The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
(World Day of Prayer for Priests)
FIRST READING
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Hosea 11:1.3-4. 8-9
My heart recoils from it.
Listen to the word of the Lord:
When Israel was a child I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt.
I myself taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in my arms;
yet they have not understood that I was the one looking after them.
I led them with reins of kindness, with leading-strings of love.
I was like someone who lifts an infant close against his cheek;
stooping down to him I gave him his food.
How could I treat you like Admah, or deal with you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils from it, my whole being trembles at the thought.
I will not give rein to my fierce anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again,
for I am God, not man: I am the Holy One in your midst and have no wish to destroy.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm Is 12
Response With joy you will draw water from the wells of the Saviour.
1.Truly God is my salvation, I trust, I shall not fear.
For the Lord is my strength, my song, he became my saviour.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Response
2. Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name!
Make his mighty deeds known to the peoples! Declare the greatness of his name. Response
3. Sing a psalm to the Lord for he has done glorious deeds; make them known to all the earth!
People of Zion, sing and shout for joy for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. Response
SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of St Paul to theEphesians 3:8-12. 14-19
Through all the ages, this has been kept hidden in God, the creator of everything.
I, Paul, who am less than the least of all the saints, have been entrusted with this special grace, not only of proclaiming to the pagans the infinite treasure of Christ but also of explaining how the mystery is to be dispensed. Through all the ages, this has been kept hidden in God, the creator of everything. Why? So that the Sovereignties and Powers should learn only now, through the Church, how comprehensive God’s wisdom really is, exactly according to the plan which he had had from all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is why we are bold enough to approach God in complete confidence, through our faith in him.
This, then, is what I pray, kneeling before the Father, from whom every family, whether spiritual or natural, takes its name: Out of his infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation Mt 11:29
Alleluia, alleluia!
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.
Alleluia!
or I Jn 4: 10
Alleluia, alleluia!
This is the love I mean:
God’s love for us when he sent his Son to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you And with your spirit.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 19:31-37 Glory to you, O Lord.
One of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water.
It was Preparation Day, and to prevent the bodies remaining on the cross during the sabbath since that sabbath was a day of special solemnity – the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other.
When they came to Jesus, they found he was already dead, and instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water. This is the evidence of one who saw it – trustworthy evidence, and he knows he speaks the truth – and he gives it so that you may believe as well because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture: Not one bone of his will be broken;
And again, in another place scripture says: They will look on the one whom they have pierced.’
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
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Gospel Reflection Friday, Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus John 19:31-37
In the traditional image of the Sacred Heart, Jesus reveals a heart that has been pierced. That image is probably inspired by today’s gospel reading, where a soldier pierces the side of Jesus, and immediately a flow of blood and water came forth. In that culture, blood and water were, in different ways, symbols of life. Through this scene, the evangelist is saying that the death of Jesus has been life-giving for all. We know from experience that truly selfless human love is always life-giving for those who receive such love. Jesus’ death on the cross revealed to the full his self-emptying love for us all. It is because his death was an expression of his love, God’s love, that it brings us life, symbolized by the flow of blood and water.
Earlier in this gospel of John Jesus had said that no one has greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. On the cross, Jesus revealed that greater love to the fullest possible extent. That is why we look upon the cross not just as an instrument of death but as a source of life. Earlier in John’s gospel Jesus had said that he came that we may life and have it to the full, and he completes that life-giving mission on the cross.
Jesus was full of God’s love, throughout his ministry, but especially so on the cross. He calls on us to receive from his fullness, to open our hearts to the love that filled his heart. In the language of Saint Paul in today’s second reading, our lives are to be planted in the Lord’s love and to be built on his love. Today’s feast calls on us to be receptive to the fullness of God’s love poured out upon us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. In receiving this ‘greater love’, we will become more alive, and we will be empowered to love one another as the Lord has loved us, and, thereby, become the same life-giving presence for others that the Lord is for us.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd.
