The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated on the octave day of the feast of Corpus Christi. In the 17th century Jesus appeared in a vision to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque asking her to request that this feast be celebrated in honor of his Sacred Heart in reparation for the ingratitude of mankind toward the sacrifice of his love on the Cross. Pope Pius IX extended the feast of the Sacred Heart to the universal Church in 1856. The imagery of Christ pointing to his heart, on fire with love, signifies his immense and infinite love for humanity which took Him to the Cross to die for our salvation. The Sacred Heart of Jesus desires that all mankind draw close to Him in love and trust. Today this devotion, given to the faithful by Our Lord himself, is among the most popular of the Catholic Church.
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Quote of the Day
"The poor have much to teach you. You have much to learn from them." — St. Vincent de Paul
Today's Meditation
"All of the Beatitudes are humbling. And this is scarcely a thing to be marveled at. For the Beatitudes are Jesus' personally programmed Christian living. And He has told us the reason that He lived and loved as He did: that is, lived unto death and loved unto the end. "Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end" (John 13:1). It was because He was meek and humble of heart." —Mother Francis, PCC, p. 71
Daily Verse ""O Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us, thou hast wrought for us all our works." — Isaiah 26:12 | St. Laszlo (c. 1040-1095), also known as St. Ladislaus I of Hungary, was born to a royal family in Krakow, Poland. His father became King Bela of Hungary, and his mother was the daughter of the King of Poland. He was raised as a Christian, spending his childhood in the court of the Polish king. After the death of his father and brother, he became the King of Hungary in 1077 and also later the King of Croatia in 1091. He was a beloved king, highly regarded as a moral and pious man and a great leader. He is remembered for his accomplishments in bringing peace and stability to his country following the strife of civil war, for his success in defending the kingdom of Hungary against the invading Cumans, and for politically and financially supporting the spread of Christianity in his kingdom. According to legend, while in battle he witnessed a Cuman warrior abducting a Hungarian girl. He pursued the enemy, defeated him, and liberated the girl. Because of his skills in military and diplomacy, as well as his religious devotion and chivalry, St. Laszlo was chosen to lead the first Crusade to the Holy Land, but died before the mission commenced. He was canonized by Pope Celestine III. His feast day is June 27. | Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Reading 1 Ezekiel 34:11-16 Thus says the Lord GOD:
I myself will look after and tend my sheep.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark.
I will lead them out from among the peoples
and gather them from the foreign lands;
I will bring them back to their own country
and pasture them upon the mountains of Israel
in the land's ravines and all its inhabited places.
In good pastures will I pasture them,
and on the mountain heights of Israel
shall be their grazing ground.
There they shall lie down on good grazing ground,
and in rich pastures shall they be pastured
on the mountains of Israel.
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6.
R.(1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff that give me courage. R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Reading 2 Romans 5:5b-11 Brothers and sisters:
The love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood,
will we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how much more, once reconciled,
will we be saved by his life.
Not only that,
but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation. Alleluia Matthew 11:29ab
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. Or John 10:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord,
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 15:3-7 Jesus addressed this parable to the Pharisees and scribes:
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance."
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Romans 5:5-11 The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5) As you enter the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Paris, your eyes will be drawn upward toward a huge mosaic. It depicts Christ, risen in majesty, his Sacred Heart gleaming in gold, as he welcomes everyone with open, outstretched arms. The clear, compelling message of the mosaic is that no matter how far away from the Lord you may be, no matter how great your sins, he will still welcome you. Today's feast of the Sacred Heart originated on December 27, 1673, when a French nun, Sr. Margaret Mary Alacoque, experienced her first apparition of Christ. She saw Jesus' wounded heart, surrounded by burning flames and adorned with a crown of thorns, the image later memorialized in the Basilica's mosaic. In the vision, Jesus told Sr. Margaret Mary, My divine Heart is so inflamed with love for men, and for you in particular, that, no longer able to contain in itself the flames of its ardent charity, it must pour them out . . . in order to enrich them with its precious treasures. (Autobiography, 92) This is the same fiery uncontainable love that Jesus shows throughout the Gospels. He seeks people out, he heals the sick, forgives sinners, and shows compassion to the crowds. He offers himself completely in his passion and death, when his immense love is poured out on the cross. Even there, as he slowly dies, his Sacred Heart continues to burn for each one of us. Every day Jesus seeks you out. He wants to heal your sorrow over losing a loved one, your anxiety over finances, your desire to reconcile with an estranged friend, or the pain you experience because of sin. As you offer him your wounds and worries, the love that flows from his Sacred Heart will fill your heart. That heart, "so inflamed with love" for you, will bestow on you his infinite treasures: his peace, healing, mercy, and comfort. Jesus is waiting for you with open arms! Come and let him embrace you. "O Jesus, let me know the fire of your love today!" Ezekiel 34:11-1 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "Jesus addressed this parable to the Pharisees and scribes:
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?......." Word of the Lord. | Bishop Barron says: "Friends, one feature of today's Gospel passage is the craziness of the shepherd: "What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?"
Well, the implied answer is "No one." Who would take that great a risk, putting the ninety-nine in danger to find the one? It's just bad economics. Why would God fret over one little soul? Why would he bother?
Well, it's his nature. It's what he does. As Catherine of Siena put it, he is pazzo d'amore (crazy in love). God is as crazy for you as if you were the only one in the world." end quote.
Roberto Juarez said: "The feast of the Sacred Heart invites us to love with the same heart with which Jesus loved. God's mercy is infinite and that is why he joyfully celebrates the return of that lost, lost and found sheep. Today let us ask the Lord to allow us to welcome those who come to us lost, disoriented, and to do so with mercy, with his mercy, so that at the same time we too can feel loved and cherished by him, despite all the falls and separations that are taking place in our lives." end quote.
All month long it has been about the Sacred Heart of Jesus, but today it is the very day. This month should be supreme in our hearts, in remembrance of His message the very heart of the message. Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French Visitation nun, is known for promoting devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, particularly after receiving visions where Jesus revealed his heart to her. In these visions, the Sacred Heart was often depicted with flames, a crown of thorns, and a cross, symbolizing Jesus's love, suffering, and sacrifice. The flames represent the burning love of Jesus for humanity, while the crown of thorns and cross symbolize the pain and suffering He endured.
Key elements of the Sacred Heart imagery in relation to St. Margaret Mary's visions: Flames: Jesus's heart is often shown engulfed in flames, signifying the intensity of His love for humanity. Crown of Thorns:
The crown of thorns encircling the heart represents the pain and suffering Jesus endured, particularly during his Passion. Cross:
The cross surmounting the heart symbolizes Christ's sacrifice on the cross for the salvation of humanity. Wound:
The visible wound in the heart, often depicted with blood, signifies the piercing of Jesus's side by the lance during the crucifixion. These are important elements of the Sacred Heart message. I look for these when I see the Sacred Heart images, some new ones hide or change elements, making it an incomplete message of the Sacred Heart.
There is suffering, there is a cross, there is a burning love of God and the most precious blood connected with His body that is poured out for us all.
There is great difficulty in explaining the message, it takes much explanation for the mystery of God's love for us all.
We would know it in an instant if we were not bound to our earthly bodies.
But as it stands, our finite, to unite with the infinite, can only be accomplished through our faith...which I have often equated with love. How can you say you have faith, but no true love of Jesus, the very Sacred Heart of God?
And how can you understand the message of the cross, if God is not someone you are well connected with?
And so, the Gospel becomes one of God seeking your heart and every soul through your heart. It is unfathomable, the ongoing life of this burning Sacred Heart. Let us today pray to fall in love with the most precious body, blood, soul and divinity of His Sacred Burning Heart, which is a cross, a sacrifice, and a fire, a true burning and yearning to do God's Holy will, and the thorns of the King that has bled out His heart to fill yours with truth, joy, peace, and love that is everlasting...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, Make us love Thee more and more! |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 12:11 11 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
