Religious Education
This coming Friday is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus… Let’s have a closer look at this special day in the Church’s calendar...
The Feast of the Sacred Heart falls 19 days after Pentecost Sunday, which means that it always occurs on a Friday. The image of the physical heart of Jesus is used as a symbol of the divine love Jesus Christ has for all humanity. Pope Pius IX made the Feast Day “mandatory for the whole of the Catholic Church” in 1856.
These are just a few simple facts about the celebration, and there is a lot of information available online about how the feast day began, but what does it mean for us in our lives today?
Often, the Feast of the Sacred Heart has been used to raise awareness of those in our communities less fortunate than ourselves, as well as being an opportunity to fundraise for Catholic charities to help those in need. This has certainly been the case in the past for St Bernard’s Parish.
If we are to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, and follow the Church’s teachings about how we treat each other, is one day enough? It’s great that we have this day to celebrate Jesus’ continuing love for us, and that it does bring the needs of others into our consciousness, but showing love towards others is something that we should try our very best to do all the time.
Showing this love doesn’t need to be constant, grandiose actions, but small things that we can do every day. It can happen in the way we treat our family members, giving them a hug in the morning, helping with the household chores, and being present with them when we can. It can be dropping your small change into a charity box on the way out of the supermarket, donating your good, but no longer needed, clothes and household items to St Vinnie’s or even spending an hour a week helping at your local church or charity. It can even happen on our way into work, by letting that one extra car merge in front of us, or giving up our seat on the tram or train for another.
We can still do those bigger things occasionally, but don’t forget the small stuff too!
We are celebrating Mass for the Feast of the Sacred Heart on Friday at 9:30am. Parents and family members are welcome to join us, and are invited to sit with their children in the church.
For those of you who would like to donate to those in need, please visit the websites and donate directly:
Good Samaritan Inn: http://www.goodsamaritaninn.org.au/donate/