Sr Margaret Fung
I am very fortunate to take part in the pilgrimage of Colegio de Santa Rosa de Lima (English Secondary) in July this year as the school in Macau celebrate its 85th anniversary. The pilgrimage consists of going to the places where Our Lady appeared (Lourdes and Fatima) and also following the steps of St Teresa, the Little Flower and Blessed Mary of the Passion. Since many things have been arranged by the travel agency, I silently await the arrival of such days. Nevertheless, my heartfelt gratitude to the Lord is without ceasing. This is another sign of the care of God the Father toward his daughter. Such makes me want to say more from my heart.
Twenty odd years as a principal of a school made me slower both to show my emotions and speech. I simply should not express my inner self so openly because a principal represents the school. She praises all the good things and stops all the bad and may even punish the evil within the school. Therefore she cannot say, “I like to do this” or I want to do this or that” so easily. Accordingly, both my speech and actions seem to follow this principle.
After my retirement from school, I was sent to Macau. Life in Macau is more relaxed. So, adapting to this type of life was not difficult though I cannot say there were none. Life is full of contradictions, it is full of ups and downs. Now all of a sudden, I want to share with others. So, with the help of Facebook, Whatsapp, WeChat and email, I often share my life with my former hikers, friends, Rosians of all years, some of their parents and new friends in Macau. No doubt, I promised that I would work solely for the glory of God after my retirement. So I asked myself, “Why not write more”? So that’s what I do. I write not only to try to glorify God but also have a good connection with my former friends and, if possible, bring them ever closer to God.
Our pilgrimage can be a very good time for us. It will allow us to forget the past and try to open a new page to allow Our Lady and other saints to step into our hearts and change us. The change will be positive, full of life and hope because there will be no human pride, jealousy, dissatisfaction or unrest. On the contrary, our journey will be full of the inspiring stories of the saints. We will be influenced, some more some less, since we will be given a few small paths leading to God. I use the term “small paths” because they are the stories of saints, the lives of individuals. We will also find many examples of Our Lady our heavenly mother both in Lourdes and Fatima.
Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Today is the third day of our pilgrimage. We are going to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Basilica. It is one of the most famous sites in Paris. All tourists to Paris come to this famous site because this basilica is erected on the top of a hill and down below it there is a place where artists live, chat and do all kinds of activities. The Red Moullin is also there. You can say this is a mini France because France is famous for romance and arts. When I searched Google for the Sacred Heart Basilica, I was surprised to see there are over a thousand activities going on in this area. Therefore, we need to be ready for this place as it is full of people and noise.
On a previous visit, I was fortunate to have had morning Mass in this basilica. When the Mass was going on, my heart often went back to the St Joseph Seminary Church in Macau because right above the main altar, there is also the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
On one side, there is the statue of St Margaret Alacoque, a Visitation Order sister. She was chosen by Jesus to promote the devotion to the Sacred Heart. Through the assistance of the general of the Jesuit Order, the Holy Father, Claudius, allowed the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus to be celebrated as a feast day eight days after the feast day of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The “Sacred Heart of Jesus” means Jesus has a human heart, and thus he feels as any human feels. So He understands and sympathizes with the suffering of humanity.
Jesus is the Second Person of God, the Son. He is God. We could therefore think He far superior to all of us. Who could have known that in the 19th century, by means of a sister, He would tell us of his human heart, and his awareness of human suffering. And, by means of another sister, Sr. Faustina, his “misericodia” was also shown to us. It tells us the Sacred Heart is always there for us to adore, love and show reverence to the Man-God.
There is a concept often stated by Jesus: devotion to the Sacred Heart means, “To recompense me for all the ill- treatments I have experienced in Holy Communion.” In truth, what He has said is a reality. Many people, even we who have dedicated our lives to God, have often failed to show the respect we owe to the Blessed Eucharist. Often, we simply ignore the Blessed Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At first, there was not enough money to build this basilica. Eventually, when sufficient money was raised, the basilica was built. It is a solemn and grand building often seen against a blue sky with patches of white clouds. Whenever we look at this basilica, we should reflect whether we show true respect to the Blessed Eucharist. Let us use our senses to feel for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, think about it slowly. As we look at the Sacred Body and Blood, let us remember this is the Body and Blood of Jesus who became a child on Christmas day and later poured out his blood for us in order to redeem us. All the more this is true for us Catholics who can receive Holy Communion on our tongues.
This is how I feel when in this basilica. Certainly, from now on I have to be more careful when I receive the Lord Jesus Christ; I must always receive Holy Communion, the eternal Man-God, into my heart with a reverent attitude, deep respect and profound gratitude.
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