7 June 2024 – The Most Sacred Heart

7 June 2024 – The Most Sacred Heart, Year B

1st Reading: Hosea 11:1, 3-4, 8-9

I have no wish to destroy

Thus says the Lord:
When Israel was a child I loved him,
and 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.
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: Isaiah 12:2-6

R./: You will draw water from the springs 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. (R./)

Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name!
make his mighty deeds known to the peoples!
Declare the greatness of his name. (R./)

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. (R./)

2nd Reading: Ephesians 3:2-12

Paul preaches to the gentiles the rich mystery of Christ

You have heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you; how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, which will let you perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

Gospel: John 19:31-37

The death of Christ, the witness of John the apostle

It was Preparation Day, and to prevent the bodies remaining on the cross during the sabbath — since the 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 the other. When they came to Jesus, they found that 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.

God’s love made visible

Our readings overflow with the theme of God’s constant love for his “sheep,” just like the shepherd who tends his flocks. Jesus goes further, with his parable of the lost sheep, to show the Father’s tireless search for our salvation. Based on the “Heart of Jesus” as a symbol of love, the Church strongly promotes devotion to Christ as the incarnate love of God. A key text in St. Luke is about God the Shepherd who, on losing one stray sheep, leaves the other ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it. Later, in St. John’s Gospel, Jesus transfers this Shepherd imagery to his own life’s work. He himself became the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for the sheep. This developing awareness that Jesus is the visible manifestation of God’s love in our world gradually led to an explicit homage to the Heart of Jesus as the symbol of God’s love for us.

We find the first clear signs of a focus upon the Sacred Heart in the early middle ages, in the fervour of Cistercian monasticism. But it became a widespread popular devotion in the 17th century, largely owing to the preaching of St Jean Eudes (1602-1680). It gained greater impetus through the visionary Margaret Mary Alacoque in the convent of Rue de Bac (Paris), whose intense devotion to the Heart of Jesus urged her to “spread the treasures of His goodness,” convinced that He had chosen her especially for this work.

Still, requests to Rome to officially recognize the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus were turned down, until in 1765, the papacy allowed the Feast to the Sacred Heart to be celebrated in France. A century later, Pope Pius IX extended the Feast to the universal Church, with emphasis on the need for reparation for sins and abuses whether personal or social. Today, the devotion to the Sacred Heart underlines the centrality of Divine love, encouraging all to trust in God’s overflowing benevolence towards the world He has made.

A life-giving love

A picture of the Sacred Heart was a hugely popular image of Christ for generations of Catholics. It speaks of the love of Christ, a love most totally shown upon the cross. The pierced heart of Christ proclaims that “greater love” of which Jesus says: “No one can have greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” The image of the Sacred Heart offered the message of love in a very personal way, echoes in St Paul’s words, “I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” St John gives us one of the shortest yet most profound statements about God in all of the Bible: “God is love.” He adds that “God’s love was revealed when God sent into the world his only Son.”

Jesus is the supreme revelation of God who is love. All authentic love is life-giving and that is uniquely true of Jesus, the revelation of God’s love. In the gospel, He uses the image of “resting” to speak of that love. He invites all who are burdened to come to him and to find rest, to find life. Even a slight inkling of the tremendous love of God for us can have a transforming effect. It can empower us to love one another as God has loved us.