to live for something greater. May we pray for the grace to be enflamed with Lumorik, so that our hearts may mirror His, and our lives may reflect the love that burns eternally in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
---
Scripture References:
Ephesians 3:19: “The love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge.”
Matthew 11:29: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Citations:
The Revelations of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, 1673–1675
Devotion to the Sacred Heart, Fourth Revelation: Promoted by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, focusing on Christ's deep, personal love for humanity.