CHRIST’s sacred heart symbolizes forgiveness for those who repent and seek a life of holiness, a Dominican priest said during the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday, June 16, at the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church.
Citing the 12 promises of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, UST-Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy Regent Fr. Franklin Beltran, O.P. described the heart of Jesus Christ as a “safe refuge” and an “infinite ocean of mercy.”
“In these promises, the Lord […] revealed to us the mystery of His merciful love, not only for our consolation, not only to give us personal predicates, not only to increase our faith but to teach us to be merciful, as our heavenly father is merciful,” the former UST parish priest said.
“Our Lord is so kind, so merciful, [even if] every time we are at fault, He is always there. He lifts us up to continue our journey toward His love,” he added.
Alacoque is a French nun whose visions of Christ in 1673 led to the propagation of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Fr. Artemio Fabros, parish priest of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Sta. Mesa, Manila, urged the faithful to make the most of their devotion as the church opened its Jubilee Door in January.
“Lahat ng puwedeng magandang mangyayari sa ating buhay, ibibigay ng Panginoon. Ngunit, pag hindi natin tatanggapin ‘yung biyaya, masasayang ang jubileo,” Fabros said in his homily on Friday.
Visitors passing through the door may gain an indulgence.
Fabros added that Jesus must remain at the center of the journey of each Catholic amid tiresome struggles. “Kapag napapagod, tumahimik lang at magdasal. Lalapit ang Diyos,” he said.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated every third Friday after Pentecost Sunday to commemorate Jesus’s divine manifestation of love toward humanity. With reports from Jenna Mariel A. Gonzales and Ammiel B. Maestrado
