The Reign of the Sacred Heart: Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Ezekiel 34:11-16; Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6; Romans 5:5b-11; Luke 15:3-7)

On December 27th, 1673, in the wake of the Thirty Years War and the continued divergence of the Protestant movement away from the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and the Liturgy, Saint Mary Margeret Alacoque was given a vision of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ while praying before the Blessed Sacrament.

This is what she wrote in her diary:

“Our Lord made me rest for several hours on His sacred breast ... After that I saw this divine Heart as on a throne of flames, more brilliant than the sun and transparent as crystal. It had Its adorable wound and was encircled with a crown of thorns, which signified the pricks our sins caused Him. It was surmounted by a cross which signified that, from the first moment of His Incarnation, that is, from the time this Sacred Heart was formed, the cross was planted in It; that It was filled, from the very first moment, with all the bitterness, humiliations, poverty, sorrow, and contempt His sacred humanity would have to suffer during the whole course of His life and during His holy Passion. He made me understand that the ardent desire He had of being loved by men and of drawing them from the path of perdition into which Satan was hurrying them in great numbers, had caused Him to fix upon this plan of manifesting His Heart to men, together with all Its treasures of love, mercy, grace, sanctification and salvation ... . This devotion was a last resort of His love .… [He] wished to favour men in these last centuries with his loving redemption, in order to withdraw them from the empire of Satan, which He intended to destroy, and in order to put us under the sweet liberty of the empire of His love.”

There would be a total of three such visions.  In these visions, Jesus expressed His yearning for His love to be returned with love.  Jesus requested that we make reparation to His Heart for the ingratitude of mankind.  Jesus asked us to honor Him and put all our trust in Him alone.  He implored that we honor and love God the Father more.

He wants to reign over families and nations everywhere.  He wants to saturate all of humanity with the grace that flows from His Heart.  

Through a devotion to His Sacred Heart, Jesus made the following promises:

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will establish peace in their homes.
3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
5. I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
6. Sinners will find in my Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9. I will bless every place in which an image of my Heart is exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart.
12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

There are many ways we can increase a devotion to the Sacred Heart in our lives.  I share a few now:

1. Make a morning offering prayer consecrating your day to the Sacred Heart.
2. Prominently display an image of the Sacred Heart in your home.
3. Carry or wear a Sacred Heart Badge.
4. Commit to Eucharistic Adoration on a regular basis.
5. Practice the First Friday devotion.
6. Enthrone your home to the Sacred Heart.
7. Consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart.
8. Pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
9. Pray the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
10. Pray, fast, and give alms in reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Ultimately, Jesus wants to pour out His entire self to us through the Eucharist, through the Sacred Heart.  But for us to receive the gift of divine love, we must allow ourselves to pour out our entire self to Him in our acts of worship in the Mass as well as our acts to love our neighbor.  This pouring out of self in self-deferential love is ultimately what communion is all about.  

Over time, a devotion to the Sacred Heart can help us increase in our humility to be able to pour out ourself into Him and, in turn, open ourselves up to allow Him to pour Himself into us…filling us with the Flame of Love.  

When we are truly set ablaze by the Flame of Love, there is nothing we shall want.

Thanks be to God!

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Where Is Your Fulfillment?: Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time (2 Corinthians 11:18, 21-30; Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7; Matthew 6:19-23)

As I reflected on Saint Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, I couldn’t help but also reflect on the situation that our new Roman Pontiff has walked into.  As the political and economic gaps around the world continue to widen and intensify, that spirit of division continues to make itself more present within the Church.  

We can say many things about the pontificate of Francis, but one many of us would likely agree on is that it definitely made many folks run to their respective corners, boasting of their personal opinions. 

The spirits of division and dissension (and the very real dangers those represent) are unfortunately running viral within the Church.

In places across Africa, China, and Central America, among others, we have bishops and other clergy that are imprisoned, beaten, tormented, and even martyred for their love of Jesus Christ and His Church.

Meanwhile, in the United States, we seem to like to squabble.  Some of us squabble about which form of the Liturgy we believe is superior to all the other forms of Divine Liturgy.  Others of us squabble about some of the organizational changes that are being made to better meet the needs of changing demographics, especially in light of the statistical trends of the number of priests available to serve those demographics.  Still others squabble over the priests we have as opposed to being grateful that we even have a priest that can administer the sacraments to us.

At the same time, our lives aren’t really in danger, and we are fortunate to have ample access to the Sacraments; unlike our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world.

I say this not to belittle the very real concerns many of us have about the state of the Church in America.  Trust me, I have many opinions that would not be appropriate to announce from the ambo.  

At the same time, I think this relates to what is at the heart of Paul’s message today:  namely, how we can process the daily pressure and anxiety that many of us feel for the Church today.  I can give you two options to consider.

We can react to things from a secular worldview (which many of us unfortunately do), or we can respond to it through a sacramental worldview.  Responding through a sacramental worldview means accepting things as they are and trusting that God’s will will be done as Divine Providence continues to unfold.

Or as Jesus might lovingly put it, “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

When we think as human beings do, when we process what we see from the secular worldview, we are more likely to boast of our opinions and preferences.  We are naturally going to feel anxiety, fear, distrust, and distress; perhaps even frustration and anger; and likely at the very least confusion.

But, when we trust in the promises of Jesus Christ that the Holy Spirit is ultimately guiding the Catholic Church, then we don’t feel the need to boast in that we can trust that in the midst of the toils and hardships we experience as a result of the human weaknesses in our midst, a greater good will be brought about for the glory of God.  If we can simply surrender it all to the care of God, then He will relieve us of our distress.

When we allow our will to be aligned with the will of God, even in matters of the Church such as our preferences around the Liturgy, the clergy, and parish organization, then we can truly begin to think as God does…and we can be at peace.  

Sometimes, that means reminding ourselves that our fulfillment is not in the Liturgy itself, but in the Eucharist.  Sometimes, that means reminding ourselves that our fulfillment is not in a building nor in the memories made in a particular building, but solely in the Eucharist.  Sometimes, that means letting go of how we have always done it in our ministries, in order to embrace where the Holy Spirit is leading us now.

I do not envy Pope Leo XIV, Archbishop Rozanski, and the other bishops and even the pastors around the world that are facing these issues head on.  But at least they recognize there are very real problems and they are trying to discern how the Holy Spirit is leading them through these problems.  

We may not always agree with their vision and we may not always initially see the wisdom behind their decisions, but our job, to echo Saint Teresa of Calcutta, is to be faithful.  

Through our faithfulness, God rescues the just.

Thanks be to God!

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Saint Anthony and the Mule: Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Isaiah 61:1-3d; Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 21-22, 25 and 27; Luke 10:1-9)

Today, we celebrate how the Lord has worked through the life of Saint Anthony of Padua, a fairly well known 13th century Franciscan friar, particularly if you have ever sought intercession to help find your keys.

He was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1195 and given the birth name Fernando.  At the age of 15, he entered into the religious order of Saint Augustine, and was ordained a priest. 

His life took a turn when the bodies of the first five Franciscan martyrs were carried in solemn procession to the monastery in which he was living.

He went to the little Franciscan friary in Coimbra.  He said, “Brothers, I would gladly put on the habit of your Order if you would promise to send me as soon as possible to the land of the Saracens, that I may gain the crown of the holy martyrs.”

After some difficulty with the prior of the Augustinians, Fernando left the priory and received the Franciscan habit, taking the name of Anthony.

True to their word, the Franciscans allowed him to go to Morroco at once.  But the Lord had other plans for Anthony and he never made it to his intended destination.  After serious illness and severe weather at sea, he eventually made it to Sicily.

His quiet life of prayer and penance was exchanged for one of public preaching.  Saint Fransis himself assigned Saint Anthony to northern Italy (Padua)...he was sent truly like one of the 72 disciples in our reading today.  There are many great stories of his effective preaching, conversions affected, and miracles that the Lord worked through Anthony.

Perhaps my favorite story involves a mule.  Saint Anthony was trying to convince a wealthy merchant of the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.  One day he challenged the merchant, “If the mule you ride adored the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, would you believe in the truth of the Blessed Sacrament?”

The merchant agreed, but raised the stakes.  It was decided that the mule would be starved for three days and then brought out into the public square to be put in between a pile of hay on one side and the exposed Blessed Sacrament on the other side.  

While the mule was starved for three days, Saint Anthony fasted and prayed.

On the third day, the mule was brought to the public square.  The merchant placed a pile of hay directly under the mule’s nose while Saint Anthony stood some distance away holding the Holy Eucharist.  Despite how hungry the mule must have been, he ignored the hay, turned his head, and walked directly toward Saint Anthony.  When the mule was close, he bent his front legs…kneeling in adoration of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

The merchant watched this event play out and immediately knelt and professed his new found belief in the truth of the real presence.

Saint Anthony died at the age of 35.  He was canonized in 1232 and declared a Doctor of the Universal Church in 1946.  In addition to his effective intercession, in Saint Anthony we can find an effective model for how to love the Word of God, how to understand it, and how to apply it to our lives.  He also serves as a reminder that the root of wisdom is becoming more like Jesus Christ, who humbled himself, who emptied himself for our sake, and who went about doing good works.

Allowing the Lord to do such works through us, we too will forever sing the goodness of the Lord.

Thanks be to God!

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Come Let Us Adore Him: Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time (2 Corinthians 3:15 - 4:1, 3-6; Psalm 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14; Matthew 5:20-26)

In today's reading from Saint Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, I couldn’t help but think of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ (which the month of June is dedicated to) and Adoration of the Holy Eucharist.

In particular, Saint Paul wrote, “All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

In adoration, we gaze upon His majesty with unveiled face.  We gaze upon the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, veiled under the appearance of simple bread.  As Saint Faustina wrote in her diary, “The mercy of God, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, the voice of the Lord who speaks to us from the throne of mercy: ‘Come to Me, all of you.’”

In fact, Jesus once invited Saint Faustina, “...at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant.”

Some of you have heard me preach recently on the Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy through the context of the Mass.  The moment when Father breaks the Eucharist, the moment the spear pierces the heart of Jesus Christ on the cross.  The blood and water that gushes forth through the Sacramental Life of the Church to free you of spiritual bondage, that you may truly live a life of joy and peace.  This moment of Divine Mercy is extended perpetually through the Eucharist as we are present in adoration.

So brothers and sisters, take advantage of our adoration chapel.  If you do not already do so, join the adoration team and commit spending an hour with our Blessed Lord, answering his call “Come to me, all of you.”

When you are in the adoration chapel, bring yourself to that moment of Divine Mercy.  Allow yourself to be bathed in the blood and water spraying from His Sacred Heart.   Feel the red and pale rays of grace radiating through your soul, healing you and bringing you to completion.  Allow yourself to recall that, sitting in the presence of His Divine Majesty, the red and pale rays of sacramental grace radiate over you and through you.  This reality is true, even if our human senses fail.

Join Saint Faustina in prayer, “Transform me into Yourself, O Jesus, that I may be a living sacrifice and pleasing to You. I desire to atone at each moment for poor sinners. The sacrifice of my spirit is hidden under the veil of the body; the human eye does not perceive it, and for that reason it is pure and pleasing to You. O my Creator and Father of great mercy, I trust in You, for You are Goodness Itself. Souls, do not be afraid of God, but trust in Him, for He is good, and His mercy is everlasting.”

Hear the Lord in reply, “My child, rest close to My Heart. Known to Me are your efforts.”

Brothers and sisters, let us unveil ourselves this month of the things of this world that prevent us from finding time to spend with Him in adoration.  Find your ultimate joy in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.  Come let us adore Him.

Thanks be to God!

Experience a Personal Pentecost: Pentecost Sunday (Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23)

In addition to wishing everyone a holy Pentecost, I would like to welcome back our group of ladies that have experienced a true outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the course of the ACTS retreat they have been on the last few days.  

I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with them over the course of the retreat.  Based on what I saw, I have no doubt it was a spirit filled retreat full of joy, full of peace, and full of love.

How fitting that they would have such a strong encounter with the Holy Spirit in tandem with our celebration of Pentecost today.  The day we celebrate the birth of the Catholic Church when the Holy Spirit descended upon Mary, the Apostles and other disciples in the Upper Room.  

This is the same room Jesus celebrated the first Mass and instituted the Holy Eucharist at Passover.  The Last Supper occurred fifty days prior to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit of which we heard about in our first reading.

I’d like to give you a bit more historical and spiritual context around what we celebrate today.

Let’s go back in time to the first Passover, as the Hebrews were beginning the Exodus out of  Egypt.  At that time, God prescribed exactly how the Hebrews were to participate in the Passover (meaning how the Hebrews were to participate in the sacramental life of the Old Covenant).  In doing so, God said all generations had to observe the Passover.

Fifty days later, on Mount Sinai, there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain.  Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had come down upon it in the appearance of fire.  

This event is known as the Great Theophany of the Old Covenant as the Hebrews received the law written in stone, namely the ten commandments to be lived through obedience.

Roughly 1,500 years later, at the Last Supper, Jesus prescribed exactly how Christians are to participate in the Passover (meaning how Christians are to participate in the sacramental life of the New Covenant through the Eucharist).  In doing so, He said “Do this in memory of me.”

Fifty days later, in that same Upper Room on Mount Zion, now gathered around the Virgin Mary, there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.  

This is the Great Theophany of the New Covenant as the Christians received the law written on their hearts.  The power of the Holy Spirit to live the beatitudes in love.

This Flame of Love that came to rest on each of the early Christians in our reading today, is the same Flame of Love that is meant to rest on each of us at our Confirmation.  The Flame of Love that enables us to boldly proclaim the mighty acts of God and to be His agents in renewing the face of the earth.

This message is still unfolding today.  Now we are not obligated to believe private revelation, but on March 24, 1963, Jesus said to Elizabeth Kindelmann, “Through the Flame of Love…faith will take root in souls, and the face of the earth will be renewed, because nothing like it has happened ever since the Word became Flesh (the Word was made flesh when the Holy Spirit came upon the Virgin Mary in her personal Pentecost, if you will).  The renewal of the earth, although flooded with sufferings, will come about by the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin.”

Brothers and sisters, we are called to be an active part of this renewal of the world for the glory of God through the fires of Pentecost…the Flame of Love.  In fact, listen to the words of Saint Louis de Montfort:

“The Holy Spirit, finding His spouse (Mary) present again in souls, will come down into them with great power.  He will fill them with His gifts, especially wisdom, by which they will produce great wonders of grace…loving and glorifying Jesus.

These great souls filled with grace and zeal will be chosen to oppose the enemies of God who are raging on all sides.  

They will be ministers of the Lord who, like a flaming fire, will enkindle everywhere the fires of divine love. They will become, in Mary's powerful hands, like sharp arrows, with which she will transfix her enemies.”

Then, as if speaking to the Lord, he said, “When will it happen, this fiery deluge of pure love with which you are to set the whole world ablaze and which is to come, so gently yet so forcefully, that all nations…will be caught up in its flames and be converted?  When you breathe your Spirit into them, they are restored and the face of the earth renewed.” 

Brothers and sisters, all of us received this breath of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation, although (if you were like me) we may not have had the correct intention nor disposition at the time for the graces of Confirmation to be activated in our lives.  I believe these women had graces activated this weekend.  

Still, the question for all of us becomes, how do we stoke the Flame of Love within us and continue to become the beautiful soul described by Saint Louis de Montfort?

The answer is in how the disciples responded to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  The disciples did not just stay in the Upper Room once they received the Holy Spirit.  They did not limit their expression of faith to the place where they celebrated Mass.  They took their faith out into the world.  

The same is true for us.  We receive our charisms and other spiritual gifts through the Sacraments of Initiation (particularly Baptism and Confirmation) and they are strengthened as we thoroughly live the Sacramental life of the Catholic Church, particularly our reception of the Eucharist with the correct intention and disposition.  

Every baptized Christian receives charisms.  The charisms are given to the Christian not for their personal sanctification,  but rather for the building of the Kingdom of Sacred Heart…so they may make God’s love visible. 

Charisms are meant to advance the kingdom and glorify God.  Charisms are given for the benefit of the Church, the body of Christ.

While the benefit of having charisms is not our own, acting in our charisms is a life giving experience for us.  Exercising our charisms makes us feel a greater sense of joy, a greater sense of fulfillment, and a greater level of energy compared to when we are not acting through our charisms.  Further, acting in our charisms can make us more open to sacramental grace in our lives, which can then be further activated.

There is true danger in ignoring or even rejecting a charism God has given us.  Think of the “Parable of the Talents”.  The first two servants used the talents given to them by the master, the third did not.  When the master returned, he was very pleased with the first two servants and he gave them more talents.  The master was not pleased with the third servant because he buried the talent.  This servant did not receive more talents.  In fact, the one he had was taken away and given to another. 

These talents represent the charisms and spiritual gifts God has given us.  Strengthening one gift now may be the key to utilizing another gift in the future.  

These are gifts God has given us that we can be free to follow Him in His plan for us….plans that the Prophet Isaiah said include a prosperous and hopeful future.

You may be wondering how you can identify your charisms.  The short answer is that we come to understand our charisms through the lived experience of making God’s love visible.  But, there are some practical things we can do.

First, the parish website has a Spiritual Skills Inventory.  This is a wonderful tool that can be used to help you start thinking about what your charisms might be and give you some practical thoughts on how to act in those charisms.

Based on the results of the inventory, I encourage you to join a couple of ministries that would give you a chance to act from the charisms you have.  

Joining ministries is important because, if we are not helping to extend the Kingdom of Sacred Heart into the world around us in some fashion, if we are not making God’s love visible, it is very likely we will never come to truly understand what our charisms are, let alone use them in a vein similar to the first two servants from the parable.

The good news is that we have dozens of ministries here at the parish.   Give the Holy Spirit a chance to bear witness to how He wants to act through you (via your charisms) by taking action in one or two of these ministries.  

The key is to truly participate in the ministry.  Just having your name on a ministry roster or even showing up at ministry meetings but passively sitting in the corner will not activate or strengthen a charism.  

It is only through active participation in service and other ministerial work that we can truly come to know what our charisms are, how to employ them sufficiently by the grace of God, and to be truly set ablaze by the Flame of Love.

The Catholic Renewal Center also routinely offers workshops and programs based on the charisms that can be very helpful in learning about and discerning the charisms you may have.  These events can be found on the Archdiocesan website.

A spiritual director can also be very helpful to sort through your experiences to discern what your true charisms are.  Here are some considerations for reflection that can be good conversation with a spiritual director:

When you attempt to exercise a specific charism, does there seem to be an inherent life-giving and energizing dimension to the act?

When you attempt to exercise a specific charism, do you generally experience a superabundance of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control)?

When you attempt to exercise a specific charism, does the parish community respond with feedback indicating they recognize a gift from God is present in what you are doing?

What are some things that you currently avoid or even outright fear?  This one may seem strange.  However, sometimes, the very thing we might avoid or fear could be the very charism that could bring us the greatest fulfillment in this life.  The evil one often tries to put obstacles in place to discourage us from activating our charisms.  

Consider the priesthood, many young men have received the charism of the priesthood, but the evil one is often successful in dissuading them from acting through that particular charism.  Many of us encounter similar ploys from the evil one when it comes to the charisms in our life.

It can be a bit of work to come to understand what your charisms are and it can take a bit of courage to start putting them into action, but it is completely worth it.  

Finding ways to make God’s love visible through your charisms is ultimately a path to living a life that is truly happy, joyous and free.

Saint Catherine of Siena said, “Be who you are meant to be, and you will set the world on fire.”  Take that as your invitation to experience a personal Pentecost.

Thanks be to God!   

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