March 9, 2012

Reflection on the Spirit of the Sacred Heart March 9, 2012

It is true that we do not get rid of our character, as we might take off a dress; it is the work of a lifetime; we achieve it only with the grace of God by constant effort. St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, Thoughts and Sayings ( http://www.rscjinternational.org/en/spirituality/pray-with-sophie/celebrate-with-sophie/2780-fourth-sunday-of-lent-year-c.html)

For Reflection...    Like Jesus, who passed through suffering and was not incapable of feeling weakness (Heb 2:18; 4:15), I, too, have my experiences of weakness and fragility, of suffering and injustice, of the lack of freedom and the absence of peace.  Looking back at my life, I recall significant moments when I personally experienced weakness and fragility, suffering and injustice, or the absence of peace and freedom.   Suffering, our own and that of others in our Earth-community, leads us to the foot of the Cross, where "the pierced Heart of Jesus opens our being to the depths of God and to the anguish of humankind" (Consts. #8).   ( http://www.rscj-jpic.org/lent.html)                     Painting by Arcabas http://www.arcabas.com/oeuvres/index.php