A message for all our Young People at St. Mary’s
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Friday 19th June 2020
To all our young parishioners,
How
are you all doing? What have you been up to? How are you feeling? Do you
remember in April when I wrote to you about Saint George and the dragon?
Remember how I said we are called to be like Saint George and battle the
dragons which represent all those scary things in our life? Today, I would like
to tell you all about a little girl who showed such bravery and courage when
things in life were not going great. Her story is about the Sacred Heart of
Jesus.
Along time ago in France there was a little girl
called Margaret Mary. She lived very comfortably with her mum and dad and six
brothers. However, one day her life changed for ever. Her dad died and the
family found themselves with no money. Other family members took advantage of
the situation and moved into Margaret Mary’s home and treated her and her mum
like servants.
Margaret Mary used to visit her kind godmother, the
Countess of Corcheval, who was always pleased to spend time with her young
god-daughter. Whenever she felt sad Margaret Mary always knew there was a
bright smile and a warm welcome waiting for her at the Countess’s home.
However, more sadness was waiting for this little French girl. Her godmother
also died leaving Margaret Mary alone with no friends.
Being mistreated by unkind relatives at home and having lost her kind godmother who was her only true friend, Margaret Mary’s life seemed very bleak and dark. Yet in this darkness there was a light that brought hope. This hope that kept little Margaret Mary smiling and believing that there were better days ahead was Jesus.
When she went to Mass Margaret Mary heard these
words of Jesus read aloud from the Bible:
‘Come
to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.
(Mt
11:28)
When she listened to these words and heard the
priest explain their meaning, she felt happy. The priest told the people at
church that Jesus, Our Lord, was telling everyone that if they were tired,
exhausted, felt weak or lonely and sad they should come to him, Jesus the Lord.
They should talk to him and tell him everything that was making them upset. The
priest said that Our Lord Jesus would listen and help all those people who
shared all the feelings in their heart with him. This is what Margaret Mary
did. The nuns who taught her at school noticed how their pupil would spend a
lot of time in church before the Tabernacle. When somebody asked,
‘Why do you spend so much time in church looking at
the Tabernacle?’
Margaret Mary replied, ‘Because the Real
Presence of Jesus in Holy Communion is kept in the Tabernacle. Jesus is my
friend who always listens and helps me, especially when I feel sad or scared.’
As time went on and Margaret Mary got older, she
became a nun and her best friend was still Jesus. Sister Margaret Mary
continued to speak to Jesus everyday and shared all that was in her heart with
him. The Lord in return gave his friend a very special gift. It wasn’t a box of
chocolates or a bunch of flowers but his heart.
One night our Lord appeared to Margaret Mary in a
special vision. In this vision she found herself at the Last Supper with Jesus
and his disciples. Margaret Mary in this vision was sitting next to the Lord
and resting her head on his chest as the beloved disciple, Saint John, had done
on that most holy night. With her ear against the Lord’s chest she could hear
his heart beating. This she described was the greatest and best gift ever given
her. The gift of listening to the heart beat of God! Every pulse, thump and
beat of Jesus’ heart was for love of all his people.
The Lord asked Sister Margaret Mary to go out and
tell people about his Sacred Heart that beat for love of them. This is exactly
what she did. She shouted it from the rooftops and told it to anybody who would
listen to her that Jesus Christ, Our Lord, loves us so much and wants us to
come to him with all our worries and troubles so he can help us, reassure us
and give us his peace.
The month of June for us as Roman Catholics is a
time when we think about Jesus’ Sacred Heart and are reminded about how much he
loves us. Like Saint Margaret Mary let us share God’s love with those around us
and let them know how special and valued they are. At this time when the world
has gone a little topsy turvey with the coronavirus we all need a light to
shine in the darkness, a ray of hope to keep us going, a loving heart to remind
us how much God loves us.
Keep safe,
keep praying,
keep loving God and each other,
and I look forward to seeing you all back at church
in the future.
Fr. O’Brien