World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Feast of the Sacred Heart | Learn more about our faith
Last week, I had the joy of accompanying a wonderful group on a pilgrimage to Montreal and Quebec, Canada and one of our stops was the Shrine of St. Anne de Beaupré in Quebec. Nestled along the St. Lawrence River, this shrine has welcomed pilgrims for over 350 years. Miracles have unfolded there, crutches left behind, burdens laid down, faith renewed. But for me, the most unexpected grace came not in the grand basilica, but in the crypt church, in front of a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At first glance, it was like any other statue until I noticed something peculiar. A kneeler was placed not directly in front of the statue but awkwardly off to the side, toward Jesus’ right. Our guide encouraged us to kneel there and look at the face of Jesus. I did, and some of us did, too. And what I saw caught me off guard.
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Catholic Faith | Feast of the Sacred Heart
The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 27. The feast day is essentially a celebration of God’s Tenderness, His Mercy, His Love for each one of us, and for our world. The Heart in almost every human tradition is considered the symbol and the habitat for Love, for Tenderness, and for Mercy. The Prophet Ezekiel shares how the Lord unveils His tender heart when he says, “I myself will look after and tend my sheep. The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal.” Through this reading, we look inside the tender heart of God, who personally and deeply cares about each one of us and is willing to do anything it takes to care for each one of us. He does not want to delegate but wants to personally take care of us. His is a Love that is gentle, that seeks, that cares, and that is merciful.
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