Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. You are people sacred to Lord; chosen from all nations; not because largest - you are smallest; because Lord loved you and fidelity to oath; brought from Egypt with strong hand; faithful God keeps merciful covenant to thousandth generation. Bless Lord O my soul; forgives iniquities heals ills redeems from pit crowns with kindness; gracious and merciful slow to anger abounding in kindness; has not dealt with us as sins deserve. Beloved let us love one another because love is from God; whoever loves begotten by God and knows God; whoever does not love does not know God for God is love; this is how love revealed - sent only Son so we might have life; in this is love not that we loved but he loved us and sent Son as expiation; if God so loved us we must love one another; no one has seen God; if we love one another God remains in us; we have come to know and believe in love God has for us; God is love and whoever remains in love remains in God. Soldiers come to break legs; Jesus already dead; soldier pierced side with lance; blood and water flowed; testimony true; not a bone broken; they shall look upon him whom they have pierced.

Moses tells Israel: you are not the largest nation - you are the smallest. The Lord chose you not because of your size but because he loved you and swore an oath to your fathers; he brought you from Egypt with a strong hand; he is a faithful God who keeps his covenant of mercy to the thousandth generation. The psalm: bless the Lord who forgives, heals, and redeems; gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in kindness; he has not dealt with us according to our sins. John urges: let us love one another because love is from God; God is love; in this is love - not that we loved God but that he loved us first and sent his Son as expiation; if God so loved us, we must love one another; God remains in us when we love one another; we have come to know and believe in the love God has for us; God is love and whoever remains in love remains in God. At the cross, after Jesus's death, a soldier pierces his side and blood and water flow out - the witness testifies truly; not a bone was broken; they shall look upon him whom they have pierced.

DEACON/PRIEST: Lord Jesus, the piercing of your side revealed the heart that loved us first - blood and water flowing from the source of all the sacramental life. PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.

DEACON/PRIEST: Christ Jesus, in this is love: not that we loved God but that you loved us and gave yourself as expiation before we knew to ask. PEOPLE: Christ, have mercy.

DEACON/PRIEST: Lord Jesus, you chose the smallest nation and the smallest person not because of merit but because of love - the love that is your very nature. PEOPLE: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST: We have come to know and believe in the love God has for us. Let us bring our prayers before the heart that was opened for us.

DEACON/LECTOR:

1. That those who preach the Sacred Heart - our Holy Father, our bishop, every teacher of this devotion - would proclaim it as more than sentiment: as the ground of all election, all mercy, all sacramental life, we pray to the Lord.
2. Where someone feels too small or too undeserving to be chosen, that Moses's word would reach them specifically: it was not because of your size but because of his love, we pray to the Lord.
3. Where someone has not yet come to know and believe in the love God has for them, that the testimony of the one who saw the blood and water would find them: his testimony is true, we pray to the Lord.
4. Where love is being drawn from personal reserves rather than from the source, that the love that moves first would be the deeper well they discover, we pray to the Lord.
5. For all who have consecrated their work to the Sacred Heart, that today's feast would be a renewal of the consecration and a deepening of the trust, we pray to the Lord.
6. They looked upon him whom they pierced and now see the fullness of what was opened - we commend the faithful departed to that sight, we pray to the Lord.

PRIEST: Lord, we look upon you whom they have pierced. Let the seeing produce the knowing and the believing - together - in the love you have for us. God is love. Let this parish remain in it. Sacred Heart of Jesus, we trust in you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.