Sacred Heart is the Boat (mastered – no strings)

Sacred Heart is the Boat is about how God’s love is like an endless ocean and how the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the boat that can carry you to God’s infinite love.   No sin is too great, no mountain too high.  This song is really a prayer for all those people living outside or on the fringe of faith.

Lyrics and Reflections: 

“I’ll pray your mind will open, that you will know hope.”  ~ With these opening lyrics, my prayer is that anyone suffering will find hope in the message of God’s endless love.   From my observations I have witnessed so many good people suffering.  People suffer from depression, sadness, guilt, anxiety, and any number of mental or emotional ailments.  To put it frankly, people and in-fact entire communities are spiritually oppressed.  As people’s minds are filled with the constant flow of false doctrines there is a growing void in our hearts.  That void, as St. Augustine suggested, can only be filled by God’s love.

So what’s the good news?  This brings us to the next lines in the song:

“Cause His love’s like an endless ocean, His Sacred Heart is the Boat”  ~ From here rests the premise of the song; that God’s love is truly an endless ocean.  For “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16.  Further, “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.” 1 John 4:16.  And indeed all of us are sinners, “But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:8. Likewise, as God’s love is an endless ocean, the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a gift for us to receive the grace of mercy so that we may overcome our sins and enjoy eternal life.  

Between the years 1673 and 1675, Our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alaqoque where he gave her messages and 12 promises for those who would become devoted to His Heart.  Among the promises Jesus revealed “Sinners will find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy!”  Read the 12 promises here.  Back to the lyrics:

“Don’t matter how high the waves are. Or how difficult life may be.  Our Lord can walk on water. Our God can part the sea.” ~  No sin is too great and further no challenge is too difficult for the Lord!  We live in the most technologically advanced moment in the history of man. And with our awesome power to yield information comes a constant bombardment of distractions. God is all too often pushed to the side or forgotten altogether. But sometimes people need to hit rock bottom before they begin searching for Truth.  With these words I hope to point out the miracle of Divine Mercy and forgiveness.  Further, no matter how difficult we may find out situation God can and will carry us through.  When we submit fully to His will nothing else matters.  “The Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it.  But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you.”  John 14:17.

And now to the chorus, which in all honesty is my first ever attempt at praise and worship.  As St. Augustine tells us “he who sings prays twice.”  And while St. Augustine was perhaps more closely referring to singing psalms and hymns, Ephesians guides us to “be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.”   See Ephesians 18-20 emphasis added.

“Sing and praise.  Rejoice when we hear His name  Oh Jesus, cause I’m yours with all my heart.”  ~ For even if I have nothing on this earth I am still the richest man alive when Christ’s love consumes my heart.  Still, none of us are perfect.  And so with each daily struggle to conquer sin and to conquer our earthy desires we must focus on faith, hope and love.  

2nd Verse:

“Don’t be frightened by thunder.  Don’t be frightened we can ride the waves.”  Increasingly the world is becoming a hostile place for Christians. In particular, it is becoming increasingly challenging for people attempting to live according to the catechisms and social teachings of the Catholic Church.  Raising children for example, and educating them on basic and fundamental truths, is met with constant resistance from society and popular culture.  Believing that God created man and woman, that He knew us before He formed us in the womb, that marriage is a sacred sacrament, and following the 10 Commandments are among the many Truths being redefined or outright abandoned by our confused and fallen world.  But when we have Christ in our hearts it doesn’t matter!  This isn’t the first age of man where people of God have been marginalized, persecuted or condemned.  We’re not frightened and we will ride the waves!  After all we have Jesus Christ and an army of saints and angels behind us!  

“Free your mind from your demons, take His hand and be saved.” ~ Culminating the messages of this song from God’s infinite love, to the Devine Mercy and immense love of Christ’s Sacred Heart, to overcoming sin and not being afraid of the world; I come back to releasing ourselves from the chains of oppression that hold us back from our true purpose.  From addiction to temptation to spiritual infliction and oppression, nothing is more powerful than God’s love.   So how do we truly take His hand to be saved?  The Church offers the Sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as the confession of sins.  There is no greater feeling in the world than receiving absolution after giving a thorough confession.  For “Those who conceal their sins do not prosper, but those who confess and forsake have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13.

The Chorus repeats:

Sing and praise.  Rejoice when we hear His name  Oh Jesus, cause I’m yours with all my heart.”

The ending verse (or outro) of the song concludes with a variation of the opening verse. Instead of praying for the listener to obtain hope, I shift to a prayer for the listener to know Truth.  

“I’ll pray that your mind will open, that you will know Truth.” ~ All of us know someone who is living outside of our faith.  For many of us it may be close family or friends who are astray from Truth. We certainly encounter strangers everyday who follow the world but not God.  Never estimate the power your prayers may have on even the hardest of hearts.

The last lines of the song seek to encourage faith in the listener to trust it in the promises of Jesus Christ.

“His love’s like a big blue ocean.  His Sacred Heart waits for you.” ~ The history of the Church is filled with stories of sinners who became saints.  They overcame their pride, their sins and their temptations and became champions for Truth.

One of the best ways we can evangelize is by glowing with the light of our faith.   As world descends further into darkness it will be the light of Christ’s love that provides a beacon of hope for weary sinners.  Just like a lighthouse shining faithfully in the storm for lost sailors to find their way to port, we must become beacons of light.  We must shine faithfully through obedience to God’s Commandments and through living in the Truth of Christ’s love.

Sacred Heart is the Boat is now finished. With the song I intend to publish the above along with a few additional reflections for the listener to contemplate. My goal is to also produce a visually stunning music video to complement the release of this track.  

Thank you for listening and reading!

Royce Hood

Pre-Production Rehearsal Footage

Shared just for fun.  These songs are under development with the goal to record and release by fall of 2021.   

Get access to rehearsal footage and new releases at youtube.com/roycehood