Eucharistic Acclamations: Mass of Creation Lamb of God: Mass of New Wine (Jakob) Communion Song: On Eagle’s Wing G 749 Dismissal Chant: Sing praises, all you peoples, sing praises to the Lord (Taize) G 680
Readings for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 18, 2023
Being the source and summit of our faith, volumes have been written about the Eucharist and its meaning to us as Catholic Christians. Today’s Feast is about the bountiful generosity of God, the deepest description of who we are as a Church; we are the Body of Christ. Today’s feast is not about what we receive every time we celebrate the Eucharist; it is fundamentally about who are.
In the Eucharist, Jesus makes us one with each other, embracing the whole community. It is not just my personal communion with Christ; it is our shared communion with each other in Christ. This is a social sacrament, a circle that includes Christ, yourself and all of our brothers and sisters in faith. When we approach the altar, it is a sign of our love for each other, a pledge of kindness and compassion towards each other. We are a Eucharistic people!
Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we are remembering in a sacred and profound way the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus; the Paschal Mystery. This is not some drama at which we are silent and passive observers. The Church calls us to be full, conscious, and active participants in the celebration of the Eucharist at all times.
During the celebration of the Eucharist, we present the most ordinary of things to God; bread and wine; fruit of the earth, and work of our hands. God accepts, blesses them, and then through power of the Holy Spirit, they become the Body and Blood of Jesus. The Eucharist is an expression God’s ultimate bountiful generosity. As we come to receive, our response can only be gratitude, which is why when we receive (and never “take”) the Body and Blood of Jesus, we prayerfully respond, Amen! We should never take this greatest of gifts for granted. We didn’t earn, it’s not our right, and we can’t demand it. It is God’s gift, given freely out love to each of us. As Pope Francis reminds us; “The Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect, but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.” (The Joy of the Gospel: 47).
This wonderful feast calls us to remember who we are: we are the Church, the Body of Christ. St. Augustine said, ‘Believe what you see, see what you believe and become what you are: the Body of Christ. When you say ‘Amen’ you are saying, Yes, I believe! At the Last Supper, during which Jesus first offered himself to us through the breaking of bread and pouring of wine, he asked that whenever we do this we are to do it in memory of him. At this same meal, he washed our feet and asked us to do the same for each other; we are to serve each other. Because we have shared in the Eucharist with each other, we are called and challenged by Jesus to care for and serve each other.
At the end of Mass, we hear the words, “Go now to love and serve the Lord.” This is the invitation and challenge presented to each of us precisely because we have celebrated the Eucharist with each other. We are to take what we have experienced around the altar out into the world and live it in our ordinary lives with each other: The love of God made visible through the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We have received the bread of heaven, let us become what we have received; the People of God respond, “Amen!”
Preparation of the Gifts: Ang Katawan ni Kristo G 1038
Eucharistic Acclamations: Mass of Creation Lamb of God: Mass of New Wine (Jakob) Communion Song: Gift of finest wheat G 1032 Dismissal Chant: Sing praises, all you peoples, sing praises to the Lord (Taize) G 680
Join us on Friday, June 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the church for a special evening celebrating the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, to which our parish is dedicated and consecrated.
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 of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is a celebration that falls 19 days after Pentecost, on a Friday. In 1856, Pope Pius IX established the Feast of the Sacred Heart as obligatory for the whole Church, to be celebrated on the Friday after Corpus Christi, but the devotion, which focuses our hearts on receiving and returning Jesus’ love with gratitude, are much older.
While some elements of the devotion’s origins emanate as far back as the fathers of the Church, many point to the apparitions experienced by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation nun in France, in the 1670’s. Through these visions, Jesus told her how He wished to be honored with the symbol of His heart, asking for the faithful to make amends for any wrongdoing they had done, frequently take Communion, and observe the Holy Hour. A scene depicting one of these apparitions is present in the central window of our church’s apse, directly above the altar.
We will follow our regular daily Mass schedule, with the addition of music at our 12:10 p.m. Mass. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., docents from our Historical Society will provide a short program describing the 1905 dedication of our church, and the renaming of the parish from St. Louis Parish to Sacred Heart, followed by a guided prayer service. All those in attendance in are invited to a reception in St. Francis Hall featuring light refreshments following the prayer service. For more on this Solemnity, and our church’s devotion, click here.
As we enter the summer months, and reenter Ordinary Time, you would think the friars and staff would be collectively exhaling, following back-to-back liturgical seasons, the parish gala, and many recent outreach initiatives. While that may be true, and I do hope many of us, yourselves included, find some peace following a busy period in our year, we are also presented the opportunity to address planning, staffing, and long-range projects during this time, and I wish to update you on a few of these fronts.
I’ll start by mentioning that Angela Erb, our parish event coordinator, announced last month that she would be stepping down from her position in order to pursue other career opportunities. Angela has been a parishioner of Sacred Heart since childhood, and assures us that she “isn’t going anywhere,” offering to assist not only with the transition of the role, but also as a volunteer for events and more in the coming years. While there is no immediate timetable for this transition, we have begun a search for the position, with the new Event, Hospitality & Outreach Manager responsible for implementing, organizing, or assisting with the various experiences, meetings, outreach, and events conducted at Sacred Heart. This role will become a full-time position. We thank Angela for all of her hard work and dedication to the parish. The Fall Festival and Gala are just two of the very successful events that Angela organized.
A few weeks ago, the parish advisory board met to continue providing valuable input into the vision and mission of our parish, while also reviewing the results from the recent parish survey. The advisory board works alongside the finance, maintenance, and outreach committees to provide leadership for our parish. The board is comprised of eleven parishioners, including the chairs of the aforementioned committees, and the friars. Each of the current board members are parishioners who all who serve in one or more ministries. The board will meet again in June to establish a clear set of short and long-range plans for the parish following the recent years of transition. One of those goals will be with the North Campus, and how we can best reorganize previously arranged plans for development.
While the doors at the southern front entrance have been restored, work is still to be completed.
Our maintenance committee has also been busy with various projects. While I wish I had better news, we are still waiting for the restoration company to finish with the punch list for the first set of doors at the southern front entrance. It has also been difficult to find a company that will assist us in resetting the stained glass above that entrance. The maintenance committee is garnering additional quotes regarding the restoration of the remaining sets of doors. You can see especially the Twiggs St. (handicap) and central sets of doors are in desperate need of repairs. The first set of doors have ended up costing twice as much as originally anticipated. Additional upcoming maintenance will include a cleaning of the church exterior, and addressing several minor leaks. We will also be adding additional closet space in the sacristy.
The maintenance committee has been looking at other long-term projects at the North Campus as well. We are moving forward with a replacement of the roof on the main school building. A contractor has already been procured, with agreements now being finalized. After receiving several estimates regarding the renovation to the kitchen, the committee has established a sub-committee to work specifically on this endeavor.
New volunteer opportunities are also being developed this summer, through our Loving Heart’s Ministry and their Adopt-A-School program. The ministry is looking to provide mentors and tutors to students at St. Joseph School in West Tampa and St. Peter Claver School here in Downtown. It would require a background check, safe environment training, and a few hours of your time each week, but that pales to the impact your time can have on these student’s lives. If you would like to learn more about this opportunity please contact Loving Hearts via the information in their advertisement in this week’s bulletin.
Fr. Mike accompanied the new Bikes from the Heart ministry in delivering bikes to Tampa Hope on May 24.
Also on the ministry front, there is a new ministry in development, committed to repairing and restoring used bicycles so that they may be given to those in need. The new Bikes from the Heart ministry debuted at our Homeless Outreach event last month, assisting several clients with on-site repairs, and developing a list of those applying to be given the refurbished bicycles. Last week, I was able to accompany the ministry as they made their first delivery of eight bicycles to the Tampa Hope homeless shelter. We know transportation might mean the difference between landing a job or not being able to work. If you have an old or disused bike, or additional parts that are sitting around, please get in touch with our new ministry, as Bikes from the Heart will certainly put them to good use. You can learn more about Bikes from the Heart here.
Preparation of the Gifts: Holy God we praise thy name G 662
Eucharistic Acclamations: Mass of Creation Lamb of God: Mass of New Wine Communion Song: How great thou art G 630 Dismissal Chant: Christ be beside me G 724
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit, bestowed upon us at Pentecost, are interconnected and interdependent, working together to empower and transform us as disciples of Christ. Each gift serves a unique purpose, yet they harmoniously blend to form a symphony of divine grace within us. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. While some Christians accept these as a definitive list of specific attributes, others understand them merely as examples of the Holy Spirit’s work through the faithful. It’s easy to contend that one gift cannot exist without the other. Piety could be considered a result of understanding and fear of the Lord, also referred to as “wonder and awe.” Knowledge can be seen as the gateway to wisdom and understanding.
If knowledge truly is a gateway to the other gifts, then I wonder just how much knowledge we all have for the events of Pentecost. What happened to the disciples the day the noise came from the sky and “filled the entire house in which they were?” Our first reading (Acts 2:1-11), and the rest of chapter two from Acts of the Apostles provides us the facts of Pentecost, so here are a few trivia questions for you, to test your gift of knowledge:
In the Book of Acts, how many days after he ascended into Heaven did the disciples celebrate Pentecost?
a. Ten b. One c. Five d. Three
When everyone was gathered in a room celebrating the feast, what sound did they hear, as described in Acts?
a. Fire Crackling b. Children Laughing c. Water Gurgling d. Rushing Wind
What is the description of what happened to the disciples when the Holy Spirit entered them?
a. Fell Into a Deep Sleep b. Spoke Different Languages c. They Ate Lamb d. They Began to Cry
What did Peter say would happen to those that call upon the Lord?
a. They Will Be Saved b. They Will Dream Dreams c. They Will See Jesus d. The Lord Will Remember Them
Which of Jesus’ disciples stood up and spoke to the crowds?
a. James b. Peter c. Matthew d. Thomas
Who was Peter describing as sitting at the right hand of God?
a. David b. Moses c. Solomon d. Jesus
While speaking, what does Peter say would happen to the old men in the city?
a. Dream b. Pour Out their Spirit c. Prophecy d. See Visions
What liturgical celebration or holiday does the Solemnity of Pentecost follow?
a. Easter b. New Year’s c. Christmas d. Memorial Day
In what city did the first Pentecost celebration described in Acts take place?
a. Bethlehem b. Nazareth c. Jerusalem d. Canaan
In Acts 2, what did God tell David would happen to his enemies?
a. David Would Kill Them b. They Would Become his Friends c. His Enemies Would Burn d. They Would Be his Footstools
As we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, let us open our hearts to receive these gifts anew, allowing them to guide our thoughts, words, and actions. May we humbly embrace the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord, and may these gifts propel us towards holiness and an ever-deepening relationship with God.
Dear Heavenly Father, on this day over 2000 years ago, you inaugurated the Church by having the Holy Spirit indwell in your believers. We rejoice that you have allowed us, men and women, Jew, and Gentile, to experience new life. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit, our comforter, our guide, and so many other things. And may we continue to celebrate this day until you return. Amen.
Peace and All Good, Friar Henry
Answers: 1)Ten 2)Rushing Wind 3)They Spoke Different Languages 4)They Would Be Saved 5)Peter 6)Jesus 7)Dream 8)Easter 9)Jerusalem 10)Footstools
In our continued effort to meet the growing needs of the Tampa/Hillsborough County community, Sacred Heart is holding its latest Giving from the Heart drive-through donation event on Saturday, June 10, at the North Campus from 10 a.m. to noon.
Volunteers from our Sacred Heart Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Faith Community Nursing are working to stock the Hillsborough SVdP Food Pantry and our local Foundations of Life Pregnancy Centers.
As summer approaches, struggling families experience greater food insecurity due to children not receiving meals from school programs. Our goal for the June drive is for each donating parishioner to deliver one full meal for a family of four (non-perishables only), along with one to two baby care items (diapers, formula, bottles, baby food, etc.)
We hope you have the opportunity to join us for this very important drive.
Growing up I remember this great feast, or better referred to as the Solemnity of the Ascension, was celebrated on a Thursday, and to be honest, some dioceses still keep to that day of the week. However, it makes sense to me to celebrate the Ascension of the Lord on a Sunday, since this is another way to describe the mystery of Easter.
On Easter Sunday, the church focuses on Jesus’ victory over death through bodily rising, albeit the body is now not merely physical, but somehow more. In theological parlance it is a glorified body, able to pass through doors and a bit unrecognizable to Jesus’ disciples. In the Creed, Jesus, “was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell (sheol, the place of the dead) on the third day he rose again from the dead.”
Today, the church focuses on the fact that this glorified body that rose from the grave is now one with God. As we recite in the Creed, “He ascended into heaven, as is seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.”
Think about this: where Jesus is, we too shall be!
Jesus, in the Gospel according to John states, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God, have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” Not only is there a place for us, but our bodies that will one day lie in death will also be raised and glorified. As the theologian N.T. Wright says, “there is life after life after death.”
Today’s solemnity is one of joyful hope. It gives us a glimpse of our destiny if we live, here on this earth, the faith we profess that Jesus is indeed “The Way, The Truth, and The Life.”
Easter is such a mysterious mystery that the solemnity of the Ascension is not the final word. There is at least one more feast to celebrate and describe the Easter event. If you know what it is, let me know. I’ll be at the door of the church.
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