"A New Season"
"Mission" (Relational Purpose: Part
3)
Our charism ('to live Jesus and his
cross') is founded on the pierced hearts of Jesus and Mary on Calvary. From
the wounded side of the Lamb flows the "lifeblood" of this charism, the
wellspring of divine love. Mary obtains for us through her pierced Heart the
grace to receive this love. The pierced Heart of Jesus is the "place" of
greatest love and greatest forgiveness. It contains the "priestly will" of the
Lamb: His willful resolve to offer his life as a sacrifice, mediating his life
and redemptive love to humanity--uniting heaven and earth (reconciling humanity
with its God). The pierced Heart of Jesus bears the total commitment of
love. Nothing is stronger than love,
particularly the love that has been poured forth from his pierced Heart.
God desires us to perpetuate this love by our becoming one with the
pierced Heart of Jesus Christ Crucified. Through an intense union with the Lamb
we become distributors of his tremendous love.
The New Covenant is a covenant of
light: "I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a
light for the nations" (Is.42:6). What flows from the pierced Heart of
Jesus is "New Covenant" water and blood. This charism calls people "out of
darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Pet.2:9). These two life-giving
streams of water and blood make all things new again for the renewal of the
world. In their writings some of the Apostolic Fathers of the Church have
stated that the water of the pierced Heart symbolizes the Sacrament of Baptism,
and the blood symbolizes the Sacrament of the Eucharist--each of which is, in
the writings of Pope St. John Paul II, a "luminous" mystery. This sacred
flow of water and blood unites us to the "chalice" of Jesus' own life, and,
thus to his unique mediation in the presence of the Father.
One can see, then, that our union with
the pierced Heart of the Lamb is key. The Father is looking for victim lambs
who will allow their hearts to be pierced so that He can continue to pour forth
his life through us. As we enter into a daily process of dying to self, we
begin to live more fully because we are living more his life and are filled
with more of his divine nature. When we are so united with Jesus on the cross,
the piercing of our hearts allows his life to flow through us. It is only love
that can pierce our hearts in a redemptive way.
Questions:
1) What
has been the most recent "heart piercing experience" in my life?
2) How
did I relate to God in the midst of it, and pray through it?
Scriptures:
Any scripture from the text; Heb. 7:24-25; 1 Pet. 2:5; Rev.
1:5-6
