The Lord is My Shepherd
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
We are already at the end of June and we are reflecting on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is really the feast of Jesus’ Great Love. Some human organs have their symbolism; For example, from a person who is a rebel, we say that he “makes liver”. But when a person is good, we say that he “has a good heart”. It is because “the heart” is a symbol of love and kindness.
In our time, there is much talk of love, many songs speak of love and also most of the movies. But what love do they talk about? Regrettably, love is reduced to the sexual, or only to physical attraction or sentimentality. When the bible speaks to us of the Love of God, manifested in Christ, it speaks of everything else. God manifested his love when Jesus came to this world to teach us how God is and how we should live to be happy.
The love of God is not like ours: he does not seek to enjoy himself, but rather seeks to give us life. Another way of God who loves us is forgiveness: in that way he resurrects us and frees us from our sins and weaknesses. It is the joy of the good Shepherd who finds his lost ear. Jesus spoke to him of the great love of his heart, in his apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alarcoque, to whom we are often indifferent and ungrateful. That is why today we want to adore, thank and redress the Sacred Heart of Jesus. But we also want to imitate him to love as he loves and not as those of the novel and film act.
Readings for the Week
Monday: Gn 18:16-33; Ps 103:1b-4, 8-11; Mt 8:18-22
Tuesday: Gn 19:15-29; Ps 26:2-3, 9-12; Mt 8:23-27
Wednesday: Eph 2:19-22; Ps 117:1bc-2; Jn 20:24-29
Thursday: Gn 22:1b-19; Ps 115:1-6, 8-9; Mt 9:1-8; or, for Independence Day, any readings from the Mass “For the Country or a City,” nos. 882-886, or “For Peace and Justice,” nos. 887-891
Friday: Gn 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67; Ps 106:1b-5; Mt 9:9-13
Saturday: Gn 27:1-5, 15-29; Ps 135:1b-6; Mt 9:14-1
Sunday: Is 66:10-14c; Ps 66:1-7, 16, 20; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10:1-12, 17-20 [10:1-9]