The Sacred Heart of Jesus in my life

Note: Published first in my Spanish blog on 7/1/11 

Today is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It falls   on the first Friday after Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, 19 days after Pentecost. 

There's an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in my house, which draws me in an incomprehensible way. It's before this image that I began to talk with Jesus.   And I say incomprehensible, because I truly feel His presence;   it's the image of my friend.    When I feel sad, happy, dejected, tired, it's here, before this image, that I can tell Him my things, talk as if with a friend.   And this happened after my mother's death—the image is in her room. It was because of this that I came to this room, now only my father's, to remember my mother. And although the memory of my mother is present, it's her image that calms me.   I've cried so many times before Him, and when I contemplate His face, I forget everything: my sadness, my fears. It's as if He Himself were speaking to me, telling me that everything will be all right, not to worry, that I will survive.  He is the one who dries my tears, the one who comforts me.    And it was before his image that my tears turned into words, where I began to have a more intimate relationship with Jesus, to tell him about my joys as well.   That was about six years ag, and I didn't know when the feast of His Sacred Heart was celebrated.    I learned about the celebration through my planner, which had the date on it.   I remember that day,   when I realized the date, I wanted to know if they held Mass in my parish to celebrate this special day.   And my sister called a friend, who in turn called the church—or I don't know who, I really don't remember—and they told her yes, there was a Mass.   So my friend, my sister, and I went to Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.   It was truly a blessing from God.   The Confraternity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus entered the church singing, I think with an image, I don't remember exactly.   And people attended who didn't even know that our parish held such a celebration; someone notified them that same day.   I remember that during Mass, the light coming through the stained-glass windows illuminated the image. I turned to look at them and found a stained-glass window of the Holy Spirit.   It was a Friday afternoon, I don't know what time, but it was a very beautiful experience to be able to celebrate His feast.   After Mass, there was a gathering, and I think there was a rosary before the meal; I don't remember exactly.   I don't know if I would have reached resignation without this image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, but it was through it that I was able to feel that overflowing love of Jesus, who never abandons us.   A heart inflamed with love for us, who suffered so much for humanity, and who is always there to listen to us, to give us His love, and to bring us closer to Him.   I must confess that I felt such closeness to Him that I even felt guilty for not visiting the Blessed Sacrament as frequently.  present in all the tabernacles of the world, for how would I feel if I were really in front of Him?

The Miracle

 This is the true story of an eight-year-old girl who knew that love can work wonders. Her little brother was destined to die from a brain tumor. Her parents were poor, but they did everything they could to save him, spending all their savings.

One evening, the father said to the mother in tears: "We can't take it anymore, dear. I think it's over. Only a miracle could save him."

The little girl, breathless, had heard in a corner of the room.

She ran to her room, broke the piggy bank, and quietly headed to the nearest pharmacy. She waited patiently for her turn. She approached the counter, stood on tiptoe, and in front of the amazed pharmacist, put all the coins on the counter.

"What is it for? What do you want, little one?"

"It's for my little brother, Mr. Pharmacist. He's very sick and I've come to buy a miracle."

"What are you talking about?" muttered the Pharmacist.

"His name is Andrea, and he has something growing inside his head, and Dad told Mom that it's over, there's nothing more to be done and that it would take a miracle to save him. You see, I love my little brother so much, that's why I took all my money and came to buy a miracle."

The pharmacist smiled sadly.

"My little one, we don't sell miracles here."

"But if this money isn't enough, I can work hard to find more. How much does a miracle cost?"

There was a tall, elegant man in the pharmacy, with a very serious air, who seemed interested in the strange conversation.

The pharmacist spread his arms in shame. The little girl, with tears in her eyes, began to collect her coins. The man approached her.

"Why are you crying, little one? What's wrong with you?"

"The pharmacist doesn't want to sell me a miracle or even tell me how much it costs... It's for my little brother Andrea who is very sick. Mom says he needs an operation, but Dad says it costs too much and we can't afford it and that it would take a miracle to save him. That's why I brought everything I have."

"How much do you have?"

"A dollar and eleven cents…. But, you know…." He added in a thin voice, "I can still find something….".

The man smiled. “Look, I don’t think that’s necessary. One dollar and eleven cents is exactly the price of a miracle for your little brother!” He picked up the small sum with one hand and gently took the little girl’s hand with the other.

"Take me to your house, little one. I want to see your little brother and also your dad and mommy and see with them if we can find the little miracle you need."

The tall, elegant gentleman and the little girl walked out holding hands.

That man was Professor Carlton Armstrong, one of the world's greatest neurosurgeons. He operated on little Andrea, who was able to return home a few weeks later completely healed.

"This operation," murmured the mother, "is a real miracle. I wonder how much it cost…"

The little sister smiled without saying anything. She knew how much the miracle had cost: one dollar and eleven cents…. plus, of course, the love and faith of a little girl.

If you had faith as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there, and it will move.' Nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew 17:20).

Don Bruno Ferrero, from the book: There's still someone who dances - Elledici editions

Holy Trinity

 My sister once tried to unravel the mystery of the Holy Trinity. The fact that there are three Persons in one God. She told me: "They are united by love." And since God is love, surely his unity consists in that mutual love that also encompasses humanity. And if we want to resemble this Triune God, we will necessarily have to love our brothers and sisters, our neighbors. As Pope Francis said one day, we must create unity in our parishes; we must create community. And as my sister would surely say, we must be united by this fraternal love. As the Franciscans would say, we must have fraternity. Thus, united in love, we will be able to harbor the Holy Trinity in our hearts and enter into communion with the God of love, remaining in his love and in his saving grace. Personally, I would like this Triune God, as the priest of my parish explained about Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, to leave my heart open to God, just as she did, so that he may dwell there and never leave.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Tomb of Carlo Acutis

 Here is a link to the Maria Vision Italia YouTube channel where a live video of Carlo Acutis tomb in Assisi is shown.

Tomb of Carlo Acutis

The Incredible Life of Carlo Acutis

 Irish teenagers made a Lego movie about the life of Blessed Carlo Acutis.  The link to the YouTube movie is below.The Incredible Life of Carlo Acutis

Pentecost Sunday

 Today we celebrate Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, in our parish. By God's mercy, I was assigned to read the first reading in Spanish. Another lector read the psalm in Spanish, and a third lector read the second reading in the Che dialect of Guatemala. The Gospel was proclaimed by the Father in Spanish. The priest explained to us the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The first is the gift of the fear of God, which is not like worldly fear, but rather the fear of offending God, holding Him in respect and reverence. The gift of knowledge, which allows us to know and desire the things of God rather than those of the world. The gift of fortitude, which gives us the strength not to sin against God. The gift of wisdom, which allows us to judge divine plans accurately. The gift of understanding, which helps us understand the things of God. The gift of counsel, which helps us discern the paths of life. The gift of piety, which helps us savor the things of God. The Father tells us that to know if we have the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we will know by their fruits: love, joy, gentleness, peace, patience, temperance, kindness, and gentleness. After Mass, we headed to the parish hall, decorated with flags from different countries. There were also tables with food from different countries. There were performances by matachines, flamenco dancers, Aztec dancers, and singers.

When I arrived a woman was singing a song of Pentecost. I took food I think from Honduras and I found a chair and sat down. After the singer there were the "matachines" that is dancers who dance for the Virgin of Guadalupe. I was emotional and cried a little, I was moved because they were wearing the clothes that the matachines of my small town wore, and they made music with their clothes. After them they danced Flamenco, a dance from Spain. I liked the movement of their hands and feet. After the Aztec dance. The dancers were dressed like the natives of pre-Columbian Mexico with feathers on their heads. I didn't see them much because I had to go home. 

Fear Not

 He is risen!

He lives,
Jesus, the Nazarene,
who triumphed over death.
 Why should I be afraid?
He walked on water!
 He multiplied the loaves!
He made the blind see!
The sick walked,
and He gave life back to the dead,
For He reigns over life and death.
Why should I be afraid?
 Of demons? No!
He took them out of souls.
Of storms? No!
He stopped the wind.
He speaks and the entire universe hears.
Why should I be afraid?
 He conquered sin for me,
He conquered death for me,
He resurrected, the first...
Because He is First in everything,
Because He can do everything,
 He is our hope,
He is life,
 Whoever believes in Him will never die!
 Do you believe this? He asks you,
If you believe this, do not be afraid,
for nothing is impossible,
 for Him who lives and reigns!
Yes, He, Jesus, is our hope.

He chose the nails for You!!

 He could have accomplished his mission in another way, "a clap of hands, a thunderclap, rocks falling on Jerusalem; perhaps another flood...!

But no: He chose the nails! Why? What reason did Christ have to die like that? And the answer is... For you and your sins!

Only the hand of God could cleanse all our filth,

Only the blood of the Son of Man could purify our shame.

And in case you had any doubts: He wanted the nails in his hands and feet rather than lose you forever. 

He would have been able to divert the executioner's hand...

He would have been able to prevent the nail from piercing his flesh...

He, if he had wanted, would have sent a legion of angels as Abraham did to stop the deadly blow: Genesis 22:10-12.

But why didn't he do it. .?

Because when the hand of God opened for "THE NAIL"

The gates of heaven, opened for You.

The Ascension

 This Sunday we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord.  It is actually celebrated on Thursday, but so that more people celebrate it, it is moved to Sunday.  The priest tells us that Ascension can be seen as an end, but it is not.  For Jesus promises us that he will send the Holy Spirit who will make us stronger and will make us understand what we did not understand before, well he told the apostles, but we can say that he was telling them to us too, He added that they will be his witnesses in all the land.  And it is what the priest told us that we all have a mission.  Where you are you can be a witness of hope, you can give encouragement, you can listen, you can talk about your experience in mass, you can preach by example, you can talk about your relationship with Jesus, you can invite someone to mass, you can pray for someone, You can pray for someone who needs it.  God calls us to be missionaries.  Take heart, we are all part of God’s great plan of salvation.