“Come to me … for I am gentle and humble of heart.” Jesus’ words quoted in the Gospel according to St. Matthew at the end of Chapter 11 have echoed through the centuries and touched hearts because of His great mercy.
Last week we celebrated the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and I would like to recall this feast for your reflection.
Pope Francis has spoken the word mercy more than any other word and, in proclaiming the great mercy of God, he makes real what the deeply spiritual have known for centuries from the mouth of Jesus. Jesus, who proclaimed blessed those who show mercy, demonstrated His mercy from the pulpit of the cross when blood and water flowed from His sacred side, and the Church was born.
Growing up I recall a large statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in my parish church. I visibly remember seeing that tender look on Jesus, beckoning us to come to Him, no matter our faults and sins.
While the source is scriptural, I am told that St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the early Cistercian monk, preached the theme of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and it spread like wildfire. Why not? We desperately yearn to hear words of comfort and mercy in a world too full of cruel judgments.
Later in the 17th century, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a visitation sister from Paray-le-Monial in France, was given the gift of visions of Jesus who appeared to her as the Sacred Heart. I recall visiting the shrine twice — in the early 1980s and again in 2003 — and was impressed that Jesus would choose a charming but rather laid-back town in rural France to appear to a humble woman religious.
St. John Paul II would make this devotion front and center in his promotion of the diaries of St. Faustina and the creation of Divine Mercy Sunday as the second Sunday of Easter. His early encyclical, “Dives in Misericordia” (“Rich in Mercy”), provided the great foundation.
To prepare myself for this feast, I went on pilgrimage … not to a distant country. I went next door to our Cathedral. On my own, I walked through the holy jubilee door of mercy, which at the Cathedral is to the left of the altar. As I walked through, I asked Jesus in His Sacred Heart to have mercy on me, and on the whole world.
Then I paused in prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel directly in back of the sanctuary. As I prayed for a renewal, I remembered our priests and all the faithful of the archdiocese, especially those who really are desperate to experience the mercy of Jesus.
As I prayed, I could sense the preparations for the meal that would be served at noon directly below the chapel. The Sandefur Dining Hall, now 14 years old, is the scene for the hot meal served to those in our community who would otherwise go without. I could almost hear Jesus speak the words of sending that fill the Gospel encounters with those who experience His mercy. He would send them forth to serve: “As I have done, so you must do” (John 13:15).
Walking out of the chapel, I exited into the exterior courtyard that runs along the south side of the Cathedral and, thanks to Father Jeff Nicolas’ creativity, I paused at each station containing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
Feeding, visiting, comforting, admonishing … all steps we are called to do or rather, Jesus will do in and through us … imparting mercy to others in His name. Freely you have received, so freely give (Matthew 10:8). Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.
As you reflect on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, please remember the priests of our archdiocese. This week, we gathered for our annual assembly at Saint Meinrad. This assembly happened at the same time during which we are called to pray for the sanctification of priests, so I ask for your continued prayers.
Hope in the Lord — O Sacred Heart Most Holy
“Come to me … for I am gentle and humble of heart.” Jesus’ words quoted in the Gospel according to St. Matthew at the end of Chapter 11 have echoed through the centuries and touched hearts because of His great mercy.
Last week we celebrated the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and I would like to recall this feast for your reflection.
Pope Francis has spoken the word mercy more than any other word and, in proclaiming the great mercy of God, he makes real what the deeply spiritual have known for centuries from the mouth of Jesus. Jesus, who proclaimed blessed those who show mercy, demonstrated His mercy from the pulpit of the cross when blood and water flowed from His sacred side, and the Church was born.
Growing up I recall a large statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in my parish church. I visibly remember seeing that tender look on Jesus, beckoning us to come to Him, no matter our faults and sins.
While the source is scriptural, I am told that St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the early Cistercian monk, preached the theme of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and it spread like wildfire. Why not? We desperately yearn to hear words of comfort and mercy in a world too full of cruel judgments.
Later in the 17th century, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a visitation sister from Paray-le-Monial in France, was given the gift of visions of Jesus who appeared to her as the Sacred Heart. I recall visiting the shrine twice — in the early 1980s and again in 2003 — and was impressed that Jesus would choose a charming but rather laid-back town in rural France to appear to a humble woman religious.
St. John Paul II would make this devotion front and center in his promotion of the diaries of St. Faustina and the creation of Divine Mercy Sunday as the second Sunday of Easter. His early encyclical, “Dives in Misericordia” (“Rich in Mercy”), provided the great foundation.
To prepare myself for this feast, I went on pilgrimage … not to a distant country. I went next door to our Cathedral. On my own, I walked through the holy jubilee door of mercy, which at the Cathedral is to the left of the altar. As I walked through, I asked Jesus in His Sacred Heart to have mercy on me, and on the whole world.
Then I paused in prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel directly in back of the sanctuary. As I prayed for a renewal, I remembered our priests and all the faithful of the archdiocese, especially those who really are desperate to experience the mercy of Jesus.
As I prayed, I could sense the preparations for the meal that would be served at noon directly below the chapel. The Sandefur Dining Hall, now 14 years old, is the scene for the hot meal served to those in our community who would otherwise go without. I could almost hear Jesus speak the words of sending that fill the Gospel encounters with those who experience His mercy. He would send them forth to serve: “As I have done, so you must do” (John 13:15).
Walking out of the chapel, I exited into the exterior courtyard that runs along the south side of the Cathedral and, thanks to Father Jeff Nicolas’ creativity, I paused at each station containing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
Feeding, visiting, comforting, admonishing … all steps we are called to do or rather, Jesus will do in and through us … imparting mercy to others in His name. Freely you have received, so freely give (Matthew 10:8). Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.
As you reflect on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, please remember the priests of our archdiocese. This week, we gathered for our annual assembly at Saint Meinrad. This assembly happened at the same time during which we are called to pray for the sanctification of priests, so I ask for your continued prayers.
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz
Papa Francisco ofrece oraciones tras sangriento fin de semana en EE.UU.