Friday 12 June – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Reflection: Ephesians 3: 8-12, 14-19

STRENGHT IN THE INNER PERSON

Good diet and regular physical exercise go a long way in providing vitality to the human body. Without the required vigour our ability to pursue our daily engagements will be seriously impaired. This we can readily testify to from our experiences in times of sickness.

Though we generally try to do all within our ability to stay physically fit, how about our inner wellness; how much attention do we pay to this? By inner wellness, I mean our emotional, intellectual and most importantly spiritual wellness. Without harmony within, we would lack the capacity and drive to positively impact our world, a good bodily health notwithstanding. Therefore as youth, full of vigour and dreams, we need to pay good attention to the development of inner beings. We have a responsibility to stretch our intellectual capacity through deliberate reading of good books. We need to master our emotion and impulses and positively channel these to noble ventures.

From today’s Second reading we see that it is the Holy Spirit that empowers our mind to grow in the Lord. It is He that reveals ourselves to us and communicates the deep thing of God to us.  Cut away from God, we are vulnerable and at the mercy of canal and demonic manipulations. These can manifest as gluttony, avarice, uncontrolled anger, greed, lust, pride, sloth etc. The virtues that truly stand us out as bearers of God’s image (Imago Dei) are not easily developed, we need the abiding presence of God to cultivate and grow in these.

Dear friend, what is the state if your inner being? Are you going through a state of emptiness and dryness; Lacking in strength to pursue your noble dreams? You need God! You need to seek Him for renewal. Sin robs us of our strength and spiritual negligence gradually disarms us. Let us cry to God in prayer. We must not give up on ourselves for the Lord truly makes his grace available to those who call to Him in faith and singleness of heart.

PRAYER: Oh Lord! I am helpless and weak without You. Please take away from me all that separates me from you; rekindle the fire of your love in my heart and strengthen me to better live for your honour. Amen.

KNOW YOUR FAITH: CCC 736- By this power of the Spirit, God’s children can bear much fruit. He who has grafted us onto the true vine will make us bear “the fruit of the Spirit:..Love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” “We live by the Spirit”; the more we renounce ourselves, the more we “walk by the spirit.”

HIDE A TREASURE: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” John 15:5 RSV-CE

Readings for today: Hosea 11:1,3-4,8-9; Ephesians 3: 8-12,14-19; John 19: 31-37