How Jesus Surprised Fr. Terrance for His Birthday – Jun 16 – Homily – Fr Terrance

 

Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN on Jun 16, 2023, where he gives the great little story of how Jesus surprised him on his birthday. Love it at the center in the plan of creation and salvation.

Love, a core aspect of creation, emanates from God who is love himself. In His grand plan of creation, He conceived the most potent form of love through Jesus Christ, symbolized by His sacred heart, a unison of physical, spiritual, and divine aspects. Just as we perceive love through tangible symbols, such as flowers, the heart of Jesus is a physical embodiment of divine and spiritual love.

Our understanding of the heart is twofold: physical and spiritual. Our physical heart mirrors the soul, conveying spiritual life and identity. The Catechism (368) - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/368.htm  defines the heart as where a person decides for or against God, the seat of will, and a symbol of love.

According to St. John Eudes, the heart of Jesus includes His physical heart, His spiritual heart (superior faculties of His Holy Soul), and His divine heart (the Holy Spirit). The physical heart of Jesus expresses His spiritual and divine love for us and His Heavenly Father, reflecting our divine mandate to love God and our neighbor, embodying the very essence of our creation by God.

An anecdote related to this narrative is about a benefactor's gift of a sacred heart vestment under three conditions. First, the sacred heart emblem on the back had to be red, symbolizing passion and love. Second, the vestment could only be used on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart. Lastly, Fr. Terrance had to celebrate the Mass. Interestingly, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart fell on his birthday, which he interpreted as a divine surprise from Jesus, reminding us of the joyful surprises and crosses that come with the transformation of our hearts and minds in alignment with God's love.

Ave Maria.

00:00 – Introduction
00:10 – Understanding Love and Creation
00:48 – The Centrality of Jesus Christ's Heart
01:05 – The Human Perception of Abstract and Spiritual Realities
01:57 – Use of Symbols to Communicate Spiritual Realities
02:46 – The Human Heart: A Physical and Spiritual Perspective
03:33 – The Heart in the Christian Doctrine and as a Symbol of Love
04:20 – Three Distinct Hearts in Jesus: Physical, Spiritual, and Divine
05:03 – The Profound and Infinite Love of Jesus's Heart
06:09 – The Two Great Commandments: Loving God and Loving Neighbors
06:57 – A Personal Story Relating to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Sacred Heart of Jesus - Solemnity
Readings:  - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/061623.cfm
1st: deu 7:6-11
Resp: psa 103:1-4, 6-8, 10
2nd: 1jo 4:7-16
Gsp: mat 11:25-30

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=1852

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