Divine Transplantation

I hope that by this time of summer, you have had an opportunity to get away and rest a while, how important it is that we do so, and give a rest to theese hearts of ours. This week, I read an article about a group of people who are finding not only a restful heart but a new heart quite literally. I read a story about heart transplantation. An amazing story of people right here in Philadelphia who are awaitng and receiving new hearts. It's a story of life and death, of waiting and patience, of science and doctors, sick people and generous givers...all coming together in a remarkable way, to provide new life, new hearts for needy people. One hospital in our area averages 40 new hearts a year, almost once a week...amazing stuff!

Such a miracle fits well into our Gospel this week, as we move into the heart of John 6, Jesus teaching on the Bread of Life. For 3 weeks now, we've been reading along in this 6th chapter of John's Gospel. We've seen the miracle of the loaves and fish, the crowds following the Lord here and there, like sheep without a shepherd. And now today, we see our Lord getting to the heart of the matter, and teaching quite clearly about what exactly He provides for his people, in short, He provides Himself.

We hear the Lord proclaim today, "I am the bread of life. The bread that came down from heaven, whoever eats this bread will live forever." Unlike your ancestors who ate manna and died, those who eat this bread will live forever.

At this, we hear the crowds "murmur". Who is He? Where is he from? Is he not from Nazareth? And yet, amidst the murmuring his teaching could not be more clear. In short, Jesus is proclaiming today that he is Our Life, Our Salvation. The living bread without which we have no life. And this is the very heart of the matter. Jesus is providing Himself to us, to feed and eat of Him.

How mysterious and refreshing are theese words. You see, all of us my friends, have been born with a heart defect, it's called sin. And we stand in need of a remedy, we stand in need of a "new heart", a heart transplantation of sorts. We stand in need of a heart that will never stop beating, a perfect heart, a pure heart, a Sacred heart, Jesus' heart!

And the Lord Jesus provides. "I am the living bread, the bread of life, eat and drink of me and never die."

St. Paul tells us today, remove from your hearts all bitterness, fury, anger, shouting and reviling. In place, be kind, be compassionate, forgiving, be imitators of God. Be with the Lord.

You see my friends, this teaching of Jesus is an amazing gift. And what he provides for us each day is even more amazing, i.e. HIMSELF, in the Eucharist. It is far more remarkable than what happens in our local hospitals, but no less real. Our Lord is giving us new hearts, his heart.

How much we need the Heart of Jesus, to heal us, to save us, to restore us. This week, let us make a conscious choice to bring our hearts to him. Let us come to Jesus with all our hearts. With all the heart murmurs that we have, all the heart burn, all the heart aches and heart attacks, all the clogs and blockages. And he will give to us His heart. And make our hearts like His. This is what He offers to us, this is what Jesus gives. How blessed we are to receive. Lord Jesus, I give you my heart, help me to receive all the love and life that flows from yours.