The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus –
Solemnity
Saint Cyril of Alexandria (370 – 444)
Psalter: Week IV
White
Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church was born at Alexandria, Egypt. He was nephew of the patriarch of that city, Theophilus. Cyril wrote treatises that clarified the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation from heretical interpretations.
Entrance Antiphon : Ps 32: 11, 19
The designs of his Heart are from age to age, to rescue their souls from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we, who glory in the Heart of your beloved Son and recall the wonders of his love for us, may be made worthy to receive an overflowing measure of grace from that fount of heavenly gifts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : Ezekiel 34:11-16
The Lord God says this: I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view. As a shepherd keeps all his flock in view when he stands up in the middle of his scattered sheep, so shall I keep my sheep in view. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered during the mist and darkness. I shall bring them out of the countries where they are; I shall gather them together from foreign countries and bring them back to their own land. I shall pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in every inhabited place in the land. I shall feed them in good pasturage; the high mountains of Israel will be their grazing ground. There they will rest in good grazing ground; they will browse in rich pastures on the mountains of Israel. I myself will pasture my sheep, I myself will show them where to rest – it is the Lord who speaks. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 22(23)
R/ The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit.
He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort.
You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
Second reading: Romans 5:5-11
The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us. We were still helpless when at his appointed moment Christ died for sinful men. It is not easy to die even for a good man – though of course for someone really worthy, a man might be prepared to die – but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from God’s anger? When we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, we were still enemies; now that we have been reconciled, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son? Not merely because we have been reconciled but because we are filled with joyful trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation.
Gospel Acclamation : Mt11:29
Alleluia, alleluia! Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 15:3-7
Jesus spoke this parable to the scribes and Pharisees: ‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say “I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.’
Prayer over the Offerings
Look, O Lord, we pray, on the surpassing charity in the Heart of your beloved Son, that what we offer may be a gift acceptable to you and an expiation of our offences. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon : Cf. Jn 7: 37-38
Thus says the Lord: Let whoever is thirsty come to me and drink. Streams of living water will flow from within the one who believes in me.
Prayer after Communion
May this sacrament of charity, O Lord, make us fervent with the fire of holy love, so that, drawn always to your Son, we may learn to see him in our neighbour. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
When we celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we commemorate God’s boundless love, which finds its ultimate expression in Jesus. The image of the shepherd is employed in both the Second Reading and the Gospel to express God’s love for us. Ezekiel portrays God as a shepherd who diligently cares for his sheep, protecting them from harm, and leading them to greener pastures. In the Gospel, Jesus goes even further, depicting God as the shepherd who cares for each sheep. He is willing to leave 99 sheep to go in search of a missing sheep, and upon finding it, rejoices. This reveals the nature of God as a caring and providing Father, who gave his Son to atone for our sins. He desires for us to inherit eternal life in his heavenly kingdom. With such a God on our side, we are truly blessed. In the face of challenges, we can declare with the Psalmist, “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.” Let us express our gratitude to God for loving us to this point, and let us face the challenges of life with the assurance that we have a loving Father who is always by our side.