Devotion to the Sacred Heart in June: day 26
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. - Pray for sinners of our knowledge.
JESUS?? AND THE SINNERS
Sinners will find in my Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy! - This is one of the promises that Jesus made to St. Margaret.
Jesus incarnated and died on the Cross to save sinful souls; he now shows them his open Heart, inviting them to enter it and take advantage of his mercy.
How many sinners enjoyed Jesus' mercy while He was on this earth! We recall the episode of the Samaritan woman.
Jesus came to a city in Samaria, called Sichar, near the estate that Jacob gave to his son Joseph, where Jacob's well was also. So now Jesus, tired of the journey, was sitting near the well.
A woman, a public sinner, came to draw water. Jesus made an effort to target her and wanted to make her know the inexhaustible source of his goodness.
He wanted to convert her, make her happy, save her; then he began to penetrate gently into that impure heart. Turning to her, he said: Woman, give me a drink!
The Samaritan woman replied: How come you, who are Jews, ask me for drinks, who am a Samaritan woman? - Jesus added: If you knew the gift of God and who is the one who says to you: Give me a drink! - perhaps you yourself would have asked him and would have given you living water! -
The woman went on: Lord, don't - you have to draw with and the well is deep; whence do you have this living water? ... -
Jesus spoke of the thirst-quenching water of his merciful love; but the Samaritan woman did not understand. So he said to her: Whoever drinks this water (from the well) will thirst again; but whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever; rather, the water, given by me, will become in him a source of living water gushing in eternal life. -
The woman still did not understand and gave to. words of Jesus the material meaning; therefore he replied: Give me this water, lest I thirst and come here to draw. - After that, Jesus showed her his miserable state, the wickedness committed: Donna, he said, go and call your husband and come back here!
- I have no husband! - You said correctly: I have no husband! - because you had five and what you have now is not your husband! - Humiliated at such revelation, the sinner exclaimed: Lord, I see that you are a Prophet! ... -
Then Jesus appeared to her as Messiah, changed her heart and made her an apostle of a sinful woman.
How many souls are there in the world like the Samaritan woman!… Thirsty for bad pleasures, they prefer to remain under the slavery of passions, rather than living according to the law of God and enjoying true peace!
Jesus yearns for the conversion of these sinners and shows devotion to his Sacred Heart as an ark of salvation to the traviati. He wants us to understand that his Heart wants to save everyone and that his mercy is an infinite ocean.
Sinners, obstinate or completely indifferent to Religion, are found everywhere. Almost in every family there is representation, it will be the bride, a son, a daughter; will be someone of the grandparents or other relative. In such cases it is recommended to turn to the Heart of Jesus, offering prayers, sacrifices and other good works, so that divine mercy will convert them. In practice, we recommend:
1. - Communicate often for the benefit of these traviati.
2. - To celebrate or at least listen to Holy Masses for the same purpose.
3. - Charity the poor.
4. - Offer small sacrifices, with the practice of spiritual florets.
Once this is done, stay calm and wait for the hour of God, which can be near or far. The Heart of Jesus, with the offer of good works in his honor, certainly works in the sinful soul and gradually converts it using either a good book, or a holy conversation, or a reversal of fortune, or a sudden mourning ...
How many sinners return to God every day!
How many brides have the joy of attending the Church and communicating in the company of that husband, who was one day hostile to Religion! How many young people, of both sexes, resume Christian life, resolutely cutting off a chain of sin!
But these conversions usually result from much and persevering prayer addressed to the Sacred Heart by zealous souls.
A challenge
A young lady, devoted to the Heart of Jesus, entered into discussion with an irreligious man, one of those men reluctant to good and stubborn in his ideas. He tried to convince him with good arguments and comparisons, but everything was useless. Only a miracle could have changed it.
The young lady did not lose heart and gave him a challenge: she says she absolutely does not want to give herself to God; and I assure you that you will soon change your mind. I know how to get it converted! -
That man walked away with a laugh of mockery and compassion, saying: We'll see who wins! -
Immediately the young lady began the nine Communions of the First Fridays, intending to obtain the conversion of that sinner from the Sacred Heart. He prayed a lot and with great confidence.
Having completed the series of Communions, God allowed the two to meet. The woman asked: So you are converted? - Yes, I converted! You won ... I'm no longer the same as before. I have already given myself to God, I have confessed, I make Holy Communion and I am really happy. - Was I right to challenge her that time? I was sure of victory. - I'd be curious to know what he did for me! - I communicated myself nine times on the first Fridays of the month and prayed so much the infinite mercy of the Heart of Jesus for his repentance. Today I enjoy knowing that you are a practicing Christian. - The Lord repay the good done to me! -
When the young lady told the writer the fact, she received well-deserved praise.
Imitate the conduct of this devotee of the Sacred Heart, to make many sinners convert.
Foil. Making Holy Communion for the most obstinate sinners in one's city.
Ejaculation. Heart of Jesus, save souls!