Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Happy Solemnity of the Sacred Heart!

The readings for Mass this year (Year C) were all related to the image of Our Lord as Good Shepherd. The readings really spoke to me today- an important reminder in these crazy times that God always takes care of his people!

The first reading from Ezekial 34:11-16 was very profound: "Thus says the Lord God: I myself will look after and tend my sheep. . . . I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark . . . 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." Awesome!

The Gospel (Luke 15:3-7) was also very rich today. It was the parable regarding the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep behind in search of the one lost sheep and greatly rejoices at finding that one lost lamb. Our Lord sums it up, "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."

As I was reflecting on these passages, I realized that each one of us, in some way, is the one lost sheep; and, just like in the Gospel parable, our Good Shepherd, Christ, intently seeks us. We are uniquely loved and uniquely precious to our dear Lord, who longs to hold each one of us in his Sacred Heart! Never forget that!

Sacred Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, have mercy on us!

Loves of His Life

The other day, I was grabbing a cup of coffee at a local shop when a disabled woman came in and placed an order. She was difficult to understand (I think a speech impediment was part of her disability) and I could see the clerk struggling to get what she was saying. Eventually, it became clear that she wanted a smaller straw than the one she had been provided. Unfortunately, no smaller straws were available and this woman left-- strawless.

I watched as she left the coffee shop and walked over to a waiting taxi cab. The driver got out and came around to open the door for her. He was a strange looking fellow, to say the least, with a large wool hat on his head, and mumbling to himself as he came around the rear of his cab. The two of them made quite a pair!

Anyway, as I watched these two individuals, a thought popped into my head-- "Lost sheep of the House of Israel." And that got me thinking...

In a way, we are all "lost sheep" to a certain degree, wandering around in the wilderness of this world. Yet, lost though we may be, we can take comfort in the fact that we are loved. Not just loved, but loved uniquely.

Yes- you see, God loves each of us uniquely and individually. We are-- each one of us-- the loves of His life. We are, to Him, the pearls of great price. He is the Good Shepherd, and each one of us "sheep" is uniquely precious in His sight.

So, don't be too hard on yourself... and don't be too hard on others. Remember, we are all little lambs in the flock of the Lord.

Praise God!!