Homily – October 16, 2009 – St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

+ The first reading speaks today of "a knowledge that even surpasses knowledge!" It is experiential knowledge of true, immediate and overwhelming love that originates in God alone, is distributed by him and is offered to mankind to be shared in by his gracious free-will gift. When Christ dwells in our hearts through faith, when his love is experienced in the very fiber of our beings, then we can comprehend with all the holy ones, the breadth and length and height and depth of God which surpasses all human knowledge – and we can have the fullness of God! This is truly amazing!

All of this is summarized in the Heart of Jesus. God made available to men the experience of being loved immensely by himself through the Heart of Jesus, his Son, who loved us to the point of giving his life for us! The Sacred, Adorable and Generous Heart of Jesus is the fountain from which all graces flow. Jesus himself wanted this very dynamic to be made known and celebrated throughout the centuries. In the 17^th century he chose Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun, to be the principal founder of devotion to his Most Sacred Heart. Due to the thinking of the time which exaggerated the sinfulness and unworthiness of men, the mercy and love of God were to be emphasized and celebrated with a special feast in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Friday after Corpus Christi – and then on the First Fridays of the month thereafter. In the twenty-first century this particular devotion has seemed to wane. But with St. Faustina Kowalska and the Divine Mercy Message and Devotion: God's love, mercy and forgiveness are once again being brought into the forefront. Time may be running out, and Jesus wants to be sure that an abundance of his compassion is available for those who might want it before Judgment Day!

Both Margaret Mary Alacoque and Faustina Kowalska were simple and humble women who were receptive to the message of God's Heart, God's Mercy, God's Forgiveness. May we follow their example and give Jesus our burdens, our mistakes, our sins and take upon ourselves his yoke which is easy and light - as it emanates from his meek and humble Heart - because he made it so.

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.