St Aloysius & The Sacred Heart Parish
St Aloysius & The Sacred Heart Parish
A life given to God is one of happiness, but it must be renewed each day through prayer, the sacraments and time spent with the brothers and sisters whom the Lord places along our path. In the communion of hearts and in acts of kindness toward those in need, the miracles of charity are continually renewed. So, if you feel that Christ is calling you to follow him in a path of special consecration — as priests, religious sisters, religious brothers, or catechists — do not be afraid to follow in his footsteps. As he himself promised, and I also wish to say emphatically to you here today — you will receive “a hundredfold and … eternal life” (Mt 19:29). (…)
Let us be inspired by the beauty of love; let us become witnesses to the love that Jesus has left us and taught us! Let us show every day that it is beautiful to love — that the greatest joys, in every situation, come from knowing how to give and from giving of ourselves, especially when we reach out to those most in need. The light of charity, nurtured in our homes and lived out in faith, can truly transform the world — even its structures and institutions — so that every person is respected and no one is forgotten.
(Pope Leo XIV, Meeting with young people and families, Bata Stadium, Equatorial Guinea, 22 April 2026)
" The Word of Jesus"
From - 'Seasons of the Word' (Fr. Denis McBride C.Ss.R.)
Jesus speaks of a word that is offered to others and depends on their response if it is to be truly effective. This word is like a seed that is sown by Jesus, a seed that depends on the condition of the ground if it is to grow and bear fruit. This we hear in the parable of the sower. Underlying the parable there is a telling confidence: in spite of all the obstacles present in the various types of soil, the good news is that the seed does succeed in growing and producing a rich harvest. The word of God preached by Jesus, despite apparent failure and repeated opposition, will indeed enjoy great fruitfulness – symbolised by the hundredfold of the harvest’s yield. The message of Jesus will be heard and enacted; the word of God risked in so many unlikely places will not be an empty word but will bear fruit.Today the word of God is still scattered generously, with throwaway style. God still risks God’s word, hoping that people will take to it, welcome it and make it their own. How would we describe our own responses to the word? Does it take root in us? Do we make serious efforts to understand it and know what it’s asking of us? Do we welcome it with great show and then go our own sweet way anyway? Do we hear it and then smother it with our own concerns? Only we can answer the questions when we allow the parable to question us. And no one can do that for us.
But we should be patient with ourselves. Like all seeds, the word of God takes time to grow. The sower knows that he has to wait for the weather, the secret workings of the soil, the slow thrust of life, before he can see the crops emerge. The sower cannot deny the time the whole process takes. God who sows the seed knows what it means to plant God’s word in different people in different situations. It all takes time. But if we take the time to nourish the word, God will wait on the gradual process. It might take us a lifetime. But if we allow the seed to struggle to grow in us, we will grow too. Eventually the word of God and our own word might become one. And that would be a harvest indeed.
