The following is the Homily given by Fr. Fred Franklin during the Eucharistic Celebration on the Solemnity of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
There’s a very tenuous personal link between John, myself and our Founder Herbert Vauighan. When we came to St Joseph’s College, Mill Hill, in September 1962, it was the custom for the 1st Year students (there were 30 of us) to visit the ancient Bro. Bernard van Berkel MMHM, who died suddenly in 1965 aged 99, to say the Rosary with him each afternoon. Afterwards, Bernard lit his pipe, then regaled us with stories of his years as personal assistant to Cardinal Vaughan. Back and forth, he’d travel between Mill Hill and Westminster, fetching and carrying; and how in Vaughan’s final illness, Bernard would push the Cardinal around in his stately bathchair. A BATHCHAIR as a heavy, wooden, high-backed structure on 4 wheels, prototype of a modern wheelchair.
Bernard described the many moving farewell ceremonies for our early missionaries. How the whole community would gather in the Chapel for “the kissing of the feet” based on a verse “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the one who brings Good News”. Afterwards, everyone processed solemnly with cross, candles, incense, clad in full regalia, cassock, cotta, biretta, down the hill across the Great North Road to the newly built Mill Hill steam locomotive station, where they bade farewell to the young missionaries on the start of their first, and sadly for many, last missionary journey.
One of the subjects Vaughan spoke of constantly was the necessity of cultivating a deep devotion to the Sacred Heard of Jesus.
As a young priest his dream was to start a college to train secular priests for the Foreign Missions under the patronage of the Sacred Heart. Some years later St Joseph became patron of the Society, but the College itself was still dedicated to the Sacred Heart.
That’s the reason we renew our missionary oath on this day, one of the most profound feasts of the liturgical year, when we concentrate on the Heart of Jesus, the Heart of God. This Heart is shown to us as both pierced by suffering for us and burning with love for humankind.
Today’s liturgy tries to do the impossible, attempting to express the overwhelming love of God, revealed in Jesus Crucified. The Heart of Jesus is the very Heart of God, reconciling us to Himself, sharing His Divine life and love with us.
The 1st Reading is from the book of Deuteronomy, principally a law book, yet in it we learn that: ‘The Lord is God merciful and generous, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, forgiving our iniquity and transgressions”.
Forgiveness, compassion and love are emphasised again in the Psalm.
The first letter of John insists that God’s NATURE is love, shown by the fact that God sent his Son as atonement for our sins. If we love one another God abides in us; and we know that we have God’s Spirit in us if we do the works of the Spirit that is: love one another.
Our Gospel is the encouraging passage about the intimacy of the relationship between Father and Son and the gentle invitation: “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest”.
Today’s Preface declares: “Lifted up on the Cross Christ gave his life for us, so much did he love us…To his open heart the Saviour invites all peoples”. That is our missionary task: to announce God’s invitation to all peoples, to proclaim the Good News of God’s redeeming love, to have a burning zeal to spread the love of God.
First, we need to have that Divine and human love before we can share it. The new translation of the 2nd Eucharistic Prayer runs; “Remember your Church…and bring her to the fulness of charity”. Gentle and true enough but the older version packs more punch; “MAKE US GROW IN LOVE!” The message is straight from the Gospels: “You shall love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and you shall love your neighbour as yourself.”
This is our main task to grow in love of God and neighbour. Significantly the Church asks God to do the work. Not a vague request: “may we grow”…but a demand: “MAKE us grow in love.” We can’t do it on our own. It’s God’s work and we collaborate.
When I remember to do my examination of conscience, or consciousness, if you prefer: the main question I ask is: “How have I loved today?” The older one gets, the more important this question becomes.
We are ambassadors of God proclaiming the joyful news of his love.
Today we celebrate and give thanks to God for 210 years (60+60+50+40) of missionary and priestly service in Cameroon, Pakistan, India, Borneo, America and Europe, working in primary evangelization, formation, administration appeal and supply work, all vital to the Society’s mission.
We thank God for calling our Jubilarians, for blessing us and all those people and projects God has touched through us. We thank God for our parents, family, relatives, friends, our Mill Hill Society, all who have helped and supported us. May God continue to smile on all of us.
Today we don’t just look to the past. We live in the present and look to the future with firm hope, to our enthusiastic, joyful young missionaries, who are a real inspiration to us more mature Members and Associates. We pray for all those in formation and for many future vocations to our young Society. Yes, our average age is getting lower! You think 160 years is old for a missionary Society? We’re only just beginning.
Let’s make this our prayer today and every day:
“Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, in whom we place all our trust, make us grow in love”. AMEN.
MHM PRIESTLY JUBILEES BRITISH REGION 12 JUNE 2026 HERBERT HOUSE:
Fr Fred Franklin (60), Fr. John Taylor (60), Fr. Bernard Fox (50) and Fr. Brian Oswald (40).
