Prayers of the faithful for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time CYCLE A - 14 June 2026

We are not using these prayers this weekend, as our Diocese is celebrating the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart instead. I am still Going to post these prayers on my blog. 

Lord Jesus - you are our Good Shepherd. 

Christ Jesus - you watch over your flock. 

Lord Jesus - you call laborers to work for God’s Kingdom. 

Priest: With humility and trust, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father, confident that God will hear our prayer petitions today: 

1. We pray for Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Kopacz, and all our Church leaders. May they faithfully exercise their God-given authority to shepherd the People of God into the fullness of truth. We pray to the Lord. 

2. We pray for our local and national governmental leaders. May they have the wisdom and courage to pursue the common good and give due respect to the Church’s religious freedom as it exercises its mission in the world. We pray to the Lord. 

3. We pray for our parish and all the parishes of the Diocese of Jackson. May each one of us listen to where the Lord of the vineyard is wanting us to be witnesses to the Gospel. We pray to the Lord. 

4. We pray for the sick and the afflicted of our parish. We pray for all who have asked for our prayers. We pray to the Lord. 
5. We pray for all the faithful departed and for those who have died recently. May they be welcomed by God to the joys of their heavenly home. We pray to the Lord. 

6. We pray that the Lord of the harvest may send forth many laborers, including priests, deacons, consecrated religious, and committed lay persons, to gather many believers to his Church. We pray to the Lord.

7. We pray that the gift of life, which we have received, may be given as a gift by working to save those in danger of abortion, euthanasia, or other forms of violence. We pray to the Lord. 

8. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts today. We pray to the Lord. 

Priest: Gracious God, you call us to witness to your Son who is the way, the truth and the life. We entrust all the intentions of our hearts to you in Jesus’ name, for he is our Lord forever and ever. Amen.

14 June 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the solemnity of the sacred heart - prison ministry

Lord Jesus - you love us with your sacred heart. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us the love your faith. 

Lord Jesus - you proclaim the fullness of the kingdom of God. 

Priest: As we celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus today, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father with faith and hope: 

1. We pray that we in the Church may work to form our hearts according to the sacred heart of Christ. We pray to the Lord. 

2. We pray for Pope Leo XIV,  Bishop Joseph Kopacz, and all Church leaders. That they may serve God's people with joy and that they may provide loving care and support to the people. We pray to the Lord. 

3. We pray for our Diocese, for our parishes, and for our Catholic community of St Michael the Archangel here at CMCF. That we may look to the past with gratitude, discern God's will in our present, and work toward the future. We pray to the Lord. 

4. We pray for those who have been abandoned and rejected. That they may experience their dignity in the love of Christ. We pray to the Lord. 

5. We pray for our country. That we may honor the poor and the vulnerable and serve the common good. We pray to the Lord. 

6. We pray for the sick, the suffering, and the dying. That they may find healing and strength in our Lord Jesus Christ.  We pray to the Lord. 

7.  We pray for all those who have died, especially for our family members and loved ones and members of our Christian community. That they may rest secure in the Sacred Heart of Christ. We pray to the Lord. 

8. For peace throughout the world, especially in Ukraine and the Middle East. For peace here at CMCF. We pray to the Lord. 

9. For the prayers we offer in the silence of our hearts today. We pray to the Lord. 

Priest: We present these prayers through your Son Jesus Christ as we honor his sacred heart today.  He is our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN. 

Bulletin Reflection - Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - 14 June 2026

Normally, we would be celebrating the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time this weekend, but because of the consecration of our country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by the US Bishops, we are celebrating the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart this weekend at our liturgical celebrations. The Sacred Heart of the Jesus is one of the most popular and most ancient devotions of our Catholic faith. Jesus love and mercy reaches out to us in the reality of life. His heart speaks to our hearts. This weekend’s celebration is a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect on this wonderful devotion of our faith. Blessings to all of you this week. Father Lincoln. 

14 June 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the solemnity of the sacred heart

Introduction: With the Bishops of the United States consecrating our country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus this past week in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Bishop Kopacz has asked us to celebrate the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus this weekend at our liturgies. Today, we united our prayers and our hearts with the Sacred Heart of Jesus in our joyful liturgical celebration.  

Lord Jesus - you love us with your sacred heart. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us the love of our faith. 

Lord Jesus - you proclaim the fullness of the kingdom of God. 

Priest: As we celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus today, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father with faith and hope: 

1. We pray that we in the Church may work to form our hearts according to the sacred heart of Christ. We pray to the Lord. 

2. We pray for Pope Leo XIV,  Bishop Joseph Kopacz, and all our clergy and lay leaders. That they may serve God's people with joy and that they may provide loving care and support to the people. We pray to the Lord. 

3. We pray for our Diocese and our parishes of Holy Savior and Immaculate Conception. That we may look to the past with gratitude, discern God's will in our present, and work toward the future. We pray to the Lord. 

4. We pray for those who have been abandoned and rejected. That they may experience their dignity in the love of Christ. We pray to the Lord. 

5. We pray for our country. That we may honor the poor and the vulnerable and serve the common good. We pray to the Lord. 

6. We pray for the sick, the suffering, and the dying. That they may find healing and strength in our Lord Jesus Christ.  We pray to the Lord. 

7.  We pray for all those who have died, especially for our family members and loved ones and members of our Christian community. That they may rest secure in the Sacred Heart of Christ. We pray to the Lord. 

8. For peace throughout the world, especially in Ukraine and the Middle East. We pray to the Lord. 

8. For the prayers we offer in the silence of our hearts today. We pray to the Lord. 

Priest: We present these prayers through your Son Jesus Christ as we honor his sacred heart today.  He is our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN. 

14 June 2026 - homily for the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - Matthew 5:17-19

The solemnity of the Sacred Hear of Jesus is normally celebrated on the Friday after we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, which would have been Friday of last week, June 12. However, this past week, as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. bishops consecrated the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Parishes around the country are encouraged to join the bishops in celebrating the consecration of our nation to the Sacred Heart, so Bishop Kopacz has declared that in the Diocese of Jackson, we are to celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred this weekend with the Catholic faithful of the Diocese. This consecration of our country follows in the tradition of Pope Leo XIII consecrating the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11, 1899. Now in the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV, we consecrate our country. 

Most of you know that I have a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which has really grown in the time I have been a priest. I brought the first Friday devotion to the Sacred Heart to the parishes in Pearl and Clinton where I have served. I absolutely love that devotion and love celebrating that Mass in our parish in Clinton each month. When I took my profession of vows as a secular Carmelite a couple of years ago, I was asked to choose a Carmelite name for myself, and with the help of the Carmelite sisters, I chose Father Lincoln of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I name that I truly love and appreciate.  

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus have developed throughout the history of the Church. Visitation sister St Margaret Mary Alacoque had visions of the pierced and bleeding heart of Jesus with flames and a crown of thorns starting in 1673 while she was praying before the blessed sacrament. These apparitions focuses on God’s love and mercy. During one of these visions in 1675, Jesus asked that feast on the Friday after the solemnity of the most holy body and blood of Christ be established, which leads to the solemnity that we are celebrating today. These visions also lead to the first Friday devotion that we celebrate at our parish each month. 

John Henry Newman, who was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV, took his motto from the Sacred Heart of Jesus: cor ad cor loquitur - heart speaks to heart. Newman believed that beyond any thoughts or ideas, Jesus saves us by speaking to our hearts from his Sacred Heart. It was in the eucharist that Newman most profoundly encountered the living heart of Jesus, with the capability of setting us free, giving meaning to each moment of our lives and bestowing God’s peace upon us. 

In his last encyclical written on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Delixit Nos, issued in October 2024, Pope Francis stated that before the heart of Jesus, living and present, our mind, enlightened by the Spirit, grows in the understanding of his words and our will is moved to put (his words) into practice…. Only the heart is capable of setting our other powers and passions, and our entire person, in a stance of reverence and loving obedience before the Lord.”

As we reflect upon Jesus’ sacred heart, our own hearts are to be touched by his death on a cross, by the way the soldier thrust a lance into his side, out of which blood and water flowed. The great Church theologian St Augustine of Hippo saw Christ as the door through which we enter for salvation; that door was opened for us by his death and resurrection, by the soldier’s lance that opened his side. We choose where we want to enter Christ, to enter from his side as he hung dying upon the cross, the side from which the blood and water flowed.  The purification we receive from Christ is the water that flowed from his side. The redemption we receive from him is his blood shed for us.  

Jesus’s profound love for us is demonstrated through his willingness to sacrifice his life for the sake of all humanity. The love from Jesus’ heart motivated all his actions. However, humanity often received Jesus’ love with ingratitude. The purpose of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is to focus our hearts on receiving and returning his love with gratitude: with our hearts, our souls, and our strength, to the glory of Jesus. As our world continues to attach itself to secularism, atheism, agnosticism, apathy, sarcasm,  injustices, indifferences, and a rejection of faith, we are in need of the power of God's love more than ever, which makes the devotion to the Sacred Heart an important message to the world. 

12 June 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Friday of the 10th week in Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - your love is everlasting. 

Christ Jesus - you are the beloved son of the Father. 

Lord Jesus - you are our savior and our redeemer. 

Priest: Confident in God’s love and fidelity, with hearts open wide, let us bring our prayers before the Lord:

1. That we in the Church may be courageous in listening to the cries of those who suffer.

2. That our governmental leaders and those in positions of power seek justice and serve with wisdom. 

3. For those in need, especially the overlooked, the burdened, and the voiceless. May they find dignity, comfort, and healing. 

4. That we in our parish community grow in our capacity to listen deeply, act justly, and love boldly as Christ has called us. 

5. For those who have died, especially our deceased loved ones and family members. May they be welcomed into the eternal joy of God’s presence.

6. That we may always live out the Gospel of life in our words and our actions. 

7. For the prayers we hold in our hearts this morning. 

Priest: Loving God, as you call us to be a people of works of faith, we ask that you hear these prayers we offer, through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. AMEN. 

12 June 2026 - Friday of the 10th week in Ordinary Time - Psalm 27

In the last couple of weeks, we have celebrated the feast days of St Dominic de Calzada and St John de Ortega, two saints who worked and served on the Camino of Santiago pilgrimage route about 1,000 years ago. Today, celebrate another saint connect with the Camino of Santiago - St John of Sahagún, who lived in the 15th century. John was born into a prominent family in the kingomd of León in Spain.  He was ordained as a diocesan priest, but later joined the Augustinian order, the same order to which Pope Leo XIV is a member. He was twice elected as prior of the Augustinian monastery in Salamanca in Spain. John was known for his wisdom and his prudence. He used his skills to reconcile feuding families. He championed the rights of laborers. He was a man of prayer who was very devoted to the Eucharist. He reached out to the widow, the orphan, the needy, and the sick with great compassion. The  city of Salamanca where he lived, an important university town in Spain, was a very divided city. Due to John's repeated attempts to reconcile the community, the opposing nobles of Salamanca signed a peace treaty in 1476. John died in 1479 and was canonized a saint in 1690.  

Like many of the psalms, psalm 27 is attributed to King David. Our psalm today states that even though God invited David to seek him, David sensed that God was hiding from him. But rather than turn away from God in disappointment and anger, David turned to God even more diligently and earnestly. At the end of the psalm, David encourages us to wait for the Lord with courage. Sometimes when we don’t feel the presence of the Lord in our lives, it can be frustrating and lonely. But in all circumstances, we are not to give up in our search for the Lord.