Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Friday of the 12th week in ordinary time, June 27, 2025, Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Delivered by Clifford from the Parish of Saint Vincentius a Paulo in the Diocese of Malang, Indonesia. Ezekiel 34: 11-16; Rs psalm 23: 1-3a.3b-4.5-6; Romans 5: 5b-11; Luke 15: 3-7. A RUNNING HEART The title for our meditation today is:A Running Heart. In this meditation we want to interpret the sacred heart ofthe Lord Jesus Christ as an expression of love from God’s great mercy that isendless and lasting. The love of the almighty God is revealed in His actionsthat come out of Himself, His place, and the throne of His glory to reach Hisbeloved children. God's mercy is manifested to the worldsince human beings fell into sin and lived under the power of sin. God wants tosave humanity from this evil power so that it does not perish forever. In thisprocess of redemption that lasted for so long, finally came the Messiah, JesusChrist, God's own Son. The incarnation is the event of God who has come out ofHis eternal dwelling, became human and lived with people in the world. Thishuman person Jesus Christ carried out His task with the main purpose of redeemingand saving the world and all its contents from the powers of sin and death. In all of His actions in the world, asnarrated in the Gospels, the Lord Jesus had a preference to save the needyones. Here we can understand the true meaning of the heart of Jesus Christ. Hisheart always moves in all directions to meet, reach, and touch souls who aresick, oppressed, hopeless, tormented and lost. In our readings today, we meetthe person of God who is depicted with a running heart. Why? Because we as His sheeps tend to runand stay away from home, family, community, Church and God Himself. Oftenpeople run because they realize they are not worthy of their own mistakes, thenthey feel ashamed or unworthy. There are others who move away and keep goingfar because they are not accepted by others in their families, communities andthe Church. Others ran away and farther away because they felt they had noplace among many who were more dominant in their groups and cultures. There arestill many other motivations why members of God's people go and stay away fromthe community of believers. The heart of the Lord Jesus filledwith love and mercy goes, runs and catches them all. There are some or many whosurrender in God’s hands and they are brought home to the Lord, namely in ourChurch. Many of us experience this when we regreted our mistakes and sins, then received thesacrament of reconciliation. Returning to the house is the most beautifulexperience for people who are drawn by the most sacred heart of Jesus. Butthere are people who are at this moment keep running and are being followed bythe heart of the Lord Jesus. Realize that at the right time God will catch andbring them home. Let’s pray… In the name of theFather ... God Almighty, may the sacred heart of Jesus always unite us all inour situation of divisions and scattered as your holy people. Our Father whoart in heaven ... In the name of the Father ...