Devotion to the Sacred Heart in June: day 20
20nd June
Our Father, who art in heaven, may your name be sanctified, your kingdom come, your will be done, as in heaven as on earth. Give us our daily bread today, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Invocation. - Heart of Jesus, victim of sinners, have mercy on us!
Intention. - Repair the murders, injuries and fights.
MANSUETUDE OF JESUS
Jesus is the Divine Master; we are his disciples and we have a duty to listen to his teachings and put them into practice.
Let's consider some particular lessons that the Sacred Heart gives us.
The Church addresses this invocation to Jesus: Heart of Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make our heart similar to yours! - With this prayer he presents the Sacred Heart to us as a model of meekness and humility and urges us to ask him these two virtues.
Jesus says: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, who am meek and humble of Heart, and you will find rest for your souls, because my yoke is gentle and my weight is light. (St. Matthew, XI-29). How much patience, meekness and sweetness manifested Jesus in his life! As a Child, tried to die by Herod, he fled far away, in the arms of the Virgin Mother. In public life he was persecuted by the perfidious Jews and offended with the most humiliating titles, as "blasphemer" and "possessed". In the Passion, falsely accused, he kept silent, so much so that Pilate in amazement said: See how many things they accuse you of! Why do not you answer? (S. Marco, XV-4). Sentenced to death innocently, he went to Calvary, with the Cross on his shoulders, like a meek lamb going to the slaughterhouse.
Today Jesus says to us: Imitate me if you want to be my devotees! -
No one can perfectly imitate the Divine Master, but we must all endeavor to copy his image in us as best we can.
Saint Augustine observes: When Jesus says. Learn from me! - does not intend that we learn from him to create the world and to work miracles, but to imitate it in virtue. If we want to spend life peacefully, not to embitter ourselves more than need, to be at peace in the family, to live peacefully with our neighbor, we cultivate the virtue of patience and meekness. Among the beatitudes announced by Jesus on the mountain, there is this: Blessed are the meek, because they will inherit the earth! - (S. Matteo, V-5). And indeed, who is patient and sweet, who is delicate in manners, who bears everything calmly, becomes master of hearts; on the contrary, the nervous and impatient character alienates the soul, becomes heavy and is despised. Patience is so necessary to us and we must exercise it first of all with ourselves. When the motions of anger are felt in our hearts, we immediately stop the emotion and keep the dominion of ourselves. This mastery is acquired through exercise and prayer.
It is also true patience with ourselves to endure our character and our shortcomings. When we make a mistake, without getting angry, but we say calmly: Patience! - If we fall into a defect, even after having promised not to fall back, we will not lose peace; let's take courage and promise not to fall into it later. Those who lose their temper and then get angry because they are angry and disrespectful of themselves are so bad.
Patience with others! Those with whom we have to deal are like us, full of defects and, as we want to be pitied in mistakes and shortcomings, so we must pity others. We respect the tastes and views of others, until they are obviously bad.
Patience in the family, more than elsewhere, especially with the old and the sick. It is recommended:
1. - In the first assaults of impatience, curb the language in a particular way, so that no injuries, swear words or not very decent words are pronounced.
2. - In discussions do not pretend to always be right; knowing how to yield, when prudence and charity require it.
3. - In contrasts do not get too hot, but speak "slowly" and calmly. A strong contrast or argument can be overcome with a mild response; whence the proverb: «The sweet answer breaks the anger! »
How much need there is for meekness in the family and in society! Who should I go to for it? To the Sacred Heart! Jesus said to Sister Mary of the Trinity: Repeat this prayer to me often: Make Jesus, my heart as gentle and humble as yours!
Transformation
A noble family was cheered by a crown of children, of a more or less different nature. The one who often exercised patience on his mother was Francesco, a boy with a good heart, intelligent, but angry and obstinate in his thoughts.
He realized that in life he would find himself hurt, leaving his nerves unhindered, and proposed to correct himself absolutely; with the help of God he succeeded.
He studied in Paris and at the University of Padua, giving his fellow students examples of patience and great sweetness. He offered himself to God and was ordained a priest and consecrated bishop. God allowed him to exercise the office of Shepherd of souls in the difficult region of Chiablese, in France, where the most dispassionate Protestants were.
How many insults, persecutions and slanders! Francis replied with a smile and a blessing. As a young boy he had proposed to become ever sweeter and meeker, contradicting the choleric disposition, to which by nature he felt inclined; in his field of apostolate, opportunities to exercise patience, even heroic, were frequent; but he knew how to dominate himself, up to arouse the wonders of his opponents.
A lawyer, driven by Satan, harbored relentless hatred against the Bishop and expressed it to him privately and in public.
The Bishop, one day, meeting him, approached him amicably; taking him by the hand she said to him: I love you; you want to hurt me; but know that even when you tore one eye from me, I would continue to look at you lovingly with the other. -
The lawyer did not return to better feelings and, unable to vent anger against the Bishop, he wounded his Vicar General with a sword. He was put in prison. Francesco went to visit his arch enemy in the prison, embraced him and brigged until he was released. With this excess of kindness and patience, all the Protestants of Chiablese converted, seventy thousand in number.
St. Vincent de Paul once exclaimed: But if Monsignor de Sales is so sweet, how sweet was Jesus to be!? ...
Francis, the choleric boy of the past, is now Saint, the Saint of sweetness, Saint Francis of Sales.
Let us remember that whoever wants can correct his character, even if very nervous.
Foil. In contrariety, stop the movements of anger.
Ejaculation. Make, Jesus, my heart as mild and humble as yours!