Feast of the Sacred Heart

Written on: June 23, 2017

Although this message was sent to the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart, the message has implications for everyone seeking to live a deeper life. Thank you, Sister Julia for your inspiring words, along with the words of Pope Francis.

June 23, 2017, Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

On this special feast we’re invited to listen reflectively to the heart of Christ beating within and sustaining all of creation. This time last year we had our final celebration of this Feast with Mass at the Motherhouse, combining the celebration with a ritual of farewell. We had just learned that our 16 Sisters in residence at D’Youville Manor—the last Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart residing on the Motherhouse property—would also have to move. It was a bittersweet day of celebration as we gathered in Sacred Heart Chapel and bade it farewell. We placed our trust in God’s loving care and embraced our call to serve in unfamiliar places and discover new ways of living religious life.

We are now living his new life and finding it to be very graced. It includes an invitation from Pope Francis

“to deepen our ways of living mercifully, overflowing with the mercy poured forth from the heart of Christ”.

Pope Francis expanded the traditional works of mercy to include “care for our common home.” He explained that as a spiritual work of mercy, care for creation

“calls for a grateful contemplation of God’s world which allows us to discover in each thing a teaching which God wishes to hand on to us.”

As a corporal work of mercy, he said it “requires simple daily gestures which break with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness and makes itself felt in every action that seeks to build a better world.”

Let us celebrate our call to “put on the mind and heart of Jesus” each day as we rise to minister to the needs of creation through contemplation, presence and actions. Compassion, gentleness and mercy, healing words and deeds are sorely needed in our world.

May Christ daily renew in our hearts true zeal for spreading the joy to be found in living the works of mercy!

Sincerely in the Heart of Jesus,

Julia C. Lanigan, GNSH

President

This entry was posted in From our Sisters and tagged: Care for Creation, compassion, corporal works of Mercy, Feast of the Sacred Heart, gentleness, healing deeds, healing words, joy, Mercy, Motherhouse, Pope Francis, Works of Mercy, world, zeal