Trending Sacred Heart

It's #June - the month of the #SacredHeart! Let's all make this a month filled with an outpouring of the LOVE which finds its source in Jesus' Heart!

#June1st #LoveIsOurMission #WeAreSacredHeart 

And thus, a few days ago, I tweeted in the new month... 

A few hours later, checking Twitter, I glanced over at who and what was trending (something I don't always take in), and was amazed and delighted to see the Sacred Heart, sneaking in at the bottom of the list! And Sophie, too! Admittedly, it could have been any of many Sophies, but I fancied I could hear a soft chuckle from our Sophie in heaven, though accompanied by her disappointment that the Sacred Heart had far fewer impressions than her - she who longed to say to the whole world, Know His Heart... Meanwhile, my satisfaction was increased by the rest of the list: the Pope (of course!), David Attenborough (a National Treasure), and Remain (our pro-EU cause)

Of course, trending doesn't always happen for positive reasons, just as the tweets themselves can be far from positive. Something can trend due to criticism, as much as acclaim. And all too often, alas, Jesus, gentle and humble of Heart, Love of all Loves and Prince of Peace, can be invoked as a weapon in someone's violently heated argument, much as the Crusaders rode behind a Cross, symbol of endless love and sacrifice. But however it happened, it is lovely to think that, for just a few hours, the Sacred Heart of Jesus was trending on a global platform, as well as on my laptop!

Trending, though, is a transient thing; a surge in popularity and exposure for only a limited time. Yesterday's thoughts and prayers will give way to today's concerns; today's bit of fun will soon be overtaken by an event, or even a popular TV programme. As I write, the FA Cup Final is trending, along with the Pope and Aldi, and - heartbreakingly - the Indian train accident, but all that can change very quickly. There is a fickleness to our news cycle, and to fashions and trends, which are increasingly ephemeral. Even seismic, far-reaching events, with long-lasting consequences - a major disaster, a change of government, the death of a monarch - will eventually fade out of social media's sight... Happily, though, the Heart of Jesus endures, eternally and unconditionally loving, despite our fads and fancies. And my call, in Twitter as in life, is to keep God, and God's desires and values - to keep Love - permanently at the heart of who and what I am. So, my prayer today is that the Heart of Jesus, source of unlimited and all-encompassing Love, will perpetually trend, in my heart, and in my life, both on and offline!