THE HEART

I am reminded once again of the vision I saw several years ago at St. Martha's Church. It was the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It appeared to me, as I looked at it a few meters away, like Jesus was extending his arm offering His heart on his hand. So I asked Tita Piling who was with me at that time if that is a statue of the Sacred Heart because I had never seen like one before with the heart of Jesus being offered in His hand, and she simply nodded her head.  To my surprise when I came close to the statue the day after that was when I realized that it was indeed the Sacred Heart of Jesus on His chest but not as I had seen. A lot of people may find it hard to believe that I had seen Jesus holding His heart on His extended hand but the eyes of my faith can not deny but proclaim God's miracle for His greater glory. I really felt God's love being offered to me as symbolized by His heart held on His extended hand. It is indeed very consoling. I felt so relieved to be reminded constantly of God's great love. As I always draw closer to Him the more I get to know and love Him better. The sacred heart of Jesus should be our model and guide as we strive to live out the call to be a genuine follower of God. “When we open our heart to the love of God and to others, it makes us capable of shaping history according to God’s plan.”  - Pope John Paul II. In His fourth apparition to St. Margaret Mary, our Lord revealed His Sacred Heart, declaring: "Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it spared nothing, even going so far as to exhaust and consume Itself, to prove to them Its love.” Amen. Hallelujah!

Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13

1 Like a stream is the king’s heart in the hand of the LORD; wherever it pleases him, he directs it. 2 All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes, but it is the LORD who proves hearts...

The Lord knows exactly what's in our hearts and He alone can lead us to the right path. There are times when people judge us based only on what they see but what matters most is that we are right before God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44

R: Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.

1 Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD… Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart.

Today's gospel speaks of a big gathering or crowd that prevents the people closest to Jesus to come near Him. Whenever there are big gatherings in the Church you can be sure that Filipinos are actively taking part in these activities. I am sure God appreciates our efforts to always become part of feasts and celebrations in His honor but what's most important is that as we are active in taking part in these activities we not only become physically present and close to God but really live, act, and put into practice His word with all our minds, hearts and souls. Let us follow the example of our Blessed Mother Mary who heard the word of God and acted on it. In doing this we can be instruments of bringing more people to God through the Church. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 8:19-21 19 The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. 20 He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” 21 He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”