# The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
*2019-05-27*

> Bill Young reflects on the power of faith and the mercy of God through a personal encounter with the heart of St. Padre Pio and the praying of the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

## A Touch of Faith

Today is June 28th, the feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Reflecting on last year's feast, I attended a conference held by the Archdiocese of Miami where several bishops were present and various relics of the saints were displayed. One of these was the heart of St. Padre Pio. While waiting in line, I had the opportunity to place a small cloth against the glass container holding the relic. 

At that moment, I was praying for my friend Annette, who has stage four breast cancer. As I touched the relic, I felt a sudden warmth in my hands. In my mind, a scripture passage came to me: the story of the woman in the crowd who touched the hem of Jesus' garment. Despite the crowd pressing in on Him, Jesus felt His power leave Him and asked who had touched Him. When the woman confessed, He told her that her faith had healed her. About a week later, that very passage was the Gospel reading. I shared this with Annette, and while she remains brave and submitted to God's will, it served as a powerful reminder of the connection between faith and healing.

## Reflections on Purgatory

I recently spoke with a woman who had a near-death experience following a car accident. She described being in a state of total darkness—a void—where she saw many souls pacing back and forth, waiting for something. She felt that those who believed in God and called out to Him were met with His presence, while others remained in that darkness. 

She recounted that she called out to God and felt a presence—perhaps an angel—who told her it was not yet her time to die and guided her back to her children. Her description of this void was quite frightening, and it reminded me that we must pray for the souls in purgatory. This is why I strive to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet at the 3 o'clock hour, asking Jesus to release as many souls as possible from that place of waiting.

## Prayers for Mercy and Peace

In honor of the Sacred Heart, we pray for those in need, specifically for Annette. We entrust our intentions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, believing that He will not fail us and that His mercy is infinite. 

Beyond our personal prayers, we must also look at the world around us. I am deeply troubled by the images of families, including small children, being turned away at the border. Regardless of political affiliation, we must use common sense and compassion. Everyone has a right to asylum, and we should prioritize the preservation of life over the costs of war and death. I pray for world peace and for a spirit of friendship between nations, such as the United States and Iran, because anything is possible through the will of God.

## Community and Study

Later today, we will have our third lesson in the DVD series with Father Michael Gately at St. David's Catholic Church in Davie, Florida. We will be combining our study with the Divine Mercy Chaplet and prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We have also been discussing the Book of Revelation; some translations note that those who read the prophecies of Revelation aloud, and those who listen to them, will be blessed. I encourage everyone to seek out these blessings through prayer and community study.

*By trusting in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and praying for the souls in purgatory, we open ourselves to God's infinite mercy and are called to extend that same compassion to the suffering in our world.*