“I have loved you.” Rev 3:9

“Taking up Pope Francis’ desire “that all Christians come to appreciate the close connection between Christ’s love and his summons to care for the poor”, Pope Leo XIV issued his first Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te, as a call to Christ’s disciples “to recognize him in the poor and the suffering,” wrote Salvatore Cernuzio of Vatican News earlier this month.

Signed on October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, and released on October 9, the pontiff provides us this teaching document, begun by Pope Francis prior to his death but largely of Leo’s own creation, that asks Catholics to continue to look to the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching for how we should respond to those on the peripheries, especially the poor or powerless.

“…in continuity with the Encyclical Dilexit Nos (He Loved Us), Pope Francis was preparing in the last months of his life an Apostolic Exhortation on the Church’s care for the poor, to which he gave the title Dilexi Te, as if Christ speaks those words to each of them, saying: “You have but little power,” yet “I have loved you.” (Dilexi Te, Paragraph 3.) Dilexit Nos was the last of Pope Francis’ four encyclicals, published just over one year ago, where he focuses on the human and divine love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and its relevance for a modern world facing various challenges.

Apostolic Exhortations are magisterial documents written by a pope. While not legislative like an Apostolic Constitution, or doctrinal like an encyclical, Apostolic Exhortations are documents or reflections that encourage and inspire the Church to act on a particular virtue or theme.

“The document is a beautiful reflection that outlines the Church’s history of caring for the poor throughout history,” says Fr. Steve Kluge, OFM. “Social Justice is not a “woke” construct, but rather the beating heart of Christianity. The document states its thesis in Paragraph 3, “that all Christians come to appreciate the close connection between Christ’s love and his summons to care for the poor.”

Parishioners who review the exhortation will surely see that many of the assertions or calls to action made are present within our parish community. For those who are not yet participating in ministry, reading this document may inspire you to get involved, whether it’s here at Sacred Heart or with another outreach that assists the marginalized. When asked what he sees in our parish that already answers the call in Dilexi Te, Fr. Steve stated “Here at Sacred Heart, we live Christ’s summons to care for the poor and marginalized through Hands of Hope, our Giving from the Heart drives, Bikes from the Heart, our connection with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, initiatives like our “Socktober” sock drive, and the efforts of our social ministries like the Knights of Columbus Council or Open Doors and more.”

It is no secret that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost chose the name Leo to connect his papacy to the Leo XIII, whose encyclical Rerum Novarum is largely considered to be the origin of Catholic Social Teaching. St. Pope John Paul II wrote on the 100th Anniversary of Rerum Novarum, ““In the face of a conflict which set man against man” Leo (XIII), for the first time, both established and firmly defended the Church’s moral authority to promote justice in public life and, by so doing, “created a lasting paradigm for the Church”. Dilexi Te takes the baton from aspects of Leo XIII’s encyclical while also reminding us of Pope Francis’ consistent calls to go out to the margins.

There are takeaways in Dilexi Te that call us not only to engage with the poor personally, but inspire us build structures addressing poverty’s root causes. You can read Leo XIV’s exhortation by clicking here.

Saints of God…

…the Lord be with you!

In today’s first reading from the Book of Exodus (17: 8-13), Moses is praying for the defeat of the Amalek who was waging war against Israel. As long as Moses was able to keep his hands raised, the Israelites would be winning the battle. When Moses, growing tired would lower his hands, Amalek would win. So, Aaron and Hur supported Moses’ hands “one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady until sunset.” I don’t imagine that will holding up the hands of Moses, Aaron and Hur were silent. I imagine them praying and singing to God and offering Moses words of encouragement and hope. With that, Joshua won the battle for the Israelites. This strange yet beautiful story reveals the need all of us have for some kind of community of faith.

In today’s Gospel according to Luke (18: 1-8) we have the parable of the widow and the reluctant judge. Widows, indeed, all women at that time were seen as property, having no legal rights. Yet because of her persistence, the judge eventually yielded to her demand for justice. This woman had no community to support her, no one to help her hold up her hands as she battled an unjust society.

I think both readings highlight a common need for prayer and action as we live in an often-unjust society. I think both readings highlight the very human (and religious) need for community.

In the homily at his inaugural mass back in May, Pope Leo XIV said, “I would like our first great desire to be for a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes the leaven for a reconciled world. In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds cause by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest…Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles.”

You may say, “But Fr. Steve, we sang in the responsorial psalm ‘Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.’” Of course, but most often that help flows through the actions of God’s people; men, women, and children of Good Will. As Pope Leo continued, he said, “We are called to offer God’s love to everyone, in order to achieve that unity that does not cancel out differences but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of every people.”

Saints of God, let us each in our own way continue to support each other. Let us continue to be people of justice, and compassion to those who are marginalized. Let us continue to offer God’s love to everyone!

– Fr. Steve

Saints of God…

…the Lord be with you!

How do we think about greatness? Is it the size of our bank accounts or our homes? Is it how fit we are or how well we are dressed? Or how much weight we can press during a gym workout? (Every time I go to the gym (yes, I do work out only to look like this) I’m tempted to increase the weight on the machine after I’m done using it. But I don’t since I know that I won’t be fooling anyone.) But as Christians, we need to ask ourselves how does Christ view greatness? An answer to that question is how we show our love for God by caring for our neighbor, particularly those who are poor and in need.

In today’s first reading from the Prophet Amos (8:4-7) echoes themes from all the prophets who preceded him, and all those who will follow him: God will remember how we as individuals and as a nation treat the poor! The Responsorial Psalm (113) reminds us that “The Lord lifts up the poor” but through us and our charity. As saint Theresa of Avila puts it “Christ has no body on earth but (ours), No hands, no feet on earth but (ours)…(Ours) are the hands with which He blesses all the world.”

The Gospel today (Luke 16: 1-13) is the parable of the dishonest steward. His employer fires him for cheating, and he in return acts prudently by reducing his commission hoping that this will redound to him later since he is “not strong enough to dig and ashamed to beg.” In the end, Jesus warns his followers to be just as prudent and creative in doing good since we will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. No law should limit us in the good we must do, and all generosity will never get anyone in trouble. But I am preaching to the choir Saints of God in Sacred Heart Parish. Let us continue to do the good! As someone once said, “Let us teach people to fish!” To which I add, “And let us feed them while they are being taught.”

– Fr. Steve

Saints of God…

…the Lord be with you!

If there is a consistent theme in all three of today’s readings, it is the role of a prophet and how a prophet is treated. In today’s first reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah (38; 4-6, 8-10) we read that Jeremiah is thrown into a muddy cistern because his message is “demoralizing the soldiers…and all the people.”

In the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews (12: 1-4) the author reminds his readers that “Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame…and endured such opposition from sinners.”

Today’s Gospel according to Luke (12: 49-53) has Jesus saying that He has come to set the world on fire and that He has come to create division. This is not an easy Gospel, and the question must be asked, “Where is the Good News in this?”

For me, the good news is found in the implicit idea of choice. We are free to choose to live the false sense of peace and security that the world and its values give, or we can freely choose to live empowered by the Holy Spirit, in imitation of Christ and His values. “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.” Love, not judgement; Love, not apathy; Love, not selfishness; Love, not revenge; Love, not cruelty. You get the idea. Yet this choosing to Love above all else will at some point, put us in opposition with others. As the World War II Lutheran martyr Deitrich Bonhoeffer put it, “Grace is free, but is not cheap.” In the end, grace has a price.

Tradition has it that Jeremiah was stoned to death, the prophet Isaiah was sawn in two, Bonhoeffer was executed by hanging, Jesus was crucified. Yet as people of faith we know that death is not the end. The letter to the Hebrews reminds us that “we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses” so we are encouraged to “persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfector of faith.” So, no matter what the circumstances, let us all be prophets (as we are by our Baptism) and prophetically live our faith, using words only if we must.

– Fr. Steve

“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

This line opens the second reading this Sunday and it’s one of the most profound theological definitions of faith in all of Scripture.

You see, we live in a world obsessed with what is visible. Proof. Data. Measurement. Surveillance. If you can’t see it, test it, or touch it—it must not be real. And yet, today’s Scripture turns that on its head.

Faith, it says, is not blind. Faith sees more—not less. It is “evidence” of what the eyes cannot perceive, and the “realization” of what is not yet. Faith should never be seen as a fantasy, but rather, it’s a way of knowing, a kind of spiritual perception that recognizes God’s presence where others see only absence.

“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for…” It’s not wishful thinking. It’s not “someday maybe.”

It’s a confidence that what God promises is already on its way.

Abraham lived in tents but believed in a city with foundations.

Moses left the palace of Egypt for a land he had never seen.

Mary said “yes” to a future that would shatter every plan she had.

Faith gives shape to the invisible—like an architect who builds from a blueprint not yet realized, or an artist who sees beauty in a blank canvas.

“…and evidence of things not seen.” Evidence is normally empirical: we test it. We prove it.

But Hebrews says faith itself is evidence—not of the visible, but of the invisible.

The Desert Fathers referred to faith as the heart’s capacity to perceive God. It doesn’t oppose reason; it goes beyond it. In this way, faith is both evidence and encountering the invisible becomes tangible in prayer, in trust, in love.

So, what does this mean for today? It means we don’t just believe in God—we rely on Him. We order our lives around His promises. We build our homes on a foundation that can’t be seen on any map or measured by any device.

The Catechism says: “Faith is a foretaste of the knowledge that will make us blessed in the life to come.” (CCC 163) Faith trains us to see not only what is, but what is becoming. We learn to wait—not passively, but with attentive hope. We become pilgrims who walk toward the unseen with eyes wide open.

A sailor once found himself navigating a dense fog at night. Visibility was nearly zero, and the coast was dangerous. Suddenly, a faint light appeared in the distance, a beam of a lighthouse. He couldn’t see the shore, but he knew where to go. That light was not the destination—but it was enough to move forward.

That is faith: Not full sight… but enough light.

We may not see all that God is doing. We may not understand the “why” of our suffering, or the “when” of His coming. But we have enough to walk forward.

Faith is not just about the afterlife. It’s about how we live this life — here, now, today — in the light of God’s promises. It’s the ability to take God at his word and the courage to take the next step.

Peace and All Good,
– Fr. Zack

Saints of God, the Lord be with you…

The first reading from the Book of Genesis (18:1-10) and the Gospel according to Luke (10:38-42) reminds me of a story I read years ago in the popular Ann Landers column that appeared in many newspapers. A woman wrote in with the dilemma she faced when her Hispanic gardeners asked her for a drink of water on a particular very hot day. Not knowing what to do, she allowed them to drink from the hose. She wanted to know if she did the right thing.

To a point, she did, however, reflecting on today’s readings, she did not offer any hospitality. In the reading from Genesis, Abraham offered the three strangers passing by water, rest, and food. While Sarah did the cooking, Abraham waited on them while they ate under the tree.

In today’s Gospel, it is Martha who was burdened with serving the meal, while her sister Mary “sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him.” It seems to me that both offered hospitality, since it takes both presents and presence to truly be hospitable.

We who are the Church should first and foremost be a people of hospitality since God is hospitable to us! God welcomes all His children all the time, no matter what. Our response to this divine hospitality is to be hospitable in kind. In other words, PAY IT FORWARD. We can judge our own response to God’s hospitality to us as individuals by how hospitable we are to one another, particularly those sisters and brothers who are most unlike us. We don’t have to tie ourselves up in knots like the woman who wrote to Ann Landers. Just do the kind thing as kindly as you can (I’d like to think that I would have given them a glass and asked if they wanted ice).

And, good people of Sacred Heart Parish, you DO! I often say to our Faith Formation Director, Barbara Ferreris, that one reason our church had so many people participate in the O.C.I.A. process this year is because of how welcoming we are to our visitors here in downtown Tampa, celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and those visitors at the end of each Sunday Mass. The hospitality shown to and how we treat our homeless sisters and brothers that make the front of the church their Sunday home, welcoming them to share coffee and donuts, sets a tone that this church understands what Jesus is asking of us.

So, let us continue to be a welcoming people who form a welcoming parish. God is noticing, and God is blessing all of us.

– Fr. Steve

My Dear Friends,

In today’s Gospel, a scholar of the law asks Jesus a deeply human question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus, as he often does, turns the question back to the man—and through him, to us. “What is written in the law?” We already know the answer, to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.

But here’s the twist, the scholar wants to justify himself, so he asks, “And who is my neighbor?” It’s not just a question—it’s a test. It’s also something we sometimes ask ourselves, consciously or not, when love becomes inconvenient. Jesus responds with one of the most famous parables in all of Scripture: the story of the Good Samaritan. And in it, he flips every expectation on its head.

In the first reading this Sunday, Moses reminds the people that God’s command is not far off. “It is something very near to you… already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.” Love of God and neighbor is not a distant theological theory—it is already embedded deep within us.

We often don’t need to be taught what to do; we need the grace and courage to do it. The priest and Levite in the parable knew the law—but they walked by. The Samaritan, despised and outcast, acted in mercy.

St. Paul lifts our eyes to Christ, “the image of the invisible God… in him all things hold together.” This passage from Colossians reminds us who Jesus is—not just a teacher of morality, but the divine Son who reconciles all things to himself. And here’s the mystery: this cosmic Christ, who holds the universe together, is the same one who stoops down to care for the wounded and forgotten. The Samaritan in the parable can be seen as an image of Christ himself—an outsider, moved with compassion, who tends to our wounds at great personal cost.

The parable forces us to confront some uncomfortable truths. The priest and Levite may have had religious reasons to avoid touching the man—ritual purity, safety, time constraints. But love isn’t about finding excuse- s; it’s about crossing the road.

Jesus chooses a Samaritan—a person considered impure and untrustworthy by the Jews—as the hero of the story. He challenges our assumptions of who is “in” and who is “out,” who is “worthy” of our love.

“Who is my neighbor?” is no longer the right question. Jesus flips it: “Which of these was neighbor to the man?” In other words, it’s not about defining the boundaries of love—it’s about becoming a neighbor. So the question for us becomes ‘how is Jesus calling us to cross the road?’

We cannot deny that God has written his law on our hearts. Christ has shown us what that love looks like. Now we are called to do likewise. Let us go and be neighbors—not only to those like us, but especially to those who are not.

Look, and really see the people around you. Stop, even for a moment, and give a kind word, a small gesture, or make a call. Bind wounds, with mercy, with time, and with love. The question isn’t “Who is my neighbor?” but rather, “How can I be a neighbor?” When you see someone lying by life’s roadside, remember that Jesus is calling us to cross the road and stop. Perhaps that’s why the chicken crossed the road as well!

Here at Sacred Heart we do a wonderful job in caring for and recognizing by name many of our homeless brothers and sisters who gather at the church each Sunday. Its an act of mercy we can all be proud of. May we have the courage and grace to be kind to all we meet. Amen.

Peace & All Good,
Fr. Zack