Dear Parishioners,

The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In his last encyclical called Dilexit Nos, Pope Francis reflected on this devotion and how important it is to the Church. He explains it as following:

Devotion to the heart of Christ is not veneration of a single organ apart from the Person of Jesus. What we contemplate and adore is the whole Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, represented by an image that accentuates the heart. That heart of flesh is seen as the privi- leged sign of the inmost being of the incarnate Son and His love, both divine and human. More than any other part of His body, the heart of Jesus is “the natural sign and symbol of His boundless love.” (Dilexit Nos 46)

We see that the heart is privileged because it is the symbol of the inner being of the person and represents their love. Pope Francis also points out how important that we are united in our being and how this can only be done with love.

Whenever a person thinks, questions and reflects on his or her true identity, strives to understand the deeper questions of life and to seek God, or experiences the thrill of catching a glimpse of truth, it leads to the realization that our fulfilment as human beings is found in love. In loving, we sense that we come to know the purpose and goal of our existence in this world. Everything comes together in a state of coherence and harmony. It follows that, in contemplating the meaning of our lives, perhaps the most decisive question we can ask is, “Do I have a heart?” (DN 23)

Let us be people who are united in the purpose of love. We are happiest when we are called out of our isolation and help others. We find the most meaning in our lives when we care about our neighbor. The world tries to reduce our identity to our function, our job, our sexuality, our gender or our class. But what we really are more than anything else are children of a God who loves us. May that identity move us to have compassion for our neighbor and to love God even more. Only then can we have lasting peace and harmony.

God Bless!

Fr. Carter