Reflections from the Heart – June 27, 2021

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
by Fr. Ivan Olmo

“For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” O Most Beloved Father, why are we so blind to the beauty of your face, to the Angels adoring your Beloved Son in the Eucharist, to seeing Jesus in the wounded, the suffering, the neglected, the unborn? O Most Merciful Father, why are we so deaf to the sweetness of your voice, to Angel Choirs singing you hymns of praise, to the Saints in prayer, to the whisper of your heart beat, to our Mother Mary’s soul rejoicing, to the cry of the poor, the sick, the hurting, the vulnerable or those who weep alone? O Most Gracious Father, why have we permitted our hearts to become cemented fortresses guarded by coldness and covered in darkness making us numb to the warmth of your love and oblivious to your Holy Presence? Please my Lord, never weary of bestowing on us your infinite love and divine mercy, your amazing grace and unwavering kindness, your endless compassion and the gift of your pardon and peace. We are truly pitiful to say the least.  Ignorant of your gifts, unworthy of your love yet you continue to give. You never tire of loving us. You never stop pouring out your mercy on us. We are so poor that we cannot see our own beauty created in your image and likeness.  We are so sad that we can no longer hear all the times you tell us you love us. We are so lost.  Our hearts have strayed so far away from you my Lord, who are the source of the goodness inside of us, who are all good and deserving of all our love.  We no longer feel the innocence, the sacred, the holiness inside of us. We don’t believe you can love us this much.  We have abandoned all hope.  We have given our hearts to what is sinful, profane, unspeakable. May our Loving God and Savior help us to realize that without you, we simply cannot exist. We are nothing but an insignificant bit of dust, a noisy party favor, a thing void of light. But with you, we have everything we hope for, all that we need, all to be desired. God alone is truly enough. “Hear, O Lord, and have pity on me; O Lord, be my helper. You changed my mourning into dancing; O Lord, my God, forever will I give you thanks.”