20210611 THE HEART OF CHRISTIANITY
11 June, 2021, Friday, The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
First reading |
Hosea 11:1,3-4,8-9 © |
I will not give rein to my fierce anger, for I am God, not man
Listen to the word of the Lord:
When Israel was a child I loved him,
and I called my son out of Egypt.
I myself taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them in my arms;
yet they have not understood that I was the one looking after them.
I led them with reins of kindness,
with leading-strings of love.
I was like someone who lifts an infant close against his cheek;
stooping down to him I gave him his food.
Ephraim, how could I part with you?
Israel, how could I give you up?
How could I treat you like Admah,
or deal with you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils from it,
my whole being trembles at the thought.
I will not give rein to my fierce anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again,
for I am God, not man:
I am the Holy One in your midst
and have no wish to destroy.
Responsorial Psalm | Isaiah 12 © |
The rejoicing of a redeemed people
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Truly, God is my salvation,
I trust, I shall not fear.
For the Lord is my strength, my song,
he became my saviour.
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name!
Make his mighty deeds known to the peoples!
Declare the greatness of his name.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Sing a psalm to the Lord
for he has done glorious deeds;
make them known to all the earth!
People of Zion, sing and shout for joy,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Second reading |
Ephesians 3:8-12,14-19 © |
The love of Christ is beyond all knowledge
I, Paul, who am less than the least of all the saints have been entrusted with this special grace, not only of proclaiming to the pagans the infinite treasure of Christ but also of explaining how the mystery is to be dispensed. Through all the ages, this has been kept hidden in God, the creator of everything. Why? So that the Sovereignties and Powers should learn only now, through the Church, how comprehensive God’s wisdom really is, exactly according to the plan which he had had from all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is why we are bold enough to approach God in complete confidence, through our faith in him.
This, then, is what I pray, kneeling before the Father, from whom every family, whether spiritual or natural, takes its name:
Out of his infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.
Gospel Acclamation | 1Jn4:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
This is the love I mean:
God’s love for us when he sent his Son
to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt11:29 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 19:31-37 © |
Out of his pierced side there came out blood and water
It was Preparation Day, and to prevent 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 found 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 – trustworthy evidence, and he knows he speaks the truth – 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 on the one whom they have pierced.
THE HEART OF CHRISTIANITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Hos 11:1, 3-4, 8-9; Isa 12:2-6; Eph 3:8-12, 14-19; Jn 19:31-37]
Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In celebrating this Feast, the Church celebrates the heart of Christianity, which is love. The heart is always used as a symbol of love. This feast is the culmination of the celebration of the Paschal Mystery of Christ, which was then followed by the Feast of the Holy Trinity and the Body and Blood of Christ. In the final analysis, whether we are celebrating Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, Pentecost, Holy Trinity and Corpus Christi, we are celebrating the different facets of the love of Christ and of our Father Himself. For the heart of Christianity is summed up in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
The scripture readings invite us to ponder on the love of God for us in Christ. God’s love is a tender love. Hosea speaks of the tender love of God when he wrote, “When Israel was a child I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt. I myself taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in my arms; yet they have not understood that I was the one looking after them. I led them with reins of kindness, with leading-strings of love. I was like someone who lifts an infant close against his cheek; stooping down to him I gave him his food.” God’s love for us is like a mother for her child. It is a patient love with much tenderness and warmth. God always looks after us, guides us gently and provides for our needs.
Secondly, God’s love is one of long-suffering mercy and compassion. In spite of the fact that Israel was unfaithful to Yahweh and ignorant of His love for them, the Lord said, “Ephraim, how could I part with you? Israel, how could I give you up? How could I treat you like Admah, or deal with you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils from it, my whole being trembles at the thought. I will not give rein to my fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again, for I am God, not man: I am the Holy One in your midst and have no wish to destroy.” Indeed, no mother would destroy her child no matter how incorrigible and rebellious the child is. When Israel complained, “The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me”, God said “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” (Isa 49:14-16) God is always compassionate and willing to suffer the rejection of His children, hoping that one day, they will repent and come to realize their folly. All parents wait for their children to grow in maturity and grace. Like Mary, the heart of Jesus was pierced for our sins, especially of ingratitude. “When they came to Jesus, they found he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance.”
Thirdly, His love is a forgiving love. He allows His heart to be pierced by those who reject Him so that He can win them over by His mercy and forgiveness. On the cross, He forgave and prayed for His enemies. “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” He had no resentment, no anger, no hatred and no vindictiveness. Jesus showed us the heart of the Father. He lived out what He preached. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Mt 5:44) This was what St Paul wrote, “While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person -though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:6-8; 9-10) Indeed, when blood and water flowed from His side, it showed that His death was truly a living sacrifice. He was the true Passover Lamb offered as an atonement for our sins. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
If love is the heart of Christianity, it also means that our mission is essentially one of tender love, mercy and forgiveness as well. The work of evangelization is not about proselytism or getting new converts. Rather, it is to mediate the unconditional and unimaginable love of God for the world. The message of the gospel is about love and mercy. We must therefore not dissociate our devotion to the liturgy, the scriptures and the doctrines of the Church from the concrete expression of extending the Good News of love and mercy to the world. As St John makes it clear, “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.” (1 Jn 4:20f) Through our love for people, they will come to encounter the Good News, Christ in person. Conversion and baptism are the consequence of encountering God’s love in Christ through the Christian community.
Conversely, it is unthinkable for Catholics to be involved in humanitarian works without rooting their works of mercy in Christ. When that happens, humanitarian work becomes purely humanitarian, that is to say, our identification with the pains of our fellowmen. Such identification can lead to a radical desire to uplift their suffering but one can become so radical that he or she becomes angry with the rest of the world and with God. It leads to a messianic complex. We help because we feel good that we are their saviours. It can be reduced simply to a cause which we support, an ideology even, and sometimes with ulterior motives. Humanitarian works must flow from the love of Christ for us. Humanitarian works is to mediate the tender, merciful, compassionate and forgiving love of Christ. It is performed with humility, with deep respect for the dignity of the poor; and with great patience and understanding.
Hence, it is important that the proclamation of God’s love and mercy in words and deeds presupposes that we are captivated by the love and mercy of God as St Paul was when he wrote, “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.” (2 Cor 5:14f) Unless we are captivated by His love, we will lack zeal and the right motive in explicit or explicit evangelization. St Paul understood the depth of God’s love when he wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:19f)
For many of us, we are captivated by reason at most, or by routine and culture. We are Catholic because we think the doctrines of the Church seem acceptable, or because we have been brought up in a Catholic environment, or we are used to the practices of the faith. Such perfunctory observance of the Faith will not stir up our faith either to love or to share the Good News. This is why the Lord reminds us, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. (Jn 15:9-11) This is the prayer of St Paul for us all, when he wrote, “Out of his infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.”
And we can grasp His love only when we continue to contemplate on His love for us in His passion on the Cross, celebrating the Eucharist daily, contemplating on His word and sacrificial love, praying the rosary, contemplating on the life of Christ and Mary, by our devotion to the Divine Mercy. These are the means by which we can enter into the depth of God’s love and mercy. This is what the prophet Zechariah invites us to, “And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” (Zech 12:10) Christ was pierced in the heart for us so that looking at Him, we will understand the depth of His love for us, and motivated by His love, we in turn bring His love to others.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment