June - the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

 June - the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

       In the Catholic Church, the month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost (June 24 this year).   Devotion to the Sacred Heart is one of the most widespread and popular in the Church.

     Understood in relationship to Sacred Scripture, the Sacred Heart of Jesus denotes the entire mystery of Christ, the totality of his being, and his person of Jesus who is the Son of God, eternal wisdom, infinite charity, the font of salvation, and the sanctification of mankind. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is our Savior, the Incarnate Word of God.  The Sacred Heart of Jesus expresses an infinite divine-human love for the Father and for all humanity.

      The feast of the Sacred Heart was first approved for specified dioceses by  Pope Clement XIII in 1765 and then extended to the whole Church by Pius IX in 1856. In 1889, Pope Leo XIII wrote an encyclical letter that dedicated the whole Catholic world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

      Devotion to the Sacred Heart played a role in the plans of Pope John Paul II for the new evangelization in the world. Pope John Paul II writes: ”For evangelization today, the Heart of Christ must be recognized as the heart of the Church: It is he who calls us to conversion, to reconciliation. It is he who leads pure hearts and those hungering for justice along the way of the Beatitudes. It is he who achieves the warm communion of the members of the one body. It is he who enables us to adhere to the Good News and to accept the promise of eternal life. It is he who sends us out on mission. The heart-to-heart with Jesus broadens the human heart on a global scale."

       We follow the practice of the first Fridays of the month here at St Jude at our 10:00 Mass.  We also offer 24-hour adoration in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus the first Friday each month in our prayer chapel from 5:00 am on Friday until 5:00 am on Saturday.   This First Friday devotion comes from the promises made by Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alocoque, a French Visitation nun, in visions that appeared to her in the late 17th century. . At an era when sacramental communion was rare amongst the Catholic faithful, the first Friday devotion contributed significantly to a renewed engagement in the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist. In our own modern era, the devotion to the first Fridays encourages the Catholic faithful in that same spirit.  The First Friday devotion should be accompanied by a solid instruction and catechesis in the faith and active participation in the Holy Mass each Sunday.  Blessings to all of you as we celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus this month of June.  Father Lincoln.