By: Sister Jeannine Marie, O.C.D.
We are coming to the end of our journey together in this ‘Year of the Family’. Our theme is: It ends with love. In this part of our journey we encounter that most mysterious moment, death. In one sense it is a journey we must take alone, and yet it offers people a unique opportunity to prepare and support the ones they love as they pass through the door to eternal life. Mother Luisita had such an opportunity with her husband, Dr. Pascual Rojas. The bond of love and faith that had united them on earth now gave them the grace to bid farewell and surrender to the will of God. What appears to so many as the closing of a door is actually the opening to a new and more wondrous eternal life!
We have also been reflecting these months on the Promises of the Sacred Heart. It is as if Our Lord were looking down tenderly upon us and saying, “Look how I love you, let me count the ways.” Even when we are approaching this most sacred time of death, He has a message of love for us. Those who receive Holy Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months will find in the Sacred Heart their safe refuge in those last moments. In all phases of life, we are surrounded by God’s love. That’s a reason to celebrate, right?
Life is a gift from God that is to be celebrated. Each moment is precious. God willed us into being in love from all eternity and each stage of our lives is a new adventure. As we grow and develop in our natural as well as spiritual lives we come to know more of God and, yes, even ourselves. Life is a puzzle at times but we know where the answer lies. Let us, this month, entrust ourselves to the love of the Sacred Heart and prepare each day to follow the path He puts before us.
