Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 07-01-11, Solemnity, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 07-01-11 | New American Bible

[Salvation]

Scripture readings taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd

Mass Readings

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First reading	Deuteronomy 7:6-11 ©

Moses said to the people: ‘You are a people consecrated to the Lord your God; it is you that the Lord our God has chosen to be his very own people out of all the peoples on the earth.

  ‘If the Lord set his heart on you and chose you, it was not because you outnumbered other peoples: you were the least of all peoples. It was for love of you and to keep the oath he swore to your fathers that the Lord brought you out with his mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know then that the Lord your God is God indeed, the faithful God who is true to his covenant and his graciousness for a thousand generations towards those who love him and keep his commandments, but who punishes in their own persons those that hate him. He is not slow to destroy the man who hates him; he makes him work out his punishment in person. You are therefore to keep and observe the commandments and statutes and ordinances that I lay down for you today.’

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Psalm	Psalm 102:1-4,6-8,10

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Second reading	1 John 4:7-16 ©

My dear people,

let us love one another

since love comes from God

and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.

Anyone who fails to love can never have known God,

because God is love.

God’s love for us was revealed

when God sent into the world his only Son

so that we could have life through him;

this is the love I mean:

not our love for God,

but God’s love for us when he sent his Son

to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.

My dear people,

since God has loved us so much,

we too should love one another.

No one has ever seen God;

but as long as we love one another

God will live in us

and his love will be complete in us.

We can know that we are living in him

and he is living in us

because he lets us share his Spirit.

We ourselves saw and we testify

that the Father sent his Son

as saviour of the world.

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,

God lives in him, and he in God.

We ourselves have known and put our faith in

God’s love towards ourselves.

God is love

and anyone who lives in love lives in God,

and God lives in him.

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Gospel	Matthew 11:25-30 ©

Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

  ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

[Salvation]

Friday, July 01, 2011
The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

First Reading: Psalm: Second Reading: Gospel:

Deuteronomy 7:6-11 Psalm 103:1-4, 6-7, 8, 10 1 John 4:7-16 Matthew 11:25-30 My confidence is placed in God who does not need our help for accomplishing his designs. Our single endeavor should be to give ourselves to the work and to be faithful to him, and not to spoil his work by our shortcomings. -- St Isaac Jogues

[Salvation]

The Angelus 

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen. 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary . . . 

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary . . . 

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray: 

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen. 

[Salvation]

 

[Salvation]

Office of Readings and Invitatory Psalm

Office of Readings

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

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Introduction

O God, come to my aid.

  O Lord, make haste to help me.

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.

Amen. Alleluia.

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Hymn

O Three in One, and One in Three,

Who rulest all things mightily,

Bow down to hear the songs of praise

Which, freed from bonds of sleep, we raise.

While lingers yet the peace of night,

We rouse us from our slumbers light;

That might of instant prayer may win

The healing balm for wounds of sin.

If, by the wiles of Satan caught,

This night-time we have sinned in aught,

That sin thy glorious power today,

From heaven descending, cleanse away.

Let naught impure our bodies stain,

No laggard sloth our souls detain,

No taint of sin our spirits know,

To chill the fervour of their glow.

Wherefore, Redeemer, grant that we

Fulfilled with thine own light may be:

That, in our course, from day to day,

By no misdeed we fall away.

Grant this, O Father ever One

With Christ, thy sole-begotten Son,

And Holy Ghost, whom all adore,

Reigning and blest for evermore.

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Psalm 35 (36)
The sinner's wickedness; God's goodness

In you is the source of life; we drink from the stream of your goodness.

Evil whispers to the sinner in the depths of his heart:

  the fear of God does not stand before his eyes.

Evil’s flattering light disguises his wickedness,

  so that he does not hate it.

His words are false and deceitful,

  he no longer considers how to do good.

Even when in bed he plots mischief;

  he follows the wrong path; he does not hate malice.

Lord, your mercy fills the heavens,

  your faithfulness rises to the sky.

Your justice is like the mountains of God,

  your judgements are like the deeps of the sea.

Lord, you protect both men and beasts.

How precious is your kindness, O God!

  The sons of men will take shelter under your wings;

they will eat their fill from the riches of your house,

  drink all they want from the stream of your joy.

For with you is the spring of life-giving water.

  In your light we shall see true light.

Hold out your mercy to those who know you,

  offer your justice to the upright in heart.

Let me not be crushed under the heels of the proud,

  nor dispossessed by the hands of sinners.

The doers of evil have fallen where they stood,

  they are cast down and cannot rise.

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.

Amen.

In you is the source of life; we drink from the stream of your goodness.

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Psalm 60 (61)
An exile's prayer

When my heart was faint, you raised me up.

Listen, O God, to my appeal:

  turn, and hear my prayer.

I call to you from the ends of the earth,

  for my heart is troubled.

Lead me to the rock I cannot reach!

For you are my hope,

  a strong tower in the face of my enemies.

I shall live in your tent for ever,

  I shall hide in the shelter of your wings:

for you, my God, have accepted my vows;

  you have given me the inheritance of those who fear your name.

Add days to the life of the king:

  add years, for age after age.

Let him sit always in the sight of God:

  let kindness and faithfulness guard him.

This is the song I shall sing to your name,

  for ever and for ever.

I shall repay my vows to you

  day after day.

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.

Amen.

When my heart was faint, you raised me up.

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Psalm 97 (98)
The Lord has brought salvation

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Sing a new song to the Lord,

  for he has worked wonders.

His right hand, his holy arm,

  have brought him victory.

The Lord has shown his saving power,

  and before all nations he has shown his justice.

He has remembered to show his kindness

  and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth

  have seen the saving power of our God.

Rejoice in God, all the earth.

  Break forth in triumph and song!

Sing to the Lord on the lyre,

  with the lyre and with music.

With trumpets and the sound of the horn,

  sound jubilation to the Lord, our king.

Let the sea resound in its fulness,

  all the earth and all its inhabitants.

The rivers will clap their hands,

  and the mountains will exult at the presence of the Lord,

  for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge all the world in justice,

  and the peoples with fairness.

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.

Amen.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

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I will remember what the Lord has done.

– I will remember the wonders he has worked from the beginning.

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Reading	Romans 8:28-39 ©

We know that by turning everything to their good God co-operates with all those who love him, with all those that he has called according to his purpose. They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers. He called those he intended for this; those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.

  After saying this, what can we add? With God on our side who can be against us? Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give. Could anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone condemn? Could Christ Jesus? No! He not only died for us – he rose from the dead, and there at God’s right hand he stands and pleads for us.

  Nothing therefore can come between us and the love of Christ, even if we are troubled or worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked. As scripture promised: For your sake we are being massacred daily, and reckoned as sheep for the slaughter. These are the trials through which we triumph, by the power of him who loved us.

  For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Responsory

God brought us to life in Christ when we were dead through our sins, because he loved us with so great a love.

This was to show for all ages to come how infinitely rich he is in grace, because he loved us with so great a love.

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Reading	St Bonaventure

With you is the source of life

Take thought now, redeemed man, and consider how great and worthy is he who hangs on the cross for you. His death brings the dead to life, but at his passing heaven and earth are plunged into mourning and hard rocks are split asunder.

  It was a divine decree that permitted one of the soldiers to open his sacred side with a lance. This was done so that the Church might be formed from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death on the cross, and so that the Scripture might be fulfilled: ‘They shall look on him whom they pierced’. The blood and water which poured out at that moment were the price of our salvation. Flowing from the secret abyss of our Lord’s heart as from a fountain, this stream gave the sacraments of the Church the power to confer the life of grace, while for those already living in Christ it became a spring of living water welling up to life everlasting.

  Arise, then, beloved of Christ! Imitate the dove ‘that nests in a hole in the cliff’, keeping watch at the entrance ‘like the sparrow that finds a home’. There like the turtledove hide your little ones, the fruit of your chaste love. Press your lips to the fountain, ‘draw water from the wells of your Saviour; for this is the spring flowing out of the middle of paradise, dividing into four rivers’, inundating devout hearts, watering the whole earth and making it fertile.

  Run with eager desire to this source of life and light, all you who are vowed to God’s service. Come, whoever you may be, and cry out to him with all the strength of your heart. “O indescribable beauty of the most high God and purest radiance of eternal light! Life that gives all life, light that is the source of every other light, preserving in everlasting splendour the myriad flames that have shone before the throne of your divinity from the dawn of time! Eternal and inaccessible fountain, clear and sweet stream flowing from a hidden spring, unseen by mortal eye! None can fathom your depths nor survey your boundaries, none can measure your breadth, nothing can sully your purity. From you flows ‘the river which gladdens the city of God’ and makes us cry out with joy and thanksgiving in hymns of praise to you, for we know by our own experience that ‘with you is the source of life, and in your light we see light’.

Responsory

Bless the Lord, my soul, remembering all he has done for you; he rescues your life from deadly peril, crowns you with the gifts of his kindness and compassion.

O taste and see that the Lord is good: he rescues your life from deadly peril, crowns you with the gifts of his kindness and compassion.

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Hymn	Te Deum

God, we praise you; Lord, we proclaim you!

You, the Father, the eternal –

all the earth venerates you.

All the angels, all the heavens, every power –

The cherubim, the seraphim –

unceasingly, they cry:

“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts:

heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory!”

The glorious choir of Apostles –

The noble ranks of prophets –

The shining army of martyrs –

all praise you.

Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you.

– Father of immeasurable majesty,

– True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship,

– Holy Spirit, our Advocate.

You, Christ:

– You are the king of glory.

– You are the Father’s eternal Son.

– You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin’s womb.

– You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you.

– You sit at God’s right hand, in the glory of the Father.

– You will come, so we believe, as our Judge.

And so we ask of you: give help to your servants, whom you set free at the price of your precious blood.

Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory.

The final part of the hymn may be omitted:

Bring your people to safety, Lord, and bless those who are your inheritance.

Rule them and lift them high for ever.

Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and for ever.

Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us.

Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you.

In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame.

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Let us pray.

Almighty God and Father,

  we glory in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, your beloved Son,

  as we call to mind the great things his love has done for us.

Fill us with the grace that flows in abundance

  from the Heart of Jesus, the source of heaven’s gifts.

He lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

  God for ever and ever.

Amen.

[Salvation]

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Solemnity

Friday following the Second Sunday after Pentecost

Saint Margaret Mary's Vision of the Sacred Heart from a tradional prayer card

History | Readings | Litany to the Sacred Heart | Pope John Paul II's Angelus Message 2002 | Pope Benedict XVI | Family Activities | Enthronement of the Sacred Heart | Haurietis Aquas | Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

Devotion to the Sacred Heart is a wonderful historical expression of the Church's piety for Christ, her Spouse and Lord: it calls for a fundamental attitude of conversion and reparation, of love and gratitude, apostolic commitment and dedication to Christ and His saving work.

Directory on Popular Piety 172 - Excerpt on Sacred Heart Devotions

"With Joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation"
Isaiah 12:3

History of the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Devotion to the Sacred Heart is a form of devotion to the person Jesus, and especially to His Love.

The Catholic Encyclopedia details a history of this devotion. It observed that from the time of Saint John and Saint Paul there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, Who so loved the world as to give it His only-begotten Son, and to the love of Jesus, Who has so loved us as to deliver Himself up for us. But, accurately speaking, this is not the devotion to the Sacred Heart, as it pays no homage to the Heart of Jesus as the symbol of His love for us. From the earliest centuries, Christ's open side and the mystery of blood and water were meditated upon, and the Church was beheld issuing from the side of Jesus, as Eve came forth from the side of Adam. But there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries, any worship was rendered the wounded Heart.

It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that we find the first unmistakable indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart. Through the wound in the side the wounded Heart was gradually reached , and the wound in the Heart symbolized the wound of Divine Love. In the Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries devotion arose, although it is impossible to say what where the first texts. Saint Gertrude (d. 1302) had a vision on the feast of John the Evangelist. She was resting her head near the wound in the Savior's side and hearing the beating of the Divine Heart. She asked Saint John if on the night of the Last Supper, he had felt these delightful pulsations, why he had never spoken of the fact. Saint John replied that this revelation had been reserved for subsequent ages when the world, having grown cold, would have need of it to rekindle its love.

From the thirteenth to the sixteeenth century, the devotion was practiced as a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. In the sixteenth century, the devotion took an onward step and passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was constituted an objective devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises of which the value was extolled and practice commended.

The devotion to the Sacred Heart developed further during the seventeenth century. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), Alvarez de Paz, Luis de la Puente, Saint-Jure and Nouet and Father Druzbicki, small work "Meta Cordium, Cor Jesu".

The devotion was greatly increased by the visions Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), a French Visitandine nun at the convent of Paray-le-Monial. She had a vision of Christ's Heart on the feast of Saint John that was similiar to that of Saint Gertrude. Jesus permitted her to rest her head upon His Heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of His love, telling her that He desired to make this known to mankind and to diffuse the treasures of His goodness, and that He had chosen her for this work, (probably 1673, Dec. 27). In June or July o f 1674, Sister Margaret Mary said, Jesus asked to be honored under the figure of His Heart of Flesh and asked for a devotion of expiatory love -- frequent Communion, Communion on the first Friday of each month and the observance of Holy Hours.

In another visioin, on the feast of Corpus Christi 1675, Sister Margaret Mary reported that Jesus told her, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men...instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude..." Jesus then asked for a feast of reparation on the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi. bidding her to consult Father de la Colombiére, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. He recognized the action of the Spirit of God and consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed Sister Margaret Mary to write down her account and to circulate it throughout France and England. Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque was canonized in the 20th century.

(Principal source - Catholic Encyclopedia - 1913 edition, )

Twentieth Century Popes Promote Devotion to Sacred Heart

On May 25 1899, Pope Leo XIII, in his encyclical Annum Sacrum, declared that all Catholics should consecrate themselves to the Christ's Sacred Heart, and his intention to solemnly consecrate all mankind to the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- although the Pope pointed out that this would simply be giving Christ what is already His:

"[In His infinite goodness and love, He in no way objects to our giving and consecrating to Him what is already His, as if it were really our own; nay, far from refusing such an offering, He positively desires it and asks for it: "My son, give me thy heart." We are, therefore, able to be pleasing to Him by the good will and the affection of our soul. For by consecrating ourselves to Him we not only declare our open and free acknowledgment and acceptance of His authority over us, but we also testify that if what we offer as a gift were really our own, we would still offer it with our whole heart. We also beg of Him that He would vouchsafe to receive it from us, though clearly His own. Such is the efficacy of the act of which We speak, such is the meaning underlying Our words.

"And since there is in the Sacred Heart a symbol and a sensible image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love one another, therefore is it fit and proper that we should consecrate ourselves to His most Sacred Heart - an act which is nothing else than an offering and a binding of oneself to Jesus Christ, seeing that whatever honor, veneration and love is given to this divine Heart is really and truly given to Christ Himself. "

(To read the complete Annum Sacrum go to the Vatican Website: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_25051899_annum-sacrum_en.html

MISERENTISSIMUS REDEMPTOR -- Encyclical of Pope Pius XI ON REPARATION TO THE SACRED HEART, May 8, 1928 Pope Pius XI (also on the Vatican Website)

On May 15, 1956 Pope Pius XII wrote The Sacred Heart Encyclical, The Doctrinal Foundations of Devotions to the Sacred Heart in Scripture, Tradition and the Liturgy.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus continued to grow among pious Catholics until the early 1960s, when private devotions like this fell into sharp decline. Some believed these devotions were a distraction from the Mass.

In December 2001, the Holy See issued a Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (complete on Vatican web site) which encourages popular devotions as an authentic means of meditation on the mysteries of the Eucharist and of drawing people to a personal understanding of Christ's love and the meaning of His sacrifice. About the Sacred Heart devotion, the Directory said, in part,

"Devotion to the Sacred Heart is a wonderful historical expression of the Church's piety for Christ, her Spouse and Lord: it calls for a fundamental attitude of conversion and reparation, of love and gratitude, apostolic commitment and dedication to Christ and his saving work." (§172)

Click HERE for a Directory excerpt on this site on the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Pope John Paul II Focuses on the Heart of Jesus

On Sunday, June 24, 2002 Pope John Paul II's address before he prayed the Angelus with the faithful in St. Peter's Square explained the devotion to the Sacred Heart as follows:

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

1. The month of June is singled out, in a particular way, for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To celebrate the Heart of Christ means to turn toward the profound center of the Person of the Savior, that center which the Bible identifies precisely as his Heart, seat of the love that has redeemed the world.

If the human heart represents an unfathomable mystery that only God knows, how much more sublime is the heart of Jesus, in which the life of the Word itself beats. In it, as suggested by the beautiful Litanies of the Sacred Heart that echo the Scriptures, are found all the treasures of wisdom and science and all the fullness of divinity.

In order to save man, victim of his own disobedience, God wished to give him a "new heart," faithful to his will of love (see Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26; Psalm 50[51]:12). This heart is the heart of Christ, the masterpiece of the Holy Spirit, which began to beat in the virginal womb of Mary and was pierced by the lance on the cross, thus becoming for all the inexhaustible source of eternal life. That Heart is now the pledge of hope for every man.

2. How necessary for contemporary humanity is the message that flows from contemplation of the heart of Christ. Where, indeed, if not from that source will it be able to attain the reserves of meekness and forgiveness necessary to heal the bitter conflicts that bloody it?

Today I would like to entrust in a special way to the merciful heart of Jesus all those who live in the Holy Land: Jews, Christians and Muslims. That Heart that, burdened with insult, never nourished sentiments of hatred and vengeance, but asked for forgiveness for his executioners, that Heart shows the only way to emerge from the spiral of violence: the way of pacification of spirits, of reciprocal understanding and reconciliation.

3. Together with the merciful heart of Christ we venerate the Immaculate Heart of Mary Most Holy, Mediatrix of grace and salvation.

We turn to her now with faith to implore for mercy and peace for the Church and the whole world.

[Translation by ZENIT]

Pope Benedict XVI

ANGELUS MESSAGE
St Peter's Square
Sunday, June 5, 2005

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Last Friday we celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion that is deeply rooted in the Christian people. In biblical language, "heart" indicates the centre of the person where his sentiments and intentions dwell. In the Heart of the Redeemer we adore God's love for humanity, his will for universal salvation, his infinite mercy.

Practicing devotion to the Sacred Heart of Christ therefore means adoring that Heart which, after having loved us to the end, was pierced by a spear and from high on the Cross poured out blood and water, an inexhaustible source of new life.

The feast of the Sacred Heart is also World Day for the Sanctification of Priests, a favorable opportunity to pray that priests will put nothing before love of Christ. Blessed Bishop Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, patron of migrants, was deeply devoted to the Heart of Christ; we commemorated the centenary of his death on June 1. He founded the men and women Missionaries of St Charles Borromeo, known as the "Scalabrinians", to proclaim the Gospel among Italian emigrants.

In recalling this great Bishop, I turn my thoughts to those who are far from their homeland and also often from their family, and I hope that on their way they will always meet friendly faces and welcoming hearts that can sustain them in the difficulties of daily life.

The heart that resembles that of Christ more than any other is without a doubt the Heart of Mary, his Immaculate Mother, and for this very reason the liturgy holds them up together for our veneration. Responding to the Virgin's invitation at Fatima, let us entrust the whole world to her Immaculate Heart, which we contemplated yesterday in a special way, so that it may experience the merciful love of God and know true peace.

From a letter May 23, 2006, from Benedict XVI to Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach S.J., superior general of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), for the 50th anniversary of Pope Pius XII's Encyclical "Haurietis aquas" on devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

"Gazing at the side pierced by the lance, where shines God's boundless will for salvation, cannot then be considered as a passing form of veneration or devotion. The adoration of God's love, which found historical-devotional expression in the symbol of the pierced heart, remains irreplaceable for a living relationship with God."

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ANGELUS
Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, 1st June May 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On this Sunday, which coincides with the beginning of June, I am pleased to recall that this month is traditionally dedicated to the Heart of Christ, symbol of the Christian faith, particularly dear to the people, to mystics and theologians because it expresses in a simple and authentic way the "good news" of love, compendium of the mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption. Last Friday, after the Most Holy Trinity and Corpus Christi, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the third and last feast following Eastertide. This sequence calls to mind a movement toward the centre: a movement of the spirit which God himself guides. In fact, from the infinite horizon of his love, God wished to enter into the limits of human history and the human condition. He took on a body and a heart. Thus, we can contemplate and encounter the infinite in the finite, the invisible and ineffable Mystery in the human Heart of Jesus, the Nazarene. In my first Encyclical on the theme of love, the point of departure was exactly "contemplating the pierced side of Christ", which John speaks of in his Gospel (cf. 19: 37; Deus Caritas Est, n. 12). And this centre of faith is also the font of hope in which we have been saved, the hope that I made the object of my second Encyclical.

Every person needs a "centre" for his own life, a source of truth and goodness to draw from in the daily events, in the different situations and in the toil of daily life. Every one of us, when he/she pauses in silence, needs to feel not only his/her own heartbeat, but deeper still, the beating of a trustworthy presence, perceptible with faith's senses and yet much more real: the presence of Christ, the heart of the world. Therefore, I invite each one of you to renew in the month of June his/her own devotion to the Heart of Christ, also using the traditional prayer of the daily offering and keeping present the intentions I have proposed for the whole Church.

Next to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the liturgy invites us to venerate the Immaculate Heart of Mary. With great confidence let us entrust ourselves to her. Once again I would like to invoke the maternal intercession of the Virgin for the populations of China and Myanmar struck by natural calamities and for those who are going through the many situations of pain, sickness, material and spiritual poverty that mark humanity's path.

Readings for the Feast of the Sacred Heart

Collect:
Lord God, give us the strength and love of the heart of Your Son
that, by becoming one with Him, we may have eternal salvation.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

Year A

First Reading: Deuteronomy 7:6-11
For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession, out of all the peoples that are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set His love upon you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples; but it is because the Lord loves you, and is keeping the oath which He swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations, and requites to their face those who hate Him, by destroying them; He will not be slack with him who hates Him, He will requite him to his face. You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command you this day.

Second Reading: 1 John 4: 7-16
Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His own Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son as the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 11:25-30
At that time Jesus declared, "I thank Thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was Thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

Year B
First Reading: Hosea 11:1,3-4,8-9
When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of compassion, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one, who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.

How can I give you up, O Ephraim! How can I hand you over, O Israel! How can I make you like Admah! How can I treat you like Zeboiim! My heart recoils within me, my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my fierce anger, I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come to destroy.

Second Reading: Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose which he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confidence of access through our faith in him.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God.

Gospel Reading: John 19:31-37
Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with Him; but when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness--his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth--that you also may believe. For these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled, "Not a bone of Him shall be broken." And again another scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they have pierced."

Year C
First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16
"For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I Myself will search for My sheep, and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out His flock when some of His sheep have been scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the fountains, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and upon the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on fat pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over; I will feed them in justice.

Second Reading: Romans 5:5-11
Hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.

While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man--though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.

Gospel Reading: Luke 15:3-7
Jesus told them this parable: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

---

Litany to the Sacred Heart

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven, Response: have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, ..
God the Holy Spirit,...
Holy Trinity, one God, ...
Heart of Jesus, Son of the eternal Father, ...
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mother's womb, ...
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God, ...
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty, ...
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God, ...
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High, ...
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven, ...
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity, ...
Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love, ...
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, ...
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues, ...
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise, ...
Heart of Jesus, King and center of all hearts, ...
Heart of Jesus, wherein are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, ...
Heart of Jesus, wherein dwells all the fullness of the Godhead, ...
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father is well pleased, ...
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received, ...
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills, ...
Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy, ...
Heart of Jesus, rich unto all who call upon You, ...
Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness, ...
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our offenses, ...
Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with reproaches, ...
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our iniquities, ...
Heart of Jesus, obedient even unto death, ...
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance, ...
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, ...
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, ...
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, ...
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins, ...
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in Thee, ...
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in Thee, ...
Heart of Jesus, delight of all saints, ...

Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

V. Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
R. Make our hearts like unto Thy Heart.

Let us pray, Almighty everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy dearly beloved Son, and upon the praise and satisfaction He offers Thee in the name of sinners and for those who seek Thy mercy. Be appeased, and grant us pardon in the name of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who lives and reigns with Thee forever and ever. Amen.

Family Activities for the Feast of the Sacred Heart

1. Help the children make a small "shrine" or a table decoration with a statue or picture of the Sacred Heart. Decorate with flowers or candles. A fine family observance would be to say together the Litany of the Sacred Heart as prayers before bedtime. If the children are very small, you might abbreviate it somewhat. It would be most effective to say the Litany before an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, either a picture or a statue.

2. Suggest that children make a list of several acts of charity and mercy, representing Jesus' love for us, and write them on cut-out hearts. Each child to might pick one of these acts to perform for a family member each day of the coming week, as a special act of unity in love with the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

3. Cut out a large paper heart of white paper, and have the children draw a picture with crayons or markers on the heart of Jesus showing His love by healing the blind and lame, or feeding the hungry, or evenof Jesus on the Cross, giving His very life for us, for our salvation. Display the hearts on the refrigerator, or tape them on the door of the children's rooms.

4. Bake a heart-shaped cake or cookies. Make the decorations simple enough so that the children can help. See Valentine Page for Heart shaped cookies. A heart-shaped cake to celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart would have a single candle, representing the Light of Christ.

---

Go to Enthronement of the Sacred Heart

[Salvation]

Prayer of the Week:

THE APOSTLES CREED

 

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary.

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell.

The third day he rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of God, 

the Father Almighty.

From thence he shall come to judge

the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy Catholic Church,

the Communion of Saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.
Amen.

[trisham]

I was taught a slightly different version:

THE APOSTLES CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary.
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God,
the Father Almighty.
From thence he shall come to judge
the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the holy Catholic Church,
the Communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.

[diamond6]

Sacred Heart ping!!

[Salvation]

You called?

[Salvation]

Catholic

Almanac:

Friday, July 1

Liturgical Color: White

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Devotion to the Sacred Heart can be traced to the 11th century. St. Gertrude and St. Margaret both had visions of the Sacred Heart and told of Jesus' immense love.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: July 01, 2011
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Lord God, give us the strength and love of the heart of Your Son that, by becoming one with Him, we may have eternal salvation. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

RECIPES

• Heart Cake
• Heart Cake (cut-up)
• Heart Cakes
• Saint Valentine Cookies

ACTIVITIES

• Celebrating the Feast of the Sacred Heart
• Enthronement to the Sacred Heart
• History of the Devotion to the Sacred Heart
• On how our Work is Love, and how we can work with Christ to save Souls with our Love
• On Parental Duty and How Parents Let Their Children Risk Chastity
• Stitching Feast-Day Symbols

PRAYERS

• Consecration to the Sacred Heart
• Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Home
• Twelve Promises of Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary
• Nine First Fridays Devotion to the Sacred Heart
• Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• Act of Reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Iesu dulcissime - Reparationis actus)
• Prayer for Priests
• A Prayer for Priests and Bishops
• Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• Novena to the Sacred Heart

1st 

  Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Old Calendar: Sacred Heart of Jesus

"I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment" (Jesus to St. Margaret Mary).

Sixteenth century Calvinism and seventeenth century Jansenism preached a distorted Christianity that substituted for God's love and sacrifice of His Son for all men the fearful idea that a whole section of humanity was inexorably damned.

The Church always countered this view with the infinite love of our Savior who died on the cross for all men. The institution of the feast of the Sacred Heart was soon to contribute to the creation among the faithful of a powerful current of devotion which since then has grown steadily stronger. The first Office and Mass of the Sacred Heart were composed by St. John Eudes, but the institution of the feast was a result of the appearances of our Lord to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1675. The celebration of the feast was extended to the general calendar of the Church by Pius IX in 1856.

The Congregation for the Clergy has today to be the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.

Here is the message to all priests explaining this important day: It Is on Prayer That the Effectiveness of Action Depends and the Prayers for Priests, both for priests to say for themselves, and for lay people to say for priests.

Today is also the feast of Blessed Junipero Serra and St. Oliver Plunket. Their feasts are superseded by the Solemnity.

---

Close to the Heart of the Son is the Heart of the Mother
The Church, in this month of June, giving us the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, wishes us to understand the consequential devotion to Our Lady traditionally lived in the Marian month par excellence: the month of May. The Heart of Jesus is the See and Throne of Divine Mercy, revealed to the world in the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.

The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI speaking of the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus two years ago said: “In biblical language, "heart" indicates the centre of the person where his sentiments and intentions dwell. In the Heart of the Redeemer we adore God's love for humanity, his will for universal salvation, his infinite mercy. Practising devotion to the Sacred Heart of Christ therefore means adoring that Heart which, after having loved us to the end, was pierced by a spear and from high on the Cross poured out blood and water, an inexhaustible source of new life” (Benedict XVI, Angelus 5 June 2005).

The call which comes from this important feast day is first of all a call to Eucharistic adoration, because in the Sacred Host the Lord Jesus is truly present and He offers each of us His Heart, His Merciful Love. To spend time in the Presence of the Eucharistic Lord, to adore Him, is the best expression of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus which, as we know, spread all over the world thanks to Jesus' revelations to Saint Margherita M. Alacoque in the 17th century: “Behold the Heart which so loved mankind”!

As a prolongation and accomplishment of this message, the Lord appeared to another Sister in the 20th century revealing the abyss of His unfathomable mercy; she was Saint Faustina Kowalska who wrote in her Diary, now world famous, these words of Jesus: “I have opened my Heart as a living source of Mercy, from it all souls draw life, all approach with deep confidence this sea of Mercy. Sinners will obtain justification and the just will be strengthened in goodness. I will fill the souls of those who put their trust in My Mercy with My divine peace at the hour of their death. My daughter, continue to spread devotion to My Mercy, in doing so you will refresh My Heart which burns with the fire of compassion for sinners. Tell my priests that hardened sinners will be softened by their words if they speak of my boundless Mercy and of the compassion which My Heart feels for them. I will give priests who proclaim and exalt My Mercy wondrous power, unction to their words and I will move all the hearts to which they speak” (Book 5, 21 January 1938).

The deepest longing of Christ's Heart is that we discover how much he loves us, the extent of his tender love for creatures who, cooled by their selfishness, look only inwards at themselves, as if they were afraid to let themselves be loved unconditionally by their Creator, who asks nothing and gives all!

How society, culture, economy, politics today need this Heart! It is really true, the more man distances himself from God-Love the more he becomes 'heartless', agitated about a thousand things because he has mislaid the principal one: to let oneself be loved by Christ and to respond to this Love with our love.

Many times during history the Supreme Pontiffs have reminded humanity that without the Lord Jesus life has no real meaning, man gropes in the dark to find himself! The Servant of God John Paul II introduced the Church into the Third Millennium with a mandate to become “Apostles of Divine Mercy”. The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI picked up where his Predecessor left off and never tires to remind us of the necessity to rediscover the merciful Heart, this infinite Love of God, who reveals Himself in our lives if we open to Him. “Open, open wide the doors to Christ” the voice of the Holy Spirit continues to say. By means of Eucharistic adoration we are “opened” from within by His invisible working in us. The Most Holy Eucharist, celebrated and adored, as the Church teaches us, is the greatest and most effective treasure of our salvation, an infinite treasure which must be safeguarded with profound respect and deepest devotion.

Close to the Heart of the Son is the Heart of the Mother whom the Church celebrates the day after the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Let it again be the Holy Father who illuminates us with regard to this mystery: “The heart that resembles that of Christ more than any other is without a doubt the Heart of Mary, his Immaculate Mother, and for this very reason the liturgy holds them up together for our veneration. Responding to the Virgin's invitation at Fatima, let us entrust the whole world to her Immaculate Heart, which we contemplated yesterday in a special way, so that it may experience the merciful love of God and know true peace” (Benedict XVI, Angelus 5 June 2005).

— Rev. Luciano Alimandi, Agenzia Fides 13/6/2007

Things to Do:

• From the Catholic Culture Library read Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: Sacred Scripture by Bishop Raymond Burke.

• Bake a heart shaped cake or cookies in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

[Salvation]

Lauds -- Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer (Lauds)

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

---

Introduction

O God, come to my aid.

  O Lord, make haste to help me.

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.

Amen. Alleluia.

---

Hymn

To Christ, the Prince of Peace,

  And Son of God most high,

The father of the world to come,

  Sing we with holy joy.

Deep in his heart for us

  The wound of love he bore;

That love wherewith he still inflames

  The hearts that him adore.

O Jesu! victim blest!

  What else but love divine

Could thee constrain to open thus

  That sacred heart of thine?

O fount of endless life!

  O spring of water clear!

O flame celestial, cleansing all

  Who unto thee draw near!

Praise to the Father be,

  And sole-begotten Son;

Praise, holy Paraclete, to thee

  While endless ages run.

---

Psalm 62 (63)
Thirsting for God

Jesus stood and cried out: ‘If any man thirsts, let him come to me and drink.’

O God, you are my God, I watch for you from the dawn.

My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you.

I came to your sanctuary,

  as one in a parched and waterless land,

  so that I could see your might and your glory.

My lips will praise you, for your mercy is better than life itself.

Thus I will bless you throughout my life,

  and raise my hands in prayer to your name;

my soul will be filled as if by rich food,

  and my mouth will sing your praises and rejoice.

I will remember you as I lie in bed,

  I will think of you in the morning,

for you have been my helper,

  and I will take joy in the protection of your wings.

My soul clings to you; your right hand raises me up.

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.

Amen.

Jesus stood and cried out: ‘If any man thirsts, let him come to me and drink.’

---

Canticle	Daniel 3

All creatures, bless the Lord

Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

Bless the Lord, all his works,

  praise and exalt him for ever.

Bless the Lord, you heavens;

  all his angels, bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord, you waters above the heavens;

  all his powers, bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord, sun and moon;

  all stars of the sky, bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord, rain and dew;

  all you winds, bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord, fire and heat;

  cold and warmth, bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord, dew and frost;

  ice and cold, bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord, ice and snow;

  day and night, bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord, light and darkness;

  lightning and storm-clouds, bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord, all the earth,

  praise and exalt him for ever.

Bless the Lord, mountains and hills;

  all growing things, bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord, seas and rivers;

  springs and fountains, bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord, whales and fish;

  birds of the air, bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord, wild beasts and tame;

  sons of men, bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord, O Israel,

  praise and exalt him for ever.

Bless the Lord, his priests;

  all his servants, bless the Lord.

Bless the Lord, spirits and souls of the just;

  all who are holy and humble, bless the Lord.

Ananias, Azarias, Mishael, bless the Lord,

  praise and exalt him for ever.

Let us bless Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

  praise and exalt them for ever.

Bless the Lord in the firmament of heaven,

  praise and glorify him for ever.

Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

---

Psalm 149
The saints rejoice

My son, let your heart attend to me; keep your eyes fixed on my advice.

Sing a new song to the Lord,

  his praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel rejoice in its maker,

  and the sons of Zion delight in their king.

Let them praise his name with dancing,

  sing to him with timbrel and lyre,

for the Lord’s favour is upon his people,

  and he will honour the humble with victory.

Let the faithful celebrate his glory,

  rejoice even in their beds,

the praise of God in their throats;

  and swords ready in their hands,

to exact vengeance upon the nations,

  impose punishment on the peoples,

to bind their kings in fetters

  and their nobles in manacles of iron,

to carry out the sentence that has been passed:

  this is the glory prepared for all his faithful.

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.

Amen.

My son, let your heart attend to me; keep your eyes fixed on my advice.

---

Short reading	Jeremiah 31:33 ©

This is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks. Deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people.

---

Short Responsory

Put my yoke upon you and learn from me.

– Put my yoke upon you and learn from me.

Because I am meek and humble of heart.

– Put my yoke upon you and learn from me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

– Put my yoke upon you and learn from me.

---

Canticle	Benedictus

The Messiah and his forerunner

Because of the deep tenderness he feels for us, God visited us and worked the redemption of his people. Alleluia.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

  for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.

He has raised up the sign of salvation

  in the house of his servant David,

as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,

  his prophets through the ages:

to rescue us from our enemies

  and all who hate us,

to take pity on our fathers,

  to remember his holy covenant

and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,

  that he would give himself to us,

that we could serve him without fear

 – freed from the hands of our enemies –

in uprightness and holiness before him,

  for all of our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:

  for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,

to let his people know their salvation,

  so that their sins may be forgiven.

Through the bottomless mercy of our God,

  one born on high will visit us

to give light to those who walk in darkness,

  who live in the shadow of death;

  to lead our feet in the path of peace.

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.

Amen.

Because of the deep tenderness he feels for us, God visited us and worked the redemption of his people. Alleluia.

---

Prayers and Intercessions

Brethren, let us pray to Jesus, who is meek and humble of heart:

– Most loving King, take pity on us.

Jesus, in you is the fullness of divinity:

  make us share in your divine nature.

– Most loving King, take pity on us.

Jesus, in you is a treasury of all wisdom and knowledge:

  through your Church, reveal to us the manifold wisdom of God.

– Most loving King, take pity on us.

Jesus, in you the Father was well pleased:

  make us persevere in following your preaching.

– Most loving King, take pity on us.

Jesus, we have all received the gift of your abundance:

  pour out on us the grace and truth of the Father.

– Most loving King, take pity on us.

Jesus, you are the spring from which life and holiness flow:

  make us holy and pure in love.

– Most loving King, take pity on us.

---

Our Father, who art in heaven,

  hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

  Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

  and forgive us our trespasses,

  as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

  but deliver us from evil.

---

Almighty God and Father,

  we glory in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, your beloved Son,

  as we call to mind the great things his love has done for us.

Fill us with the grace that flows in abundance

  from the Heart of Jesus, the source of heaven’s gifts.

He lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

  God for ever and ever.

Amen.

---

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

AMEN

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

A HEART OF TENDERNESS AND LOVE

(A biblical reflection on the Solemnity of THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS, Friday 1 July 2011) 

Gospel Reading: Mt 11:25-30 

First Reading: Deut 7:6-11; Psalms: Ps 103:1-4,6-8,10, Second Reading: 1Jn 4:7-16 

The Scripture Text

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank Thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was Thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” (Mt 11:25-30 RSV) 

Jesus’ sacred heart is a heart of tenderness and love. Not an abstract love, but a love that actively longs for his children. We are His dear ones, and He deeply wants to soften, shape, and move our hearts to be like His. Imagine a child who wakes every day filled with a sense of adventure, eager for what that day holds. Yesterday does not exist anymore. Tomorrow may as well be centuries away. But today is new and filled with potential for great joy, excitement, and freedom. We can live this way by coming to know Jesus’ love and the freedom that comes from touching His sacred heart in prayer. 

Jesus’ sacred heart is an inexhaustible fountain of love. The love that flows from His pierced heart can never be worn out, wearied, or used up. The reservoir is always full of tenderness, wisdom, and compassion. Brothers and sisters, do you know Jesus’ sacred heart? Do you know that He was pierced for our transgressions and that in His heart is the promise of freedom from every sin we will ever commit? 

Every day, Jesus implores us, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). The rest that He promises is the knowledge that we are redeemed, that we can stand before God washed clean in Jesus’ blood, a new creation with unspeakable hope and dignity. No matter how often we draw on the resources of Jesus’ sacred heart, there is always more available for us. Mercy, forgiveness, and peace – the blessings of being a beloved child resting in His mother’s arms – constantly  flow in this fountain. 

Jesus loves us just as we are, in all our frailty and sinfulness. His sacred heart is our one sure foundation and our one hope of transformation. We can rest in the knowledge that Jesus is constantly ready to pour divine life into us whenever we come to Him. Surely His pierced heart is a trustworthy source of security and hope for us. As we take up Jesus’ yoke and yield to Him, we will know rest and refreshment beyond belief. 

Short Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your love and the tenderness with which You change my heart. Help me to unite myself to Your sacred heart, so that I might rest in Your will today. Amen.

[Salvation]

 

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Daily Marriage Tip for July 1, 2011:

Newly-married couples, when you find yourselves in a crisis…recognize that divorce is not inevitable and is certainly not your only option” (Follow the Way of Love).

[Salvation]

Secret Harbor ~ Portus Secretioris

01 July 2011

De Fontibus Salvatoris

Two Carthusians are featured on today's post for the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: first, Dom Antonio de Molina, a Spaniard who was Prior at Miraflores; and Dom Heinrich Eger von Kalkar, Prior at both Cologne and Strasburg.

He loved them unto the end. ~ Saint John 13:1

It should be noticed that the Evangelist does not say that the soldier struck, tore or wounded the Side of Jesus, but that he opened it. He uses this expression to make us understand why Our Lord chose to receive this thrust. By opening to us His Breast, Jesus wished to reveal to us the very great love with which He burns for us, and to show us all that He has suffered, He has suffered because His Heart was wounded with love of souls; and to prove this, He has had His Heart opened and left always open, so that, through this wide door, we may reach the centre of His Heart, and find a place of refuge in temptations and dangers. It was thus that all those who escaped the deluge found safety by entering through the opening Noah had made in one of the sides of the ark.

The rock in the desert, wounded, so to speak, by the rod of Moses, poured out such a copious stream of water that it was sufficient to quench the thirst and supply all the needs of the Hebrew people. In like manner, the true Rock, which is Christ, was struck and wounded by the soldier's lance; and from the Side, and from the open Heart, sprang a divine stream, whence flow the Sacraments, like seven fountains always full of graces and salvation for souls.

Consider also that the Blood and Water which flowed from the Side of Jesus, could come out only by a miracle. The blood stops and congeals immediately after death, and a corpse bleeds no more, whatever wound is made in it; much less does there come out real and natural water like that which fell from the Side of Jesus Christ. This is then a great mystery, and here is the interpretation of it. The Divinity nevertheless remained united to it and imparted to it another life, a divine existence of which it made use to shed the little Blood which remained within it, in order to show us that His love made Him give even this last drop, hidden at the bottom of His Heart, where neither scourges, nor thorns, nor nails, had been able to penetrate.

When a man empties his purse, he shakes the bottom of it to be sure that nothing remains there. Jesus has done this with His Heart.

Dom Antonio de Molina

O most merciful Jesus, I offer myself to Your Majesty and Your Goodness, and humbly commend myself to You. By all the Wounds of Your Body, by each drop of Your Precious Blood, by the infinite tenderness of Your Heart, I beseech You to receive me into Your favour and to deliver and preserve me from all sin. May my soul be united to You, O my God, by the most perfect, most fervent, most faithful and unceasing love, so that, with all my heart and from the depth of my soul, I may love You, seek You, desire You, praise and bless You, in all things and above all things. O sweet Jesus, my God, may I think but of You, desire but You, know and enjoy but You; may I be attached inseparably to You only; may I spend my whole life and all the powers of my body and soul in praising, honouring and serving You!

Dom Heinrich Eger von Kalkar

Posted by Jeffrey S. J. Allan at 13:18

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

This One Thing Does Love Ask

By

Father Mark

 on July 1, 2011 8:06 AM |

After Longinus had done his work
and done it well,
wielding the lance
to open with iron the floodgates of flesh,
there came a gushing torrent.
The waters of a river gave joy to God’s city (cf. Ps 45:5).
He, the One lifted up, poured out His heart like water (cf. Lam 2:19).
“He who saw it has borne witness;
his testimony is true” (Jn 19:35).

Zechariah’s prophecy was wondrously fulfilled:
“On that day there shall be a fountain opened
for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness” (Zech 13:1).
“O purify me, then I shall be clean;
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow” (Ps 50:9).

Ruby blood and water “bright as crystal” (Rev 22:1) flowed
burning like fire
washing in its tide,
and quenching the thirst of the few
who stood watching,
waiting in the shadow of Love’s outstretched wings.
“Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother,
and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene” (Jn 19:25),
and “the disciple whom He loved” (Jn 19:26).

“They shall look on Him whom they have pierced” (Jn 19:37; Zech 12:10).
Looking, they saw the bloody gash
and found the open door.
“I, through the greatness of Your mercy
have access to Your house.
I bow down before Your holy temple,
filled with awe” (Ps 5:8).
“There is one thing I ask of the Lord, this I seek,
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life . . .
to behold His temple” (Ps 26:4).

The arms of Love flung wide
and nailed there upon the tree
disarmed the cherubim.
The spear was raised to heaven
and, for a moment, flashed bright against the darkling sky.
A single thrust
and the “flaming sword which, at the entrance of the garden,
turned every way” (Gen 3:24)
was wrested by weakness from strong angelic hands
and hid again within its sheath.

The gates forbidden
became the open portal,
the lover’s embrace,
the safeway, the only way,
for no one comes to the Father (cf. Jn 14:6)
except through this door’s threshold
of given-flesh and outpoured-blood.
Here David’s song reveals the mystery:
the house become a heart,
the heart become a house.
“It was there that Your people found a home,
prepared in Your goodness, O God, for the poor” (Ps 67:11).

“Go out quickly to the streets
and lanes of the city,
and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame” (Lk 14:21).
“Go out to the highways and hedges,
and compel people to come in” (Lk 14:23)
that my house, my heart, may be filled.
“The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal” (Ez 34:16).

Cross the threshold by night
with faith’s unseen feet;
with hope a lamp for your steps,
enter by desire;
dwell therein by love,
and with John the beloved and those of his lineage
“have power to comprehend
what is the breadth and length
and height and depth,
and know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge
to be filled with all the fullness of God” (cf. Eph 3:18-19).

The pierced Heart
is Love’s last proof.
“For while we were still weak,
while we were yet sinners” (cf. Rom 5:6, 8),
the door was opened in Love’s side.
Plunge then, fearless, into the tide of water and of blood.
Wash your soul’s disfigured face
in the torrent of purity that to the image restores likeness,
giving loveliness to the unlovely,
There every bruise is bathed in love;
there, every old, unsightly thing
made fresh, and new.
This is love’s reparation,
for only love can repair what Love has made.
“Behold,” Love says, “I make all things new” (Rev 21:5).

Love’s joy is the one sheep
sought and found and prized above all others
“on a day of clouds and thick darkness” (Ez 34:12),
Love’s joy is Love’s Heart
opened for the sake of all,
inhabited by the foolish to shame the wise,
and by the weak to shame the strong (cf. 1 Cor 1:27).
Love chose “what is low and despised in the world,
even things that are not” (1 Cor 1:28)
and in these is the mercy of His Heart displayed.

Others come knocking, saying, “Lord, Lord, open to us”
but their greatness, their shining certitudes,
not their sins, prevent their entering in.
“Truly, I say to you, I do not know you” (Mt 25:12)
who have not known my Heart of mercy,
who have not needed my repairing,
nor known nor believed in love (cf. 1 Jn 4:16).

Only this one thing does Love ask:
that, “out of the depths” (Ps 129:1), we believe in Love,
and, preserved by Love,
never despair of Mercy’s Heart.
These are “thoughts of His Heart to all generations” (Ps 32:11).
Come, then, to the water that washes every impurity
and quenches every thirst.
Come, be repaired, restored in the Blood.
If you would be delivered from death, come (cf. Ps 32:19).
If you would be fed in famine, come (cf. Ps 32:19).
If you would be loved, come.

Just as Love withheld nothing of His Heart
in the sacrifice offered once from the Cross
so now, does Love withhold nothing of His Heart
in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
nothing from the Father,
nothing from us.
All is given,
and in this is the mystery of the Sacred Heart.

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

The Secret of Priestly Holiness

By

Father Mark

 on July 1, 2011 6:26 PM |

 

Photographs by Brother Benedict Maria Andersen, O.S.B.

I have so much to tell you
and, at the same time, all that you need to know . . .
is already given to you in the Gospel of Saint John, the friend of my Heart.

Yes, I have called you to become another John.
I want you to gaze upon my Face
with all the tenderness and adoration
that the Holy Spirit gave him during the years he spent in my company.
Even after my Ascension
he discerned my abiding presence in the Sacrament of my Love
and learned to contemplate there the glory of my Eucharistic Face.

John was the friend of my Heart.
When he saw my Heart pierced on Calvary, his own heart was pierced too.
This created between him and my Most Holy Mother the deepest of bonds.
This it was that sealed the covenant of filial and maternal love
that I established between them
by the virtue of my words from the Cross.
It was this that made their life together
after the birth of my Church at Pentecost
a model of perfect unity and of burning charity.

John and Mary together graced the Church
by living in fidelity to the words I spoke from the Cross
and by abiding in the mystery of my pierced Heart.
Their own hearts -- the Immaculate Heart of the Mother
and the pure heart of the son
were a single channel of mercy and of light for souls.
I want it to be the same for you and for all my priests
in their relationship to my Most Holy Mother.
Allow your heart to be pierced as was hers on Calvary.
Thus will your heart be united to mine through hers.

John's heart was mystically pierced
when he saw blood and water gush forth from my side.
Your heart will be pierced in the mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist,
not only when you stand at the altar to offer me to my Father,
but also when you remain in my presence,
seeking my Eucharistic Face,
eager to receive my instructions,
and allowing me to reshape you
into the priest I have, from the beginning, wanted you to be.

The piercing of your own heart will not be in a single thrust.
It will be a work of my grace
and an intimate, even hidden, action of the Holy Spirit.
You will know that your own heart has been pierced
when you begin to experience a continual and sweet union
with the Heart of my Mother and with my own Sacred Heart.

This I will do for you,
but I desire to work the same grace in the souls of all my priests.
Even in the beginning,
I wanted my friendship with John
to serve as a model for the other apostles.
I will not refuse the intimate friendship of my Heart
to the priests I have chosen for myself.
This is the secret of priestly holiness:
union with my Eucharistic Heart
through the pierced Heart of my Mother and of yours,
the Blessed Virgin Mary.

From In Sinu Iesu, The Journal of A Priest.

[Salvation]

Vespers -- Evening Prayer

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

---

Introduction

O God, come to my aid.

  O Lord, make haste to help me.

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.

Amen. Alleluia.

---

Hymn

O gladsome light, O grace

Of God the Father’s face,

  The eternal splendour wearing;

Celestial, holy, blest,

Our Saviour Jesus Christ,

  Joyful in thine appearing.

Now, ere day fadeth quite,

We see the evening light,

  Our wonted hymn outpouring;

Father of might unknown,

Thee, his incarnate Son,

  And Holy Ghost adoring.

To thee of right belongs

All praise of holy songs,

  O Son of God, Life-giver:

Thee therefore, O most High,

The world doth glorify,

  And shall exalt for ever.

---

Psalm 109 (110)
The Messiah, king and priest

With your gentle yoke, Lord, rule in the midst of your foes.

The Lord has said to my lord:

  “Sit at my right hand

  while I make your enemies your footstool.”

From Zion the Lord will give you a sceptre,

  and you will rule in the midst of your foes.

Royal power is yours in the day of your strength,

  among the sacred splendours.

  Before the dawn, I begot you from the womb.

The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent:

  “You are a priest for ever,

  a priest of the priesthood of Melchisedech.”

The Lord is at your right hand,

  and on the day of his anger he will shatter kings.

He will drink from the stream as he goes –

  he will hold his head high.

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.

Amen.

With your gentle yoke, Lord, rule in the midst of your foes.

---

Psalm 110 (111)
Great are the works of the Lord

The Lord is compassion and love: he gives food to those who fear him.

I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart

  in the council of the upright and the assembly.

Great are the works of the Lord,

  to be studied by all who delight in them.

His works are splendour and majesty,

  his righteousness lasts for ever and ever.

He gives us a record of the wonders he has worked,

  the Lord, the kind and compassionate.

He gives food to those who fear him:

  for all ages he will remember his covenant.

He has shown to his people the power of his deeds,

  he has given them the inheritance of the nations.

Steadfastness and justice

  are the works of the Lord.

All his precepts are to be trusted,

  they stand firm for ever and ever:

  they were laid down in faithfulness and justice.

He has sent deliverance to his people;

  he has set up his covenant for ever.

Holy is his name, and much to be feared.

  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

To those who fear him comes true understanding,

  and his praise endures for ever and ever.

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.

Amen.

The Lord is compassion and love: he gives food to those who fear him.

---

Canticle	Philippians 2

Christ, God's servant

This is the Lamb of God; this is he who takes away the sins of the world.

Jesus Christ, although he shared God’s nature,

  did not try to seize equality with God for himself;

but emptied himself, took on the form of a slave,

  and became like a man:

not in appearance only,

  for he humbled himself by accepting death,

  even death on a cross.

For this, God has raised him high,

  and given him the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bend,

  in heaven, on earth, and under the earth,

and every tongue will proclaim

  “Jesus Christ is Lord,”

  to the glory of God the Father.

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.

Amen.

This is the Lamb of God; this is he who takes away the sins of the world.

---

Short reading	Ephesians 2:4-7 ©

God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ – it is through grace that you have been saved – and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus. This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace.

---

Short Responsory

Christ in his love has washed us in his blood.

– Christ in his love has washed us in his blood.

He has made us a kingdom, priests for God, his father.

– Christ in his love has washed us in his blood.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

– Christ in his love has washed us in his blood.

---

Canticle	Magnificat

My soul rejoices in the Lord

The Lord has folded us to his breast, next to his heart: he has remembered his mercy. Alleluia.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

  and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation.

For he has shown me such favour –

  me, his lowly handmaiden.

Now all generations will call me blessed,

  because the mighty one has done great things for me.

His name is holy,

  his mercy lasts for generation after generation

  for those who revere him.

He has put forth his strength:

  he has scattered the proud and conceited,

  torn princes from their thrones;

  but lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things;

  the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel,

  he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers,

  to Abraham and his children for ever.

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.

Amen.

The Lord has folded us to his breast, next to his heart: he has remembered his mercy. Alleluia.

---

Prayers and Intercessions

Jesus brings peace to weary souls. Brethren, let us bring our prayers before him:

– Most loving King, take pity on us.

Jesus, holy temple of God, thrown down by men and raised up again by the Father,

  make the Church a tabernacle of the Most High.

– Most loving King, take pity on us.

Jesus, you love us with an everlasting love and in your mercy you draw us to yourself:

  renew your covenant with each one of us.

– Most loving King, take pity on us.

Jesus, you are peace and reconciliation. You renew mankind in unity and bring all men together in peace; by your cross you destroy all enmity:

  open for us the path to God.

– Most loving King, take pity on us.

Jesus, our life and our resurrection, you lighten burdens and give rest to the soul:

  draw sinners to yourself.

– Most loving King, take pity on us.

Jesus, your overflowing love made you obedient even to death on a cross:

  to all who sleep in your peace bring resurrection.

– Most loving King, take pity on us.

---

Our Father, who art in heaven,

  hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

  Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

  and forgive us our trespasses,

  as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

  but deliver us from evil.

---

Almighty God and Father,

  we glory in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, your beloved Son,

  as we call to mind the great things his love has done for us.

Fill us with the grace that flows in abundance

  from the Heart of Jesus, the source of heaven’s gifts.

He lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

  God for ever and ever.

Amen.

---

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

AMEN

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

YES”

INTERNATIONAL | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (July 1, 2011)

July 1, 2011
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Father Eamonn Shelly, LC

Matthew 11:25-30

At that time Jesus said in reply, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." 

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I ask you for the grace during this meditation to say “yes” to you at each moment of my life. What a beautiful program—that everyday I renew my unconditional “yes” to you. This acceptance must be based in faith and trust. I believe in you because you are truth itself and are faithful to your promises. You never abandon me or let me down. I want this moment of prayer to be an expression of my love for you, seeking to console you instead of being consoled.

Petition: Lord, grant that I may be generous with God and others.

1. Short and Sweet: When we confront the daily struggles and trials, we tend to get confused because we keep turning the problems around and around until they become such a tangled mess that they really begin to drag us down. Something similar can happen in our spiritual lives too. We begin to juggle around a lot of ideas and good desires and proposals but never really get anywhere because we lack clarity and direction. All we really need is just one idea and one word; “yes”. It’s a word which is easy to say, but at times difficult to fulfill. It needs to be part of our daily vocabulary to say yes to God and to our brothers and sisters. Jesus says to us, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

2. Learn from Christ: Our Lord Christ Jesus is the one from whom we learn what it means to say “yes.” He said “yes” at the moment of his incarnation and birth. He said “yes” during those 30 silent years in Nazareth. He said “yes” at the moments of his passion, death and resurrection, and he continues to say “yes” in the Eucharist. All over the world he is present, giving himself to us once again through this wonderful sacrament.

3. Sacred Heart of Jesus: A heart that always says “yes” is a heart that loves. Christ’s heart is a heart that loves all of us with a love that is infinite. The Sacred Heart of Jesus seeks to show mankind that his love reaches even to all those who say “no” to his will. His heart invites all of them back into his flock. We need never dispair. All we have to do is turn back to him, convert. He is waiting for us with open arms.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I know that you always said “yes” to the will of the Father. I ask you to grant me the same willingness to do your most holy will at each moment of my life.

Resolution: I will pray an Our Father for peace in the world.