COMING CLOSER TO CHRIST: Christ emphasizes that everyone who refuses to repent (the barren fig tree symbolizes someone who lacks the fruits of repentance) will stay separated from God. “If you do not repent, you will all perish.” This is an uncomfortable truth, but one that the Church wants us to consider deeply, especially during…
COMING CLOSER TO CHRIST: “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” Often in the spiritual life, we can struggle with the temptation to say too much. God is calling us to listen attentively to his words and not to feel compelled to have to say something. He is looking for a response in…
COMING CLOSER TO CHRIST: “Christ was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted….” We need to declutter our interior life, to create silence and space amidst the chaos of our lives. There are other voices: our own, the voices of the tempter, the voices of the world…..Can we hear the voice of…
The Church proposes a period of spiritual preparation for the most significant days of the Church’s year. These forty days are called Lent, a name taken from the Old English word meaning “spring.” The liturgical season of Lent is meant to be a time of spiritual spring-training, so to speak: six weeks during which we…
COMING CLOSER TO CHRIST: Take a moment and imagine that you are with the disciples as Jesus begins to talk. You hear him say, “To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well…Give to everyone who asks of you….Do to others as you would have them do to you.”…
COMING CLOSER TO CHRIST: Heavenly Father, we implore you to show us what true happiness is. We ask that you open our hearts and remove any desire for wealth, power, and praise that keeps us from pursuing the ways of the Gospel. We thank you for sending us your Son in humility and poverty, showing…
COMING CLOSER TO CHRIST: The gospel message is a call to follow Christ, to be with him, and to hear his voice. “Come, follow me” is a personal invitation to spend time with him, to get to know him, and to love him. Insert your name in the gospel phrase this week: “N., come, follow…
Do you know what a Columbarium is? Do you realize that you can do a corporal act of mercy and visit the dead right here at Sacred Heart parish? Right below the Church is a crypt where urns are placed. Praying for the dead is an act of mercy and charity. Just ask our receptionist…
COMING CLOSER TO CHRIST: The image of Christ reading scripture in the synagogue is what Scripture is all about: God’s presence and his voice/word which is transmitted to us. The letter to the Hebrews puts it well: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division…
COMING CLOSER TO CHRIST: In the story of the wedding at Cana, we hear the last words uttered by the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Bible: “Do whatever he tells you.” Mary doesn’t speak often in the Sacred Scriptures, but every time she does speak, her words overflow with wisdom. Mary was the very first…
