We have three Hearts to adore in our Savior which, nevertheless, are but one single Heart by their intimate union. The first is his divine Heart, which is God, for God is love; it is also the eternal love of the Word in the bosom of the Father which, with the love of the Father, is the source of the Spirit. The second is his spiritual Heart, which is the higher function of his soul, where the Holy Spirit wonderfully lives and reigns, and concentrates the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God; it is also his human will, whose work is love, love to the extent of laying down his life for us in obedience to the Father. Finally, the third is the organ of the body, hypostatically united to the Word, shaped by the Holy Spirit from the blood of his loving mother and pierced by a lance on the cross.
The most lovable Heart of Jesus is a furnace of love. He loves the Father eternally, immensely, and infinitely. He loves his Mother without measure or limit, which is abundantly proven by the inconceivable graces he has granted her. He also loves the Church—triumphant, suffering and militant—whose sacraments, especially the Eucharist, which is a summary of all the wonders of God’s goodness, are so many inexhaustible sources of grace and holiness flowing, as from an ocean, from the Sacred Heart of our Savior. Finally, he loves each and every one of us as he is loved by the Father. That is why he did everything and suffered everything to withdraw us from the abyss of evil in which we have been thrown by our sinfulness, and made us children of God, members of Christ, heirs of God with Christ, having the same kingdom that the Father gave his Son.
Our duty to this most loving Heart consists in this: that we adore him, praise him, bless him, glorify him, give him thanks and ask his forgiveness for ail that he suffered because of our sins; also, that we offer him, in atonement, all the joy given him by those who love and all the affliction endured by us for the sake of his love; and finally, that we love him fervently. We must also make use of this Heart, because it is ours: the eternal Father, the Holy Spirit, Mary, and Jesus himself have given it to us, to be our refuge in need, our revelation in doubt, and our treasure in difficulty. Moreover, they gave it to us not only to be the model and norm of our life, but also to be our very own Heart, so that we might, through this wonderful Heart, fulfill our duty to God and neighbor.
The Church observes the birth of John as a hallowed event. We have no such commemoration for any other fathers; but it is significant that we celebrate the birthdays of John and of Jesus. This day cannot be passed by. And even if my explanation does not match the dignity of the feast, you may still meditate on it with great depth and profit.
John is born of a woman too old for childbirth; Christ was born of a youthful virgin. The news of John’s birth was met with incredulity, and his father was struck dumb. Christ’s birth was believed, and he was conceived through faith.
John, then, appears as the boundary between the two testaments, the old and the new. That he is a sort of boundary the Lord himself bears witness, when he speaks of the law and the prophets up until John the Baptist. Thus he represents times past and is the herald of the new era to come. As a representative of the past, he is born of aged parents; as herald of the new, he is declared to be a prophet while still in his mother’s womb. For when yet unborn, he leapt in his mother’s womb at the arrival of blessed Mary. In that womb he had already been designated a prophet, even before he was born; it was revealed that he was to be Christ’s precursor, before they ever saw one another. These are divine happenings, going beyond the limits of our human fraility. Eventually he is born, he receives his name, his father’s tongue is loosened. See how these events reflect reality.
Zechariah is silent and loses his voice until John, the precursor of the Lord, is born and restores his voice. The silence of Zechariah is nothing but the age of prophecy lying hidden, obscured, as it were, and concealed before the preaching of Christ. At John’s arrival, it becomes clear when the one who was being prophesied is about to come. The release of Zechariah’s voice at the birth of John is a parallel to the rending of the veil at Christ’s crucifixion. If John were announcing his own coming, Zechariah’s lips would not have been opened. The tongue is loosened because a voice is born. For when John was preaching the Lord’s coming he was asked: Who are you? And he replied: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. The voice is John, but the Lord in the beginning was the Word. John was a voice that lasted only for a time; Christ, the Word in the beginning, is eternal.
Eating is important stuff, but there is also something very intimate about it. What I mean to say is that you don’t typically invite people over for dinner if you don’t like them because sharing food together is something that is communal and it’s also a gesture of friendship and love. For this reason, the words “Can you stay for dinner?” are the most Christian words we can say to another person.
What, then, does it mean for Christ to invite us to share in a meal that is Himself? It means that we are His friends and that He loves us. It means that no matter how many times we fail
to follow Him through sin, He always invites us back to His table where He Himself nourishes and strengthens us.
Because of what this sacrament means and the way in which it draws us both closer to Christ and to each other, I think of this as the most beautiful sacrament entrusted to the Church by Jesus. But at the same time, this sacrament presents one of the biggest issues in the Church. I love to talk about the experience of receiving Our Lord rather than define what the Catholic Church teaches about transubstantiation and the nature of the Eucharist. Why? Because we already don’t fully perceive Christ in the Eucharist! We know through faith that Jesus is truly present, but our senses do not perceive it. So, then, if we look at the Eucharist only through the lens of study, we can still fail to realize what a gift and what a mystery this sacrament truly is for us.
Transubstantiation is not some distant, abstract doctrine that must be memorized. It is a wonderful reality that takes place at every Mass. It is something we must all undergo: a transformation of ordinary bread and wine that, when received with faith and love, has the power to transform even the most hardened of hearts and the most unrepentant of sinners.
One of the things that amazes me about us human beings is how forgetful and ungrateful we can be. How many times have we sat through Mass, persevered through the homily, waited in line, heard the priest or lay minister say “The Body of Christ”, and then stuck out our hands thinking yeah, okay, whatever “Amen”? I’m not pointing any fingers at anyone here except myself, because I’ve done this often. But do you ever stop and think about Who you’re receiving? Does it ever strike you as you hold the consecrated Host that you hold Jesus Christ in your hands?
Jesus shows us a tremendous amount of love in this sacrament, so much so that it’s far beyond words. He is the God of the universe, and yet He humbles Himself. He is the Almighty, and yet He deigns to come to us, His creatures, as food. What more could we possibly ask for? Our God comes to us to give Himself to us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. What more could we ever want?
Hindi ako pumupunta ng simbahan dahil pinilit ako. Hindi ako pumupunta ng simbahan dahil natatakot ako sa impyerno kapag hindi ako pumunta. Hindi ako pumupunta dahil feeling ko banal o relihiyoso ako.
Pumupunta ako ng simbahan dahil gusto kong bigyang-dangal ang Diyos na pinananaligan ko. Para sa akin, talagang naririto ang Diyos gaya ng talagang naririto't nakikita natin ang araw; sa pamamagitan Niya, nakikita natin ang lahat ng bagay. Mararamdaman ang presensya ng Diyos sa marahang ihip ng hangin, sa paboritong kanta, kahit sa biglang sumusulpot na advertisement sa YouTube (pero hindi nakakainis ang Diyos). Pumupunta ako sa simbahan upang manalangin at magpuri sa Diyos kasama ang ibang tao, dahil hindi ako nag-iisa sa paglalakbay ko sa buhay. Iba't ibang edad, lahi, mukha at mga paniniwala sa buhay ang pinagsasama't pinag-iisa ni Hesus, na siyang tunay na nagmamahal maging sino man tayo.
Higit sa lahat, pumupunta ako ng simbahan upang tanggapin ang Eukaristiya - ang Katawan at Dugo, Espiritu at Kabanalan ni Hesus. Inaalala ko ang pagmamahal ni Hesus, maging hanggang sa kanyang kamatayan. Sobrang hinahangad ko laging makatanggap ng Komunyon; hindi lang siya basta wafer kundi tunay na presensya ni Hesus sa anyo ng tinapay. Sa pagdiriwang ng Banal na Hapunan laging nasa ating piling ang Diyos.
Inaanyayahan ko kayo, maging Katoliko man o hindi, na magtungo ngayong Linggo sa inyo-inyong simbahan. Hayaan ninyong kausapin kayo ng Diyos, sa pinakakakaibang paraan. Mahalin natin ang mga paniniwala't tradisyon ng mga Kristiyano. Tayo'y mga anak ng iisang Diyos. At dahil sa pagpapadala ng Diyos sa Banal na Espiritu, tayo ngayon ay napagsasama't napag-iisa.
Maligayang Araw sa Banal na Simbahang Katolika! Ang kaisa-isa, tunay na apostolikong Simbahang itinatag mismo ni Hesus.
