Feast of Margaret Mary Alacoque
Readings:
Romans 3: 21-30
Luke 11: 47-54
Reflection:
“You build the tombs of the prophets, but it was your ancestors who killed them.” (11:47)
The reading we hear today is confronting. Jesus speaks directly into the silence of avoidance, calling out the human tendency to honour prophets in death while ignoring their messages in life. It’s a sobering reminder that our faith is not just about reverence, but response. We are called not only to celebrate those who spoke God’s word, but to listen and act, even when its hard.
How often do we admire ‘holy lives’ from a distance, resisting the truth when it shows up in our own lives? Another way would be to ask how often have we sat through a eulogy going wow, I didn’t know that about the individual, what a conversation we could have had!
Leaving a sense of, are we listening?
On this shared feast day, we remember St Margaret Mary Alacoque, mystic and visionary, shared the message of Christ’s Sacred Heart, an image of divine love, personal and burning. In a time when religion could feel rigid and distant, her life reminded people of Jesus’ intimate, aching desire to be known and loved. Though doubted and dismissed, she remained faithful to the One who called her.
It takes courage to hear, especially when it challenges or disrupts our comfort. But holiness is not found in building monuments to the past; it is found in saying yes to the Gospel today, amid our messy, beautiful, ordinary lives. Just like St Margaret Mary Alacoque did.
Maybe today, God is inviting you to pause and listen again;
To that persistent call in your heart.
To the relationship you’ve been avoiding.
To the chance you’ve been resisting.
Maybe the prophet you need to hear is already beside you, or within you.
Let the life of Margaret Mary Alacoque be your encouragement today:
Live with love. Listen with faith. Respond with trust.
God does not seek your perfection, only your yes.
Sr Karen Englebretsen CP, Cross and Passion Sisters. blessed to be a spiritual care worker in the homeless sector in Melbourne.