March 2020
For those of us who are committed to honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus and repairing the sins that offend him, Lent has a very special story. Jesus withdrew to the desert to refocus on God his Father and on his mission. Hestayed in isolation depriving himself of all external consolation (food, friends …) to live exclusively in fervent and continuous prayer while fighting against the tempter. During our Hour of Presence, perhaps we could make the effort to remain more united to Him: Prayer, Sharing, Patience, Purification of our Thoughts, of our Addictions, Deprivation, Penance, Perseverance … … All of this will keep us firmly in the faith, will help us to better endure the trials of life and will allow us to welcome the Resurrection in renewed joy when the time comes!
Firmness in faith
In the midst of the anguish and the multiple crises that society and the Church are going through, we are invited to remain firm in the faith! Just as the day after the Passion and the death of Jesus, the convictions of the dismayed apostles were shaken, so all the painful events of our lives can weaken our faith.
To avoid falling into this trap, we have the Holy Scriptures, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Eucharist and Grace! This should be enough not to sink. After all, the worst that can happen to us is a martyrdom of a few months, maybe a few years, but with Heaven’s assurance as a reward.
The Church has always known its persecutors, but it has its promises of eternal life, it is and will remain eternally young in its Creed, young in its sacraments, young in its priests, in its saints of all kinds. For us in particular, circumstances impose special duties on us. We often ask Jesus to increase faith in us because faith is a grace given by God. And when we have it, let us beware of diminishing it, on the contrary, let us strive to maintain it by frequenting the Sacraments, healthy readings, the life of the saints, fidelity to prayer… Let us take thoughtful acts of charity that can be useful to others but also to ourselves. And then the best way to make our faith grow, is still to dare to testify in time and against time: let us not forget the promise of our Lord: “Whoever will confess and recognize me before men, I will confess and will recognize myself before my Father who is in heaven. »(Mt. 10,32). Yes whatever the events of the world and of our lives, let us remain firmly anchored in the faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior!