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| Spiritual Resurrection |  |
The last time I went into a confessional, I found myself pondering how I felt like I was in an upright casket. And, fittingly, each and every time I tell all that I have done, upon absolution, I am made new. When I exit that tomb, I experience a spiritual resurrection.
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Sacred Heart
Devotion to the heart pierced on Calvary is nearly as old as Christianity, but it has undergone many changes over the centuries. Patristic writers saw in the blood and water issuing from the crucified Lord's side (John 19:34) the fulfillment of his promise to give living water (John 4:13--14; 7:37), the fountain from which the Spirit flows upon the Church. Medieval piety placed less emphasis on Jesus's heart as the source of grace and moved toward more personal and sentimental devotion.
The public cult celebrated today began in the seventeenth century, when St. John Eudes (August 19) pressed for a liturgy (Mass and Office) of the Sacred Heart. Toward the end of that century St. Mary Margaret Alacoque (October 16) received visions of the Lord exposing his heart and urging public devotion. Her apparitions gave impetus to the devotion and shape to its purpose: to promote greater use of the sacrament of penance to offset indifference to the Blessed Sacrament.
Pius VI saw the devotion as a means of refuting Jansenism, which rejected the doctrine that Christ died for all people. Clement XIII first granted the petition for a liturgical observance to the Polish bishops and the Roman Archconfraternity of the Sacred Heart in 1765. Pius IX extended the observance to the universal Church in 1856 and, late in the nineteenth century, Leo XIII raised its rank to a feast.
Popular devotion includes the nine First Fridays and the enthronement of an image of the Sacred Heart in homes as a sign that love is the Christian way of life.
"Whoever does not love does not know God. Why? Because God is Love. What more can be said, my Brothers? If one did not find one word in praise of love through this epistle, nor the least word throughout all the other pages of Scripture, and we heard only this one word from the voice of the Spirit of God: Because 'God is Love,' we should seek for nothing more" (St. Augustine, Homily on the First Epistle of St. John).
Ecuador
 Saint of the DayLives, Lessons and FeastBy Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.
Daily Prayer - 2015-06-12 Presence I pause for a moment and think of the love and the grace that God showers on me, creating me in his image and likeness, making me his temple.... Freedom Lord, may I never take the gift
of freedom for granted. You gave
me the great blessing of freedom of
spirit. Fill my spirit with Your peace and
Your joy. Consciousness To be conscious about something is to be aware of it. Dear Lord help me to remember that You gave me life. Thank you for the gift of life. Teach me to slow down, to be still and enjoy the pleasures created for me.
To be aware of the beauty that surrounds me. The marvel of mountains, the calmness of lakes, the fragility of a flower petal. I need to remember that all these things come from you. The Word of God Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Thus says the LORD:
When Israel was a child I loved him,
out of Egypt I called my son.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
who took them in my arms;
I drew them with human cords,
with bands of love;
I fostered them like one
who raises an infant to his cheeks;
Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,
they did not know that I was their healer.
My heart is overwhelmed,
my pity is stirred.
I will not give vent to my blazing anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again;
For I am God and not a man,
the Holy One present among you;
I will not let the flames consume you. R. (3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation. Brothers and sisters:
To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given,
to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ,
and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery
hidden from ages past in God who created all things,
so that the manifold wisdom of God
might now be made known through the church
to the principalities and authorities in the heavens.
This was according to the eternal purpose
that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
in whom we have boldness of speech
and confidence of access through faith in him.
For this reason I kneel before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory
to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
that you, rooted and grounded in love,
may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord;
and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God first loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately blood and water flowed out.
An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;
he knows that he is speaking the truth,
so that you also may come to believe.
For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:
Not a bone of it will be broken.
And again another passage says:
They will look upon him whom they have pierced. - -
Listen to audio of this reading
Watch a video reflection Some thoughts on today's scripture - It is necessary to recognise the scriptural roots of devotion to the Sacred Heart. Otherwise an unhelpful sentimentality can creep in. The symbolism of the piercing of Jesus' side is a sound basis for the devotion. Enter into this familiar scene on Calvary and "look on the one they have pierced". See the blood and water flowing from his pierced side. Some interpret this as representing the eucharist and baptism. What does it represent for me? How is the Sacred Heart communicating his love for me today? Have I any response?
Conversation Begin to talk to Jesus about the piece of scripture you have just read. What part of it strikes a chord in you? Perhaps the words of a friend - or some story you have heard recently - will slowly rise to the surface of your consciousness. If so, does the story throw light on what the scripture passage may be trying to say to you? Conclusion Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred. (Hosea 11:8) The story of Hosea and Gomer is one of the most touching stories in Scripture. After a number of happy years together, Hosea's wife commits adultery. Hosea is discouraged and distressed, but God tells him to forgive her and welcome her back home. Then God tells Hosea that this is how Israel, his spouse, treats him. He pours his love on his people, but they go and commit spiritual adultery with false gods and worldly practices. Sadly, what was true for Israel in Hosea's time is often true for us. Yes, we love God, but we also are attracted to many other gods like money, sexuality, possessions, or status. But as you can see in the first reading, God says, "My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred. I will not give vent to my blazing anger" (Hosea 11:8-9). These words capture the message of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. They tell us that God loves us. They tell us that he has compassion on us, despite our waywardness. In one of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque's visions, Jesus showed her his heart and said, "Behold the Heart that has loved humanity so much that it has spared nothing... in order to testify to them about its love. But in return I receive from the greater part of them only ingratitude." The message of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is also a message of overwhelming compassion for those who suffer—the poor, the sick, the maligned, and the rejected. If you are suffering, know that Jesus is with you, standing right beside you. He is blessing you. He is filling you with grace and love. He is pouring out his heart for you. So as you celebrate today's feast, keep these two messages in mind. First, repent of any ways that you have chased after other gods. And second, know that the Sacred Heart of Jesus is overwhelmed with compassion for everyone who is suffering. "Thank you, Jesus, for never giving up on us. Lord, may we never lose sight of your love." (Psalm) Isaiah 12:2-6
Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19
John 19:31-37
my2cents:
Today's 5 minutos had the opening line:
"To celebrate the SACRED HEART OF JESUS is to celebrate the infinite love of Christ who has given His life for His flock and has let His heart be crossed so that it would be for all a fountain of salvation."
For a while yesterday, I was pondering on the workings of God's love as I drove down the highway, probably to another church meeting. And the thoughts were of how the world is at work, and how those criminals are placed in jail, the ones who are caught. But the jail system is not the solution all in of itself, it is a tool, and it would not hold all the criminals in the world if there was no love in the world. We operate on a degree of love. And so the world of people needs the Church, and the Church needs Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. And in the world there are attacks, an attempt to bring it down, and so fierce would be the wrath without our Lord, that people would rather ask to be dead than to live. Yet, the opposite holds true, because God is among us and He said "For I am God and not a man, the Holy One present among you; I will not let the flames consume you." in today's 1st Holy Scripture.
The Psalms proclaim our prayer with Jesus "My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation." With joy! Who goes with great joy to the Lord? Saints do. The repented sinner does. The grateful, the appreciating person does. And this in of itself is great strength and courage, to love the Christ even more. And this after having been in sin, which means...unfaithful. No more though. Unfaithfulness does not fit with faithfulness. There is no in between a yes and a no.
The Second reading reads "For this reason I kneel before the Father" and goes on "to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;", and ends with "to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Can you imagine kneeling before the cross at the moment His heart was pierced for you to be able to be free from sin and death? Can you imagine kneeling there? I know I can't remember much, but it was like yesterday, the day I was praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament, the Divine Mercy Chaplet and it was as if I was taken there, and the moment was so dark, but I knew that was Our Father, My Father and yours. God what can I do but stare to watch you suffer for me? God what can I do as I know you tell me to watch you love to death? God, what can I do but die with you?
And we read in the Gospel about how they broke the knees of those crucified along with Him, and when they came to Him they thrust a lance through His heart and thus the love and heart of the soul of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with which whom we are one with in this life for Her Only Son, the light of the world in darkness. And so, ultimately, we see the sufferings and love through the eyes of Mary. This is why it is a shortcut to knowing and loving Jesus more if you go through Mary's heart, for the love she bore is out of this world, because she bore LOVE itself. Her heart was beating next to the little heart forming that would love more than anyone and beyond human comprehension...and Jesus says "you can love like that and more"
O Blessed Sacred Heart of Jesus
my heart is yours and yours I wish to be,
give me the love of all the angels and saints with which to love you with more and more
O make me love thee more and more, oh make us love thee more and more
O blessed Sacred heart of Mary, you who know love and gave your love to God,
you know what it means to hold the love of the world in your hands,
show us the way to love God with all our hearts, to become sacred like your Son's,
to become consecrated, one with, and Holy, for the sake of the world
We need you now more than ever. Now because the world does not know love, much less
true joy. The world loves to be given, but does not want to give.
You gave your life for the sake of the world. Am I speaking about you Mother of God, or am I speaking about Jesus?
Because our Lord simply did what you said and our Father said. He simply loved and this was His yes.
O you who know how to say yes to giving life. Giving birth was giving light, and this light for the world was God's Love
The MOST SACRED HEART OF OUR PRECIOUS LORD...JESUS
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