SACRED HEART OF JESUS
A Loving and Trusted Guide
Are we ever sure that love is genuine, that it is going to last and to remain strong? Yes, we are sure that it is authentic when it is tested and tried in difficulties, when it can weather all storms, when it survives disappointments and betrayals. True love wears often such scars that have not destroyed love but often deepened it. We discover such dependable love in God, the source of all love, as evidenced in the heart of his Son. He does not give up on us. The gospel expresses this in the image of the Good Shepherd: Christ who leads his people, seeks out what is lost, brings together what is scattered and binds the wounds of the injured. Let us celebrate this love without measure.
First Reading (Ez 34:11-16) The Lost I Will Seek Out
“‘God, the Master, says: From now on, I myself am the shepherd. I’m going looking for them. As shepherds go after their flocks when they get scattered, I’m going after my sheep. I’ll rescue them from all the places they’ve been scattered to in the storms. I’ll bring them back from foreign peoples, gather them from foreign countries, and bring them back to their home country. I’ll feed them on the mountains of Israel, along the streams, among their own people. I’ll lead them into lush pasture so they can roam the mountain pastures of Israel, graze at leisure, feed in the rich pastures on the mountains of Israel. And I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep. I myself will make sure they get plenty of rest. I’ll go after the lost, I’ll collect the strays, I’ll doctor the injured, I’ll build up the weak ones and oversee the strong ones so they’re not exploited.
Second Reading (Rom 5:5-11) The Proof of God’s Love
There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!
Gospel (Lk 15:3-7) Share My Joy: I Have Found My Lost Sheep
By this time a lot of men and women of questionable reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story. “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.
Prayer
How can we ever thank you enough,
our faithful God,
for keeping us in the heart of your Son?
He did not abandon those crushed
under the weight of their sins
but sought them out, lifted them up
and walked by their side.
We praise you for your goodness,
for letting him give us fresh courage
when tired we sat down by the side of the road.
We are certain that he loves us
and will guide us to you, our God for ever. Amen.