Bleeding Heart

​As my visit to St. Anne’s draws to a close, I wanted to share some thoughts surrounding a plant that grows right outside the convent there. 
 
Last evening at supper, Sr. Elaine mentioned that the Bleeding Heart plant is growing.  She shared that it, along with the tulips, is one of the first plants to come back in the spring.
 
It is fitting, during this octave of Easter, that a plant signifying spring and new life should be making its appearance.  It is doubly so in that the plant has such a connection with our faith and the Mysteries we’ve been celebrating.
 
I’m not the first to have seen a connection between the Bleeding Heart plant and Christianity.  People have long found beautiful symbolism here as the plant can remind us of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which, pierced by the soldier’s lance, poured out blood and water.  The term “bleeding heart” also reminds us of how, as Christians, we are to have compassionate hearts toward those who suffer. 
 
As we approach Divine Mercy Sunday in a few days, this fits in perfectly, as we seek mercy from the Heart of Jesus and also strive to show mercy to others.