689. The Sacred Heart Society, Which I Joined, Being Immersed in the Sacred Heart of Jesus

💌 689. The Sacred Heart Society, Which I Joined, Being Immersed in the Sacred Heart of Jesus

In the Naju parish, there were several devotional groups, but the only women’s group was the Marian Society. So, Superior Sister J and Sister M founded the Sacred Heart Society and the Rosary Society. Since I had been devout in my faith life—never missing daily Mass even as a catechumen—the Superior Sister had only me proclaim the second reading at Sunday Mass.

I was actively involved in parish activities, and since both nuns were fond of me, the two newly formed devotional societies each wanted me to join. The Rosario Society was composed mainly of younger members in their 30s, while the Sacred Heart Society consisted mostly of older women in their 40s and middle age. Given my age at the time, I was supposed to join the Rosario Society.

However, the members of the Sacred Heart Society kept encouraging me to join, saying, “Our society is made up of the most well-off and devout among the faithful. If you join, you will have much to learn spiritually.” At that time, I loved the Sacred Heart of Jesus so deeply that people used to say I was a woman crazy in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Although I was a bit young for the Sacred Heart Society, I was at an age where I could join either group. So I prayed, “Jesus, where do You want me to go?” asking for His guidance. I was in a difficult position because both nuns were asking me to join their respective societies, and it was clear that whichever nun I did not choose would feel hurt.

So after much hesitation, I could not bring myself to attend the first meeting on time. I thought that if even one person felt disappointed because of me, it would mean I had caused someone to sin. Then a strong thought came to me—that I should go to the group whose meeting ended later. When I called near the end, the Rosario Society had already finished and gone home, but the Sacred Heart Society was still in the middle of their meeting.

Since I wanted to share the love of Jesus’ burning Sacred Heart and serve others, I eventually decided to join the Sacred Heart Society. However, once I actually began attending the meetings and activities, I was taken aback by the attitudes of the members. In the Sacred Heart Society, they held monthly meetings at members’ homes in rotation, where meals or refreshments were shared together.

But instead of sharing the love of Jesus, every time they gathered, they gossiped about others! Even when I was a child and did not yet know God, I disliked it when friends gossiped or people spoke ill of others, so I avoided meeting people. During my newlywed days, we rented a small outbuilding in a house shared by five families, and the women from the other four households would gather in the main house’s living room to gossip.

So even during the sweltering summer, when I had heat rashes and sweat streaming down my body, I would shut the door tightly and pretend I was not home—just to avoid gossip! But when I saw the members of the Sacred Heart Society, who claimed to spread the love of Jesus’ Sacred Heart, speaking ill of others even more harshly than worldly people, my heart ached as if it were being torn apart. Since childhood, I had known all too well how frightening malicious rumors, slander, judgment, and prejudice could be.

Because of this, I believed that we should love and embrace one another, and if there were any misunderstandings, we should resolve them. When someone speaks badly about others, the person listening may also develop prejudice and bias, thereby falling into sin as well. My heart ached terribly, but since I was the youngest, I could not bring myself to speak up.

So I just quietly prayed to Jesus in my heart, saying, “Please turn evil into good so that they may repent for each word that comes from their mouths, with Semchigo as if I were hearing a melody of love.” As time passed and their gossiping became even worse, I tried to steer the conversation toward good and uplifting topics. But they were so stubborn that it truly reminded me of the saying, “Even the seed does not go in,” meaning my efforts had no effect at all.

They did not even try to listen when I attempted to continue the conversation with a positive topic. The Sacred Heart Society was mostly made up of women with social power and high status, such as the wife of a hospital director, a pharmacist, and the wife of a pharmacist. As a result, there was a subtle yet widespread atmosphere of jealousy and rivalry among them. Rather than putting their trust in the Lord, they seemed to rely more on their own status, showing signs of pride.

They even said things like, “We are the yolk of the egg in the parish,” and “That is right! Are we not the middle cut of the fish? There is no need to even look at the other societies. We are the center.” They belittled other societies. I was so shocked to hear those words. It saddened me deeply to see them using every kind of metaphor just to elevate themselves.

“O Jesus, please forgive them. Before You, we are all but unworthy sinners—how can anyone be considered higher or lower? Reign in their hearts that are not awake and seek to exalt themselves. Just as You came to serve us, pouring out Blood and Water from Your Sacred Heart, may they too go ever lower and lower, becoming humble servants who take on the role of serving others.”

I prayed earnestly and offered them up to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Yet, my heart grew heavy. “Do I really need to continue participating in a group that considers itself the best? Will I be able to carry on?”

My heart pained by the fact that, instead of sharing the love of Jesus and the Blessed Mother, their behavior seemed worse than that of a worldly social circle. However, with the intention of participating in the suffering of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which must have been even greater, I earnestly offered it up, by turning it into prayers, hoping that they would lower themselves and become humble, imitating the humility of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

My personal reflection note with Mama Julia🌹💗 

Link 👇🏻

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