Friday June 8th in the Church's Calendar, we have focused on the Heart of Jesus. "The Sacred Heart",
"The Divine Compassion";
beautiful titles for the love of God
which is so enormous for each one of us; Heart reaching out to heart,
with a love that is so amazing and affirming. When we feel unlovable, there is Jesus, prepared to give His life for each one of us.
We are made for love. How we all long to love and to be loved. Every time we celebrate the Eucharist we enter the greatest love story ever lived.
At its heart we hear Jesus’ extraordinary words of love;
“This is my Body given up for you … This is my Blood poured out for you.”
This is no mere picture of love, this is love in action.
The Lord gives Himself, pours out Himself, in love for us.
How He longs to love us and to be loved by us.
How He longs to fulfil our longings.
How He longs for us to reveal His love
to those searching for His love.
So, let us allow the Lord to love us in the Holy Eucharist, at Mass;
in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament,
spending time with him,
quietly, simply,
every day, if possible, so that He, in turn,
can fill those we meet with His love.
With a smile and with our hearts open wide,
let all who meet us see the Lord saying to them:
“I love you this much”!
A wall along a road in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It amazed me on my first visit to India
in 2002 to see depictions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus side-by-side with those of
Ganesh on walls, the sides of buses, lorries and trucks, taxis - whether Catholic or
Protestant, Hindu or Christian, in India, the Sacred Heart symbolised what Indian
people experienced of Christ - compassion.
Living with compassion.....
“A man took great pride in his lawn
and found himself with a large crop of dandelions.
He tried every method he knew to get rid of them.
Still they plagued him.
Finally he wrote to the Department of Agriculture.
He enumerated all the things he had tried
and closed his letter with the question:
‘What shall I do now?’ In due course the reply came:
‘We suggest you learn to love them.’”
Anthony de Mello – “The Song of the Bird”
THE WORD OF GOD: Ezekiel 36:
A new heart I will give you,
and put a new spirit within you,
and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you
a heart of flesh.
You shall be my people,
and I will be your God.
God our Father, we come to you in sorrow for our sins:
For turning away from you, and ignoring your will for our lives:
Create in me a new heart, O Lord,
and put a new spirit within me.
For behaving just as we wish, without thinking of you:
Create in me a new heart, O Lord,
and put a new spirit within me.
For failing you by what we do, and think and say:
Create in me a new heart, O Lord,
and put a new spirit within me.
For living as if we were ashamed to belong to your Son:
Create in me a new heart, O Lord,
and put a new spirit within me.
Almighty God, whose Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
was moved with compassion for all who had gone off-track
and with indignation for all who had suffered wrong:
inflame our hearts with the burning fire of your love,
that we may seek out the lost, raise the fallen,
and stand fast for truth and justice; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Mark, chapter 4
The apostles returned to Jesus
and told him all that they had done and taught.
And he said to them,
"Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while."
For many were coming and going,
and they had no leisure even to eat.
And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.
Now many saw them going and recognized them,
and they ran there on foot from all the towns
and got there ahead of them.
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd,
and he had compassion on them,
because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
‘Come right in, come in and take the weight off your feet!’
It was a phrase Jesus often used:
‘Come and see; come and eat.’
But how much more has Jesus to offer us?
Rest, yes, but friendship unlike any other.
Healing, guidance, peace, protection from evil,
all offered by the Son of God
who is ‘gentle and humble of heart’.
Be still and imagine the Lord calling your name
and saying to you:
‘Come and give me your worries,
come and trust me,
come and listen to me
as I speak my words in the gospel.’
Lord Jesus Christ, your heart was moved with love
for the men and women who came for help in their need.
You healed the sick, you fed the hungry,
you forgave sinners, you cried over Jerusalem.
Above all, you showed to those who were prepared to listen
the way to live abundantly for others and for ourselves.
Lord, your heart is still moved today
by your people and their many needs.
Open our hearts to hear your word,
to accept your love,
and to respond to your call.