“With everlasting love God has loved us. Therefore, being lifted up above the earth, He has drawn us to His heart, having compassion on us” (Lauds Antiphon of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus).
It is not so easy for us to imagine eternal love because, as human beings, we are so limited. However, there are moments in life that we wish would never end. This can happen to people in love or when God touches us deeply in prayer, making the passage of time seem unimportant. In those moments, the soul says, “I want to stay here forever. I am not looking for anything else.”
But such experiences are usually brief and do not last forever as long as we are on Earth. Nevertheless, they are a sign that our life tends toward eternity and that our soul is called to a joy that knows no end. So it is!
This joy is God Himself, who has always loved us. He thought of us before our bodies were formed: “Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance; in thy book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:16).
God knows even the smallest detail about us and His love did not rest until He traced a path for lost humanity to find eternal bliss in Him. This way is His divine Son Jesus Christ, who revealed to us the love of our Heavenly Father on the cross. Now, we can return home and dwell forever in God’s eternal love. On Calvary, the Redeemer opened His heart, offering His love, which is capable of atoning for our sins and drawing us to Him with compassion.
We need only respond to Him!