The Solemnity of
the Sacred Heart of Jesus
(Ezekiel 34:11-16; Romans 5:5b-11; Luke 15:3-7)
St. John Vianney, the “Cure of Ars,” lived in France in
the early part of the nineteenth century.
Conditions then and there seem to have been much like today in the
United States. Enlightenment thinking
made headway among the people. Many no
longer attended Mass. John Vianney
joined a band of faithful priests in trying to reconcile the people with the
Church. He did not preach because his
theology was considered weak. But he became
known as an attentive and compassionate confessor. In time people came to Ars from all over
Europe to confess their sins. It is said
that he listened to people sins with the “tenderness of Christ.” Today, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, the
Church celebrates that Christ’s tenderness.
In the gospel Jesus describes the love of God with the
parable of the shepherd and the loss sheep.
Even though the shepherd has many sheep, he goes through the trouble to
search one that is lost. The rescue
attempt is made in the desert where the shepherd may lose his life. But he takes
the risk out of love for the lost sheep.
Jesus himself is God’s reaching out to save every man and woman. He seeks to bring them peace and
happiness.
Having experienced Christ’s love in Penance, we want to
reach out to others. We will tell them
about Christ, the Good Shepherd, and how he may be encountered in the
sacraments. We should not try to water
down the teachings of the Church which have become an obstacle for many. But we can explain its teachings follow from
the gospel, are logically coherent, and have withstood the test of time.
