CATHOLIC HOMILIES: SOLEMNITY OF THE SACRED HEART
HOMILY THEME: SACRED HEART OF JESUS
BY: FR. GERALD M. MUSA
HOMILY FOR FRIDAY.
EZEKIEL 34:11-16; ROMANS 5:5B-11; LUKE 15:3-7
Rhoda Woets, an anthropologist conducted research on popular and religious art in Ghana. There she observed how the image of the sacred heart of Jesus appealed to Christians of different denominations. The image depicted love and affection. According to her, those who were attracted to the image of the sacred heart associated it with “Christ’s burning love and suffering for human sin.” She further explains how Ghanian priests saw the image of the sacred heart as a “didactic device” (teaching aid) that projects the core values of the Christian faith. Christian theology sees Jesus as the model of love and attracts sinners with his love. He seeks the lost, brings back the strayed, binds up the crippled, strengthens the weak, and feeds the hungry (Ezekiel 34:16). Jesus says, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). The climax of his love was in laying down his life for the ungodly (Romans 5:6). Let us ask Jesus to fill our hearts with joy, peace, and love, and may he dispel the negative emotions that weigh our hearts down such as doubts, fear, pain, sadness, grief, and anger. Let us repeatedly say this short and powerful prayer today: “Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto yours.”
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