The Sacred Heart of Jesus is such a beautiful symbol - showing us God's boundless and passionate love for mankind.
This feast - which is celebrated every year, 19 days after Pentecost Sunday - is important to the Comboni Missionaries as it's held deep within our charism. We are, after all, the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus!
Devotion to the Sacred Heart was one of the pillars of St. Daniel Comboni's spirituality and ministry.
"I am beset by crosses but the remedy is in the Heart of Jesus." - St. Daniel Comboni
In today's world many of us can relate to St. Daniel's words - we are beset by crosses. We feel unsure, unstable, and uncertain about what our future holds. Is it safe to peek out into the world and attend Mass? Am I comfortable going to the grocery store? If needed will I obtain the medical treatment I require, COVID or non-COVID related?
Take these concerns and think about the places many of our missionaries work. Most do not have electricity so they must go to the market everyday to have fresh food. Stockpiling is not an option. Others don't have indoor plumbing or worse yet, no access to clean water, making handwashing a difficult task. If someone is to become ill, PPE, ventilators, and even the ability to acquire medical care are not likely.
Did you know that the Central African Republic has only three ventilators for the five million people who live there? In all, there are less than 2,000 ventilators in the entire continent of Africa - compared to more than 170,000 in the United States. A pandemic outbreak would be catastrophic to an already struggling health system. Yet our missionaries remain to help, minister, and console.
We are all living through a historical moment and enduring difficulties we never imagined. Things are tough, really tough. We are all riding out this pandemic but in very different ways. Please know that we are praying for you and for your loved ones.
In God’s Peace,
Fr. Louie Gasparini
P.S. As we enter into the month of June with uncertainty still surrounding our daily lives, turn to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Through this devotion, Jesus gives us the most wonderful gift of love and mercy. To those who consecrate themselves to make reparations to His Sacred Heart, Jesus promised peace in their homes, comfort in their affliction, secure refuge in life and death, an infinite ocean of mercy, and so much more.
