Reading and meditation on the Word of God, Friday of the 10th week in ordinary time
Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
June 11, 2021
Reading is delivered by Antonius Prasetyo and meditation delivered by Manette Maturan, from the Church of Santo Yohanes Bosco in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The reading is taken from the holy Gospel according to John (19: 31-37)
Since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately blood and water flowed out.
An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;
he knows that he is speaking the truth,
so that you also may come to believe.
For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:
Not a bone of it will be broken.
And again another passage says:
They will look upon him whom they have pierced.
The Gospel of the Lord.
The theme for our meditation today is: Flowing from the Heart. On this Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we want to see and experience the presence of the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ from which the grace and love of God flowing out and shared to all of us. Everyone who hears, accepts, acknowledges, and obeys this Sacred Heart is sanctified, for the touch of its flow is actually from God Himself. The heart of Jesus is not a vessel that stores or keeps its contents for Himself only. On the contrary, it’s a vessel with an open door through which graces flow and shared endlessly.
The evangelist John in today’s reading presents a scene that fits the above picture. From the body of the crucified Jesus, where His heart was pierced by the spear of the persecutor, blood and water flowed. Every mixed ingredient in a food product always gives certain degree of appetite. Likewise, this mixed blood and water from the body of the Lord Jesus Christ indeed gives all that we need to satisfy all our thirsts and hungers in the world. The blood and water from Jesus’ body are symbols of the sacraments that give life to the Church.
The nature the heart of Jesus Christ is love. All that Jesus had done as the expression of His love was actually the revelation of His Sacred Heart. Jesus never did merely what His own heart desired, because His heart and the Father’s heart are one, and they are united in the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we admire and praise how great, glorious, and holy is the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. No matter how hard and evil the human heart is, it is impossible to break and damage the Heart of Jesus. Such cruel sin and evil have been overcome by the Lord’s tenderness and humility that are flowing from the Heart of Jesus.
There was a mother fighting with her daughter because the daughter found some problems with her boyfriend. The mother wanted one thing, yet her daughter wanted another. They haven’t spoken for a week, haven’t even met each other. But through the novena of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus made by the mother, and the daughter after attending the holy Mass and doing a confession before going to that Mass, they finally met and talked. There was a reconciliation made. Their problem was eventually solved. The prophet Hosea said in the first reading today about His experience of change, which says: “My heart has turned from all wrath”. This could happen because of the power of God. The Sacred Heart of Jesus has changed the mother and her daughter from the conflict that has tormented them.
This flow of God’s grace and love once had made Saint Paul, mostly known to be sinful in his past, who ultimately transformed to be a great apostle of the Lord. The love of Christ is great. Where sin increases, love reigns all the more. The apostle advises that our hearts should remain connected to the heart of Jesus. The flow of love from God fills each of our heart. Let us not abandon our hearts to become dry because they are not touched by the graces of God.
Let’s pray. In the name of the Father… O Lord Jesus Christ, may our hearts be always flowed with the graces from Your great love. Hail Mary full of grace… In the name of the Father..