The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This weekend we celebrate our patronal feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The heart, as we all know, is a symbol of love, and there is no greater love than the love that God has for all of us, especially in the Heart of Jesus, the Word of God made Flesh. We have all seen many pictures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that shows us the love of Jesus poured out for us by becoming one of us and then in His suffering, death, and resurrection. Jesus shows us the ultimate love by giving His life for us so that our sins may be forgiven and we may have eternal life with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven. This same Heart is pierced for us as Jesus hangs dying on the cross, and blood and water pours out giving us His life, especially in the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Eucharist.
As the Sacred Heart is a symbol of Jesus’ love for us, it should also be a symbol of our love for Him and for our neighbor. Jesus shows us what it means to love and how we are to love one another. We are most like Jesus when we love, especially when it is not easy. We all know that there are times when both we and others act in an unloving sort of way. Jesus loves us no matter what we do, even in our most unlovable moments. It is very difficult to love at times like these, but this is what God calls us to do, this is what He created us to do, this is what He empowers us to do. Jesus told us in John’s Gospel that we are to love one another just as He has loved us. The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus celebrates this love and reminds us of God’s call to love Him and our neighbor. We pray that as we celebrate this great feast of the Church that we may grow in love for God and one another. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus show us how to love without counting the cost.
The FEAST OF THE SACRED HEART is this weekend and we will celebrate our patronal feast at all the Masses. After the 5 PM Mass on Sunday we will have our annual parish picnic. The picnic will be held in the pavilion next to the warehouse. WE WILL PROVIDE THE HAMBURGERS AND HOT DOGS, WHICH WILL BE GRILLED BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, AND WE ASK THOSE ATTENDING TO BRING SIDE DISHES TO SHARE. (Families with last names beginning with A to M, please bring a dish to share and families with last names beginning with N to Z please bring a dessert to share.) PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND WITH YOUR FAMILIES. THERE WILL BE GAMES FOR THE KIDS, MUSIC, AND BEER TOO! DON’T FORGET: JUNE 26 AT THE 5PM MASS AND FOLLOWING. Please note that included in our celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart we will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ordination of Deacon Roger. Deacon Roger has done so much for our parish family, so please take the time to pray for him and his wife Helen. May the Lord bless them both for their service to the people of God, especially over these past 25 years.
Our Corpus Christi Procession last Sunday after the 10:30 AM Mass was both prayerful and inspiring, thanks to all those who were able to participate. The Eucharistic Procession was a very public witness to our belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The procession went from the church all the way to downtown and back. I am very grateful to all who made the procession possible, especially Fr. Pat and Deacon Rich, who planned the procession. I am also grateful to our altar servers, Knights of Columbus, and our ushers.
As was mentioned in the homilies last weekend, at the direction of the bishops, we are beginning a three-year Eucharistic Revival so that we can strengthen our belief in the Eucharist for who it really is, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. We are greatly blessed here at Sacred Heart with our Chapel of Divine Mercy, open 24/7 for people to come and pray. I hope it is a source of comfort and strength to know that there is someone praying before the Blessed Sacrament in our parish church day and night. Please remember that there is always room for people to sign up for a Holy Hour in the Chapel or to share an hour with family or friends. There is plenty of room in the Chapel for more than one or two people. Many people who have a regularly scheduled holy hour will tell you that it is a wonderful time that they have with our Lord during that hour.
