Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Read more
Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
John 19, 31-37
It was the Day of Preparation, and to avoid the bodies' remaining on the cross during the Sabbath -- since that Sabbath was a day of special solemnity -- the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away.
Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other.
When they came to Jesus, they saw he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs
one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water.
This is the evidence of one who saw it -- true evidence, and he knows that what he says is true -- and he gives it so that you may believe as well.
Because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture: Not one bone of his will be broken;
and again, in another place scripture says: They will look to the one whom they have pierced.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Although a recent liturgical celebration, this feast is rooted in the very heart of Christianity. Introducing us to the profound meaning of this celebration, the preface of the Liturgy invites us to contemplate the mystery of the love of Jesus: “From the cross, in his limitless love, he gave us life, and from the wounds of his side he poured forth blood and water, symbol of the sacraments of the Church, so that all of us, drawn to the heart of the Saviour, would be able to joyfully draw from the eternal spring of salvation.” The liturgy sings of Jesus’ heart as the wellspring of salvation. Yes, that heart of flesh that did not spare anything, that gave all of itself until the final drop of blood in order to deliver us from the slavery of evil, that heart - Jesus’ heart - continues to gush forth love, uninterrupted throughout the centuries. Jesus’ love is really unthinkable, as it knows no limits, not even death. The evangelist writes, “one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out” (v. 34). This liturgical remembrance is an invitation to all to turn our attention to the mystery of this heart that empties itself for our salvation. It is a heart of flesh that was moved and made tender, that wept and felt compassion, never for himself but always for others. He did not favour anyone but the poor, the little, the weak and sinners. His heart is not like ours, often as hard as stone, insensitive even in face of so much love. Jesus’ public ministry began with a compassionate heart. Matthew writes (9:36) that as Jesus went through the cities and villages of Galilee, he was moved by the crowds who flocked to him because they were tired and harassed like sheep without a shepherd. He started gathering and healing them. With Jesus the prophet of which the prophet Ezekiel spoke had arrived: “I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered I will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land” (Ez 34:11-13). The Gospel of John invites us to keep our eyes fixed on the crucified, on the heart that let itself be pierced for us in order to restore to men and women the power to love.
Prayer is the heart of the life of the Community of Sant'Egidio and is its absolute priority. At the end of the day, every the Community of Sant'Egidio, large or small, gathers around the Lord to listen to his Word. The Word of God and the prayer are, in fact, the very basis of the whole life of the Community. The disciples cannot do other than remain at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary of Bethany, to receive his love and learn his ways (Phil. 2:5).
So every evening, when the Community returns to the feet of the Lord, it repeats the words of the anonymous disciple: " Lord, teach us how to pray". Jesus, Master of prayer, continues to answer: "When you pray, say: Abba, Father". It is not a simple exhortation, it is much more. With these words Jesus lets the disciples participate in his own relationship with the Father. Therefore in prayer, the fact of being children of the Father who is in heaven, comes before the words we may say. So praying is above all a way of being! That is to say we are children who turn with faith to the Father, certain that they will be heard.
Jesus teaches us to call God "Our Father". And not simply "Father" or "My Father". Disciples, even when they pray on their own, are never isolated nor they are orphans; they are always members of the Lord's family.
In praying together, beside the mystery of being children of God, there is also the mystery of brotherhood, as the Father of the Church said: "You cannot have God as father without having the church as mother". When praying together, the Holy Spirit assembles the disciples in the upper room together with Mary, the Lord's mother, so that they may direct their gaze towards the Lord's face and learn from Him the secret of his Heart.
The Communities of Sant'Egidio all over the world gather in the various places of prayer and lay before the Lord the hopes and the sufferings of the tired, exhausted crowds of which the Gospel speaks ( Mat. 9: 3-7 ), In these ancient crowds we can see the huge masses of the modern cities, the millions of refugees who continue to flee their countries, the poor, relegated to the very fringe of life and all those who are waiting for someone to take care of them. Praying together includes the cry, the invocation, the aspiration, the desire for peace, the healing and salvation of the men and women of this world. Prayer is never in vain; it rises ceaselessly to the Lord so that anguish is turned into hope, tears into joy, despair into happiness, and solitude into communion. May the Kingdom of God come soon among people!
For the sick, in memory of the dead, for peace
