Reflection

On Friday 28 June 2019 the Church celebrates the Feast of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Our theme this year has included ‘igniting hearts’.  As part of our rich Catholic Tradition we have a devotion to the Heart of our Lord, the Sacred Heart, that was revealed to St Margret Mary Alacogue in the 1600s in a country town in France called Paray le Monial.  In the visions of St Margret Mary, Our Lord revealed His Heart and it was  burning.  His heart was burning with love for all people, of all time.

At Nazareth this year we are aiming to ignite hearts.  The best way for our heart to burn, to be set ablaze is by being close to the divine heart.  The closer our heart is to the Sacred Heart, the more will our heart be set ablaze.  Jesus’ heart burns with love and desire for the salvation of all.  Our hearts can be set on fire with love for God and for our neighbour, if we take time to be with Jesus.  Through prayer, being still before Our Lord and opening our own heart to the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, our own hearts can be touched, changed, shaped and ignited like nowhere else to empower us to love and serve like we never have before.  Our love is limited, but if we tap into and draw from the source of love, the heart of Our Lord, we can have our own hearts changed little by little to be like his.

In our Catholic Tradition we are so blessed to have the gift of the Eucharist. In Holy Communion we receive the Lord Himself into our hearts and it is here in a profound way that our hearts can be changed.  Likewise, by taking time to sit and be with Jesus, present in the Tabernacle, we can have a time of heart to heart prayer with Him and allow Him in to touch, shape and change us.

As this feast comes, let us take time to experience His gift of Himself in the Eucharist and pray with all the Church:

O heart of Jesus, blaze of love,

Send down Your Spirits burning fire

To change our hearts to be like Yours.

Burning with Your immortal love.

Holy Family of Nazareth - be our inspiration and our guide

Jesus of Nazareth -  help us to grow in faith, wisdom and knowledge.