HOMILY OF SACRED HEART OF JESUS — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: THE HEART OF JESUS
BY: Fr. Paul Karabari
Ezekiel 34:11-16; Romans 5:5-11; Luke 15:3-7
‘I will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down.’
The human heart is the most important bodily organ. It pumps blood around the body, carries oxygen and nutrients to the cells, and removes waste products. The heart is the place of emotions, love, goodness, and even evil.
Spiritually, when God asks for our heart, He is asking for our entire life, which includes our personality, character, body, mind, and emotions. The heart is the real person, not the person everyone sees. If the heart is always good, the person is called a good person. If the heart is always evil, the person is referred to as an evil person (see Prov.23:7).
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The essence and existence of God are identical. So God, who is love, has everything positive, including a loving, caring, understanding, and forgiving heart. The heart of Jesus is the most loving heart we can ever think of. His heart is committed to mercy, forgiveness, and love when we deserve condemnation. When we go through traumatic events, are hurt by others, walk through dark valleys, we are reminded that we have a heart in Jesus that loves us and understands our pains because He walked through suffering, was betrayed by a friend, was mocked and faced shameful death and yet He forgave all His offenders.
In the New Testament, we see Jesus’s heart for the poor and needy. He teaches that when we help others, we are actually helping Him. He says: ‘Whatever you didn’t do for one of the least of these, you didn’t do for me.’
Basically, human love is often conditional, while God’s love is unconditional. We may have lost confidence in human love and care. Man may have failed us. But God’s love is assuring and enduring. God’s love appears even extravagant. It looks wasteful and undeserving. In the Gospel of today (Luke 15:3-7), the shepherd loses one of a hundred sheep (a one per cent loss), but he goes in search of that one leaving ninety-nine behind. It is illogical by human judgement to leave ninety-nine in search of one. Or forget about ninety-nine to look for one. The loss is insignificant. In this country, we see how human lives are destroyed and counted as though they were chickens, with zero action and sympathy. God values every life He has created.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus has introduced us to the kingdom of God, a place of upside-down rules. This is a kingdom story that reflects the radical nature of God’s love. Ordinary rules of business calculation do not apply. The loss of one sheep breaks the shepherd’s heart, so the shepherd searches until he finds the sheep. You are highly valued in God’s scheme. Do not ever listen to any voice within or external that suggests something contrary. Christ would still die for you even if you were the only one on earth. We must have confidence in this love. Such is a wonderful heart of love for us. The tender and the loving heart of the Shepherd is enduring (Ezekiel 34:11-16).
God didn’t wait for us to become worthy before loving us. ‘God showed his great love…by sending Christ to die…while we were still sinners’ (Romans 5:5-11). Jesus shows us a new standard for love. He says, ‘Now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you’ (John 13:34); ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Matthew 22:39); ‘Love…without hoping to get anything back’ (Luke 6:35). Loving others God’s way often requires sacrifice.
Those who have a good heart can enjoy the following:
1.Stronger relationships: Built on trust, empathy, and understanding.
2.Positive impact: On those around you, creating a ripple effect of kindness and compassion.
3.Personal growth: Cultivating a good heart can lead to increased self-awareness, self-improvement, and a sense of purpose.
Our hearts are sometimes evil, but the heart of Jesus is full of love. As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are encouraged to imitate the heart of Jesus. We are to a heart that loves, ready to forgive, willing to care, and committed to sacrificing our time, treasure, and talents to make a better society. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God have mercy on us, heal our world, bless and protect us all through Christ, our Lord Amen. Pls, stay safe. Good morning
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