The WORD
today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/060316.cfm)
reminds me of Jesus' divine love for us.
Today
is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It reminds us of Christ's intense
and divine love for us.
What comes into mind when one
sees an image of a heart? <3
Some, probably the scientists
and physicians, would associate heart with science and remember one of the most
important organ in the human body.
Well, that is true.
However,
I believe most of the people would associate heart with love. And I believe that
is what Jesus, through the readings today, wants to tell us.
In the first reading we
see God as the shepherd taking care of us, his flock. He loves and takes care
of us. He protects us. Nanjan sya
kahit hindi natin alam, kahit hindi natin napapansin or pinapansin. His love is
unconditional, na kahit hindi mo
I acknowledge, kahit hindi ka magpasalamat, hindi sya titigil magmahal. He is willing
to die for us. To protect us. To guide us. To save us. And that is exactly what
Jesus did for us. He further explains this in the gospel, when Jesus said that
God wants us to repent so we can spend forever with Him. That's how much he
loves us. That's what he wants for us.
In the second reading, we see
the first reading concretized. Hindi na concept yung pagmamahal ni God. Hindi na
theoretical yung shepherd willing to die for his sheep. We see that
this love is true. While it is easy to love our family, friends and those who
love us, pero
mahirap mahalin ang kaaway. Mahirap mahalin ang sumasakit sayo. But
this is exactly what Christ did. He loved us while we were still sinners. He
did not wait for us to change and love him before loving and saving us. He died
for us while we were still sinners. While we were still hurting him. He died to
save us. That's how he loved us. That's how he proved his love for us.
God loves you even if you don't
love him.
Do I know that God really loves me so much? Do I value God’s
love for me? IS it enough for God to tell me how special and worthy I am, or do
I still look for love and affirmation of other people to make me feel good
about myself? How can I love others and make them feel God’s love?
May
we always remember how much God loves us, and may we be one with the psalmist
in proclaiming that because of this, there is nothing else we would want.
Dear God,
Thank you for
today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for your reminder. Thank
you for loving me, even if I am unworthy. Lord, I am sorry for sinning and
hurting you. Pero Lord salamat, kasi kahit pasaway ako, that does not stop you
from loving me. Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for loving me even
if I hurt you. Thank you for dying for me. Lord, help me value to your love for
me and may I find my worth in your love and not in others. May I always
remember how divine your love for me is. Today and every day, may I always
remember how much you love me, and may I be a vessel of your love to others.
Use me to make your love more alive in this world. Amen.
Blessed
day!
In
Christ,
-g-
Ps
See
related reflections:
June 3, 2016
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Lectionary: 172
Reading 1 Ez 34:11-16
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I myself will look after and tend my sheep.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark.
I will lead them out from among the peoples
and gather them from the foreign lands;
I will bring them back to their own country
and pasture them upon the mountains of Israel
in the land's ravines and all its inhabited places.
In good pastures will I pasture them,
and on the mountain heights of Israel
shall be their grazing ground.
There they shall lie down on good grazing ground,
and in rich pastures shall they be pastured
on the mountains of Israel.
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.
I myself will look after and tend my sheep.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark.
I will lead them out from among the peoples
and gather them from the foreign lands;
I will bring them back to their own country
and pasture them upon the mountains of Israel
in the land's ravines and all its inhabited places.
In good pastures will I pasture them,
and on the mountain heights of Israel
shall be their grazing ground.
There they shall lie down on good grazing ground,
and in rich pastures shall they be pastured
on the mountains of Israel.
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Brothers and sisters:
The love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood,
will we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how much more, once reconciled,
will we be saved by his life.
Not only that,
but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord,
and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Reading 2 Rom 5:5b-11
The love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood,
will we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how much more, once reconciled,
will we be saved by his life.
Not only that,
but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Alleluia Mt 11:29ab
Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord,
and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 15:3-7
Jesus addressed this parable to the Pharisees and scribes:
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance."
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance."
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