Reflections from the Heart – October 31, 2021

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
by Fr. Ivan Olmo

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…” Who can really understand the depths of your love O Lord, or the profound humility of your Sacred Heart or your Sacred Way? When we look upon the Cross, our hearts should bow down in extreme contriteness in order to see the meekness and humbleness of our God and ask you to make our hearts like yours. Sweet Savior, inspire us to retreat from the world and to seek your face this day. Encourage us to take a moment to put ourselves in sacred silence. To hold the Cross, look upon it and contemplate who could love us this much. Help us to hold you, Our Savior, in our hands and to look into your eyes that have been pierced by hatred and rejection and gaze into this mystery of your profound love. O my Jesus, we need to experience the depth of your love for us. A love that has been poured out, completely spent, broken and beaten down for us. You lowered yourself from the heights of the heavenly realm with all its perfection and all its glory and all its beauty to come into complete darkness, desolation and despair. Why don’t we know how amazing your love is? You left the security, the peacefulness and the comfort of your glorious home to enter into our sinful humanity.  You entered this world that is suffocating, fading, ending. Who would do such a thing? Your own people refused to listen to you. We belittled you.  We doubted you. And still, you remained – you stayed with us. You ate with sinners, you touched the unclean, you spoke to the unholy, you fed the hungry, you restored what was lost. And still, your own people jeered at you, we questioned you, we didn’t believe in you. Our blindness is severe. Our hatred is deep. Our own sinfulness has hardened our hearts, corrupted our thoughts, shut down our ability to forgive. Our sinfulness has numbed our sensitivity to be loved, to be compassionate, to be merciful. O Lord, dispel our darkness to see the depth of your love on the Cross. Defrost the coldness and boldness of our hearts that we may experience the great love you have for humanity. Melt away our pride and stubbornness so that we can truly fear “the loss of heaven and the pains of hell.” Help us with the grace to be moved to meekness and to love you as you have loved us, with all our heart.