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Message of the Day
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Such is our dependence upon God that we are obliged not only to do everything for His sake, but also to seek from Him the very power. This happy necessity of having recourse to Him in all our wants, instead of being grievous to us, should be our greatest consolation. What a happiness is it that we are allowed to speak to
Him with confidence; to open our hearts and hold familiar conversation with him, by prayer! He Himself invites us to it.
... François Fénelon (1651-1715), Meditation
"Cast all your worries on him, for he is looking after you." 1 Pt. 5:7 |
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Readings of the Day
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Daniel 13:41c-62
Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 John 8:1-11 Jesus went to the
Mount of Olives. At daybreak he appeared in the Temple again; and as all the people came to him, he sat down and began to teach them.
The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery; and making her stand there in full view of everybody, they said to Jesus, ‘Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, and Moses has ordered us in the Law to condemn women like this to death by stoning. What have you to say?’ They asked him
this as a test, looking for something to use against him. But Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. As they persisted with their question, he looked up and said, ‘If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Then he bent down and wrote on the ground again. When they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained standing there. He looked up and said,
‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir’ she replied. ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus ‘go away, and do not sin any
more.’
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“Thus was innocent blood spared that day.” —Daniel 13:62
Innocent blood was spared for Susanna (Dn 13:62). Innocent blood was not spared in Jesus’ case, so that we might be spared. Guilty blood was not spared for the two
wicked elders (Dn 13:61-62), but guilty blood was spared for the woman caught in the act of adultery (Jn 8:1ff). Our own guilty blood was spared, for God “did not spare His own Son but handed Him over for the sake of us all” (Rm 8:32).
The Israelites were spared at the first Passover by the blood of the Lamb sprinkled on their doorposts (Ex 12:7). They were to speak these words at every Passover observance: “This is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, Who passed over the
houses of the Israelites in Egypt; when He struck down the Egyptians, He spared our houses” (Ex 12:27). This is key: We are spared by the Blood of the Lamb of God sprinkled on our hearts. “And when I think that God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in, that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin” (from the hymn, How Great Thou Art). Jesus’ mission is to spare us from the fate our sins have
warranted. We are spared from hell by accepting His mercy. Our mission is to spare no effort to lead as many souls as possible to Jesus. Prayer: Father, I devote my life to loving and serving Jesus. Promise: “Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come.” —Ps 23:6 Presentation Ministries
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Spiritual Reading
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Dilexi Te: On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ, by Pope Francis (completed by Pope Leo XIII), 2025.
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/20241024-enciclica-dilexit-nos.html
CHAPTER THREE
THIS IS THE HEART THAT HAS LOVED SO GREATLY
48. Devotion to the heart of Christ is not the veneration of a single organ apart from the Person of Jesus. What we contemplate and adore is the whole Jesus Christ, the Son
of God made man, represented by an image that accentuates his heart. That heart of flesh is seen as the privileged sign of the inmost being of the incarnate Son and his love, both divine and human. More than any other part of his body, the heart of Jesus is “the natural sign and symbol of his boundless love”. [28]
Venerating His Image
52. While the image of Christ and his heart is not in itself an object of worship, neither is it simply one
among many other possible images. It was not devised at a desk or designed by an artist; it is “no imaginary symbol, but a real symbol which represents the centre, the source from which salvation flowed for all humanity”. [32]
53. Universal human experience has made the image of the heart something unique. Indeed, throughout history and in different parts of the world, it has become a symbol of personal intimacy, affection, emotional attachment and capacity for
love. Transcending all scientific explanations, a hand placed on the heart of a friend expresses special affection: when two persons fall in love and draw close to one another, their hearts beat faster; when we are abandoned or deceived by someone we love, our hearts sink. So too, when we want to say something deeply personal, we often say that we are speaking “from the heart”. The language of poetry reflects the power of these experiences. In the course of
history, the heart has taken on unique symbolic value that is more than merely conventional. 54. It is understandable, then, that the Church has chosen the image of the heart to represent the human and divine love of Jesus Christ and the inmost core of his Person. Yet, while the depiction of a heart afire may be an eloquent symbol of the burning love of Jesus Christ, it is important that this heart not be represented apart from him. In this way, his summons to a personal
relationship of encounter and dialogue will become all the more meaningful. [33] The venerable image portraying Christ holding out his loving heart also shows him looking directly at us, inviting us to encounter, dialogue and trust; it shows his strong hands capable of supporting us and his lips that speak personally to each of us. |
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