Dear Parishioners,
June is Sacred Heart Month
My father’s father had three sisters: Mary Margaret, Helen Loretta, and Margaret Mary. Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque starting in 1673. I wonder if my great-grandparents had a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. If so, where did they get it from? Emma Hughes had an Aunt Margaret. Thomas O’Neill’s mother was Mary McKenna. He had a niece Margaret O’Neill who became a nun.
My own father died on June 7, 2019. It sometimes falls on the feast of the Sacred Heart (like last year) which occurs on the Friday after Corpus Christi. That’s June 27th this year. Since it usually occurs in June, we celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus during the whole month.
The Divine Mercy devotion is similar with an even greater emphasis on the mercy of the Sacred Heart. With the world wars in the 1900s, it was fitting for Jesus to appear to a Polish nun and remind us of His Divine Mercy.
In the 1600s, Jansenism was a heresy by which people emphasized God’s justice and following rules. While God is just and following rules is good, we need God for more. And He is eager to do more for us than we can imagine. Jesus reminded St. Margaret Mary of His Sacred Heart.
Through His Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy, Jesus can restore us to wholeness with an understanding of who He created us to be.
Our world is broken in many ways and celebrates disorder. Many have wrong notions about justice, mercy, and creation. We may be tainted by those caught up in error and sin. It behooves us to repent of our own sins and turn to God.
On Pentecost, we especially celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit who leads us to all truth and infuses us with wonderful gifts. When we cooperate, good fruits emerge.
During the week of June 15th, our Knights of Columbus council invites us to focus upon the Sacred Heart. We will have a Sacred Heart pilgrim icon on campus.
Papal Ghosts
We might still be in the honeymoon period with our new Pope Leo XIV. But life is returning to normal. Adam Lucas offers a reflection on the various reactions to our new pope. It might help us better calibrate our approach to Pope Leo and more importantly to Jesus Christ.
God love you,
Fr. Jim