Friday, June 7th, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This feast is always during the Octave of Corpus Christi – the Friday following Corpus Christi. First Fridays in the year are also set aside for the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The practice of First Fridays grew into the whole month of June being dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Like May is the month of Mary, June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In celebrating the Sacred Heart of Jesus we celebrate the abundant, over-flowing, burning love that Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, God Himself, has for us. His mercy and love shower and flow upon us from His pierced heart.
Unfortunately, tragically, perhaps even demonically, the world has branded June as pride month, celebrating disordered sexual orientations and sinful and evil sexual acts and proclivities. They have taken a month dedicated to Humility and ordered Divine Love and replaced it with the sin of pride and disordered, evil lust.
How do we respond? We can reject pride month, rally against it. Perhaps we do our best not to endorse or patronize those who promote it. What we must do is PRAY. Our hearts need to be filled with the mercy, love, forgiveness, humility of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We pray for the healing of those who have been wounded in such a way that they turn from Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Fulfillment of the deepest desires of their hearts. We pray that our hearts may become like His Sacred Heart. May we love like He loves – in truth and charity!
Immaculate Heart of Mary
The day after we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we celebrate the Immaculate Heart of His Mother Mary! Her Immaculate heart so purely received God – the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity – and He was made incarnate by the Holy Spirit in her womb. Her heart was pierced and laid open with all of our petitions. Her heart was wounded in sorrow in the Passion of her Son. Her motherly and tender heart carries our cares and worries. She bears our crosses and reminds us of our dignity as sons and daughters of Almighty God. Every First Saturday, we remember the Immaculate Heart of Mary and ask for her intercession. This Feast of her Immaculate Heart always comes on the Saturday after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Let us also pray for our Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary who serve our parish so beautifully! They are at the heart of our Church and School! We love you, Sisters!
May our hearts may be more and more like the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary!
~ Fr. Daniel Firmin