TODAY, THE SOLEMNITY OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS, REMINDS US OF THE LOVE THAT OUR LORD HAS FOR US - A LOVE SO DEEP THAT HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR US. WE PRAY THAT WE MAY EXTEND SOMETHING OF THAT INFINITE LOVE TO OTHERS.
O God, who in the Heart of your Son, wounded by our sins,
bestow on us in mercy the boundless treasures of your love,
grant, we pray, that in paying Him the homage of our devotion,
we may also offer worthy reparation.
David Stewart SJ wrote this piece
Devotion to the Sacred Heart involves not a set of ideas
but a contemplation, gazing on the crucified Christ,
whereby we let Him draw personally close to us;
These are matters of the heart – His Heart and yours.
In Laudato Si’: Pope Francis argued that “we must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world.”
Devotion to the Heart of Christ will help us to rediscover and reclaim that conviction. The Holy Father has also taught that “the Heart of Christ is so great it wants to welcome us all into the revolution of tenderness”. Let that tenderness grow in your own heart. Open your heart to that shared responsibility and so become an instrument of that revolution of tenderness, that our world so badly needs and for which it longs.
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It does not dishonour others,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
Love never fails.
Saint Paul -
1 Corinthians 13
Gratitude is the enemy of self,
simply being grateful moves one out of self
towards others and towards God:
What do I have to be grateful for today?
How much do I take for granted?
How was I drawn to God, and the things of God, today:
a friend, the smile of a loved one, a surprising event,
the beauty of nature, the success of a friend?
Have I sensed the presence of God in fears, joys, work,
misunderstanding, weariness, suffering,
the pain or the happiness of others,
in changes around or within me?
Have I been a sign of God's love and presence to others today?
Did I reach out towards the lonely, the discouraged, the needy or difficult? How do I face the future?
With fear, anger, uncertainty, distaste, despondency, despair
or with longing, serene excitement, eagerness and keen expectation?
What do I want to focus on tomorrow which I missed today?
Adapted from George Ashenbrenner S.J. `Another Look at the Examen'
Jesus, who has so faithfully cared for me in the past,
and so often seen me through to safety:
grant me, that in moments of despair,
I may look back in gratitude
and be refreshed by the remembrance of past grace.
Help me to turn again to the future
in renewed trust and unfailing hope,
resting upon Thy Heart, my beloved Saviour.
(George Appleton – One Man’s Prayer)
