THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS OVERFLOWING WITH LOVE FROM SANTA CRUZ DE LA SIERRA BOLIVIA
The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart invites us to enter a young parish in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, dedicated to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and reveals to us their way of honoring and venerating, through a novena in honor of the Sacred Heart that prepares the community for the patronal feast on the 22nd anniversary of the consecration of the temple.
The church, the mystical body of Christ, of which we are the members, suffers a great crisis, there is wheat and there is weeds as the Gospel affirms, because good and bad seeds are in each of its members. Spreading the good, even if with simplicity, we see that there are brothers and sisters, today those of the Bolivian East, who seek holiness on the ordinary path of a Christian community.
The religious community, "Virgen de Guadalupe", present in the department of Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia, participates in the novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, animated every day by a parish group led by the sisters: children of catechesis, young people of confirmation, youth groups, families of family catechesis, lay associates. Each day presents the faithful with different themes, which, together with the celebration of the Eucharist and actions of solidarity, lead to the knowledge of God, to love Him and to follow Him. It reflects on the Eucharist of Jesus, the charity of Jesus, the youth of Jesus, the vocation of Jesus. On the other hand, considering the human reality, this is illuminated by faith: in sickness, in the family to return to the Heart of Jesus and close with the Heart of Mary in a joyful and festive "serenade".
Priests César Rojas and parish priest Juan Carlos Puma alternate with the celebration of Holy Mass, reflect the theme in the homily, except on the day before the closing when the assembly rejoices in the presence of Monsignor Sergio Gualberti and the day of the closing of the celebrations which is completed with the welcome animation of the Archbishop of Santa Cruz, Monsignor Rene Leigue.
Among the charitable actions, it is worthy of mention the concern and interest in the maintenance of the house of the Lord, which is the home of all, since after 22 years from the consecration of the parish temple, a repair of the roof is necessary which implies a high cost, That is why for several years everyone has been working hard and generously and this year the commitment to achieve the goal is intensified. For this reason, campaigns of envelopes, sale of typical foods, artistic evenings, dances and animated dances, give hope and joy, create fraternity, allow to put at the service of others the gifts received from God.
And while the temple is being repaired, the gymnasium of the College of Saint Francis is the home of the Lord on weekends. These events take on another meaning. The need to repair the physical temple, leads the shepherds of this portion of God’s people to reflect that everyone is a temple of God by the Spirit who dwells in him: "If someone loves me, he will observe my Word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and we will make a dwelling in him". The soul is the temple of God. The Lord wants to be the King of the heart of man. For this we must make room, empty it of selfishness, individualism, money, power, pleasure... Thus does the Archbishop mention this in his homily quoting the Word: Or do you not know that your body is the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit, that is in you and you have received yourself from God, and that you do not belong to yourself? (I Cor 6:19). Everyone is that temple that must be cared for and valued with sacrifice and commitment. As with the material temple, which watches over its decorum and beauty, the soul is also guarded by cultivating the virtues that please God and make it more similar to God’s plan
True devotion fills life with a human and supernatural sense. Seeing the life of this Christian community, of the parish of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, we hope that we can glimpse the unfathomable love of Christ our Lord and push to proclaim the Gospel of salvation to men who do not yet know Christ, who do not imagine the depth of the joy that awaits us in heaven and who go to earth as blind people far from true happiness.
Jesus on the cross, with His Heart pierced with Love for men, shows us the value of things and people: we are worth the price of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. With Saint Bonaventure we ask him to deign to bind our heart to the bond of his love and to wound it with a spear, because it is still hard and unrepentant (Saint Bonaventure, Vitis mystica, 3, 11).
