Fountain fullness of love

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Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, our parish namesake. We celebrate what St. Bonaventure identified as the source of the fountain fullness of love poured into our hearts. Our hearts, in Latin the word is “cor” from which is derived the English word, “core” as in the core, the center of being, the center of prayer and hope, the center of our moral compass, and center of the stories that matter to us.

And today we also celebrate Father’s Day and honor the men in our lives whose presence shaped and formed us, passing on the Faith, passing on a moral compass, and letting us know where we stand in the world. All done through their experiences and passed on to us in wisdom and stories. I think we can all tell stories and recount sayings from our fathers. One of my favorite expressions from my father was “the main thing is making sure the main thing remains the main thing.” As I said, we all have our own stories. Continue reading →

Our Hearts

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This weekend we celebrate the patronal feast of our parish – The Sacred Heart of Jesus. There is an earlier post on the history of the feast day in which St. Bonaventure in his writing, “With You is the Source of Life” (which is the reading for the Divine Office on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart) described the heart as the fountain from which God’s love poured into our lives.

But what about our heart? In Scripture, the heart symbolizes the center or “core” of our being, from which prayer and moral actions originate. The heart is mentioned frequently by Jesus explain spiritual truths. Continue reading →

The Sacred Heart

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This week, we celebrate The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, our church’s namesake.  The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a devotional with long and historic provenance within Christianity, and in modern times has been established as a Solemnity for the universal Church. The Solemnity was first celebrated in France. The liturgy was approved by the local bishop at the behest of St. John Eudes, who celebrated the Mass on August 31, 1670. The celebration was quickly adopted in other places in France. In 1856, Pope Pius IX established the Feast of the Sacred Heart as obligatory for the whole Church. Continue reading →

Transgression

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This week we’re continuing our reflection on the Bible’s raw and honest portrait of the human condition. We will look at the word “transgression” in the Bible, which refers to ways that people betray or violate someone’s trust. This concept provides us with an important perspective as we continue to lament and draw attention to the realities of racial injustice in our culture.It’s never pleasant to focus on our failures or the ways that we are complicit in the betrayal of others, but it’s necessary. Only then can we open ourselves up to the healing and forgiving love of God that transforms us into agents of justice and peace in our world.

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Prayers and Change

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In today’s readings, we hear the St. Matthew’s version of Lord’s Prayer (there is also St. Luke’s version). The prayer has been constant over the ages because it is there in Sacred Scripture. When reviewing the two millennia of Christian writings (liturgies, breviaries, prayers, commentaries, etc.) there is a real constancy in the wording of this prayer. Continue reading →

Hope and Waiting

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Kerry Weber, an associate editor at America Magazine, a wife and mom, offered her thoughts on Hope. Her words are from a letter she and her husband wrote to her not-yet-born son on their hopes for his life in the Faith. As do all parents, they wait with expectation to see how this new life unfolds. They wrote:

“We hope that your faith inspires you to be just, loving, humble and merciful. We hope that your faith inspires you to encourage the church to be more just, more loving, more humble and more merciful.” Continue reading →

Life in Mission

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Next Sunday is the celebration of the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time. You can read a complete commentary on the Gospel here.

26 “Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. 27 What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.29 Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.30 Even all the hairs of your head are counted.31 So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.32 Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.33 But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”  (Mt 10:26-33) Continue reading →

How are you doing?

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This morning I was preparing for the noon-Mass homily on today’s gospel. It is well known passage that it part of the Sermon on the Mount: ““You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.” (Mt 5:38)  The cultural context for the saying is the 1st century honor-shame dynamic. And so I was reading online about the dynamics of shame. I found some interesting and thoughtful articles. But I also found something I was not looking for. Continue reading →

The Desire of Souls

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Years from now I will perhaps look back in my notes at this homily and will need to remind myself what was unique and different about this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, popularly known as Corpus Christi Sunday. Notes to self: 94 days ago, the World Health Organization declared pandemic status for the covid-19 virus. 87 days ago, the churches of the diocese of St. Petersburg were closed to the public. 79 days ago, a safer-at-home order was declared for the City of Tampa. Continue reading →