Dear parishioners,

As you know, this Sunday is Mother’s Day. Although the holiday is secular in its origin, there is much that is sacred about the celebration of Mother’s Day. The Church does not provide special readings for Mother’s Day, and as such, today’s readings for this year’s Fourth Sunday of Easter do not particularly lend themselves to the virtues of motherhood. Any attempt at ‘reflection acrobatics’ trying to fit the readings onto this special day would be a stretch, so we’ll stick to moms for the day.

Mother’s Day is a special day. Today we pause to think about our mothers and those who have shaped our lives. Our mothers have given us the most important time of their lives by bringing us into this world and nurturing us through the most critical time of our own. The first sounds we hear are the beating of our mother’s heart, followed by her voice. Her eyes gazing on us were our first mirrors, helping us to open our own eyes to the wonder of the
new world around us.

We give thanks to God and share memories as we think about our mothers who have gone before us. We give thanks to God and reach out in love to our mothers who are in our lives today. We give thanks to God and celebrate those who, like mothers, have shaped us. We give thanks to God and celebrate those who are, or are like mothers to the ones we love. Let us not forget our other Blessed Mother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and how she loved as well. Mary is the model of all mothers and it’s appropriate that we celebrate Mother’s Day in May, a month set aside by the Church to honor Mary. Mary is also the first disciple, and there are lessons we can learn from her about motherhood and being a disciple.

Like any good mother, we know that Mary would have taught her son how to pray. Prayer was an essential habit to Mary and is an essential habit for all mothers and disciples. Another lesson we can learn from Mary is the importance of placing God’s will before our own. We see this most clearly in the Annunciation, when Mary says “yes” to the will of God to bear his son, Jesus. Mary’s willingness to place God’s will before her own also allowed her to put others’ needs before her own, which is the definition of love. Her ability to sacrifice is something all mothers and disciples can learn from.

In learning to accept God’s will, Mary also learned to embrace challenge and difficulty. In doing so, she gained the courage and grace to persevere. Being a mother has to be one of the most difficult things a woman can do. We need to constantly offer our support, gratitude and prayers for them, not just on Mother’s Day, but every day. As we seek to grow as disciples of Jesus, let us strive to follow the example of Mary and our mothers in being people of prayer, committed to doing God’s will, and accepting of challenges along the way.

On this Mother’s Day, and every day, let us thank God for our mothers and those who have played the role of mother in our lives. May all mothers know God’s deep and abiding love for them and ask Mary today to watch over our mothers and to anyone who may have been like a mother to us.

Wishing you all a very blessed Mother’s Day!
Fr. Zack

Dear Parishioners,

In her May 2019 column for the Third Sunday of Easter entitled Only Sinners Need Apply, Mary McGlone, a writer for the National Catholic Reporter, summarized the interactions between Jesus and Peter in this week’s Gospel:

Jesus never mentioned Peter’s failings, and Peter made no apologies or excuses. For Jesus, reconciliation was not a matter of guilt, blame or penance, but an opportunity for transformation. Three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” The first time, Jesus specifically asked if Peter loved him “more than these,” perhaps referring to Peter’s preference for being first. At this point, Peter would not claim priority. He simply answered, “You know that I love you.” This was Peter’s confession. Standing
humbled before Jesus, knowing that Jesus was fully aware of who he was and everything he had done, Peter acknowledged his weakness and claimed his source of strength. He needed to say no more than, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

In response, Jesus made no mention of the past. As He had done with everyone He healed or forgave, Jesus looked to the future and gave His forgiveness and grace by entrusting Peter with his mission. When Jesus had appeared among the disciples in the locked room, he commissioned them to forgive. Now, as Peter learned what divine forgiveness meant, Jesus commissioned Peter to feed and tend His sheep.

This week’s Gospel provides us a chance to reflect on how we’ve experienced God’s mercy and forgiveness. A chance to reflect on how, through our baptism, we are also being commissioned as Peter to go out and feed and tend God’s sheep. Seven years ago this week, Pope Francis, while receiving bishops in the Apostolic Palace as part of an official visit said, “(we) are called to feed the sheep by making a total gift of our lives, by washing the feet of others.”

The most obvious way our parishioners make themselves “a gift” and “tend His sheep” is through participation in a ministry. During the pandemic, many of our parish ministries were forced into holding patterns, or had to stop altogether. In keeping with the theme of renewal as our communications manager spoke to in his column last week, the friars and staff are searching for ways to assist parishioners and reinvigorate our ministries that were affected by the pandemic, while also looking to any new avenues we should explore. For example, there is a desire to see our RCIA process operate year-round, and we’d need assistance to accomplish that. Sacred Heart has a long-standing men’s prayer group, but is there an interest in having a dedicated prayer group for the women of the parish? With the hire of a new Parish Event Coordinator, we’d like to establish a parish event committee. As always there are liturgical ways to help tend the flock, as altar servers, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, and ushers.

Given the many ways parishioners can utilize their gifts for the parish, we are looking at conducting a new ministry fair, to provide parishioners with the necessary information to know how and where they may help Sacred Heart the most. In the interim, should you have questions about joining an existing ministry, please call the parish office. As always, if there is a desire to begin a new ministry, feel free to reach out to me directly. Remember, too, that Pope Francis guides you to “not bury your talents, the gifts that God has given you! Do not be afraid to dream of great things!”

Peace and all good,
Fr. Mike

Dear parishioners,

During the last few months you’ve become accustomed to reading thoughtful or informative reflections from your friars in this weekly column, but we’re switching it up a bit for the second Sunday of Easter. We’re doing this partially to give the friars a break following the marathons that are Lent and the Easter Triduum, but also to introduce an additional opportunity for our staff to speak directly with you. Consider this the first “Staff Reflection.”

I have been serving the parish as the manager of communications for just over seven months, starting in September of last year. While I’ve had the pleasure to meet and chat with dozens of parishioners in that short time, I often feel as if I am the parish’s “man behind the curtain,” which is not an unfamiliar position for me to find myself. I came to Sacred Heart following years of behind-the-scenes work, from broadcast engineering/production with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Amalie Arena, to ghostwriting content for many state and federal government outreach initiatives. Staying out of the limelight suits me just fine.

That’s continued at Sacred Heart. From week to week I am spoiled for choice on topics to adjust our collective focus to, from the history of our parish or its distinctive and devoted parishioners, to the Franciscan Charism, or, most importantly, our many outreach initiatives aiding the most vulnerable members of our community. These were among the many aspects that attracted me to the parish and this position to begin with, and I very much enjoy learning about and covering these topics. I have been humbled to bear witness from backstage these first few months, however, I feel it is time to step out and join you all on stage. I’ll be doing so in part to continue with the incredible traditions and philanthropic initiatives already in motion here at Sacred Heart, but also to address some of the challenges I have observed and heard reported by you, our parishioners.

After consulting with staff and volunteers, I’ve learned the last time the parish conducted listening sessions or surveys was nearly five years ago. A lot has changed in these last five years. A lot has changed in the last two and a half. Given the pastoral transitions, the pandemic, and staffing changes, I feel it would be prudent to produce a new set of listening sessions and surveys this year, to gauge parishioner sentiment and to present larger initiatives to parishioners, especially items that will affect the parish long term.

I’m not a fan of pushing for change when starting a new project or job. Working nearly eight years in the sports world, I can tell you that the quickest way to “lose a locker room,” or the collective buy-in from your constituents, is to make a bunch of changes without consulting those most invested: “the team,” or in this case, you, our parishioners. In providing these listening sessions, decisions will not be made in a silo from the new guy. I’ll look to this as my first major project within the parish.

One of the first items on the docket for discussion is evaluating the need for a renewed identity for the parish. More simply put, the friars and staff wish to create a new vision or mission statement for the parish, and potentially new branding to go along with it. Any prospective vision or mission statement should be succinct in defining what our internal and external priorities and goals are as a parish. We have so many wonderful ministries at Sacred Heart. It would be beneficial to have a unifying thread across these ministries, so that no matter how ministry members may meet visitors or prospective new parishioners, they could easily define who we are and what we do at Sacred Heart.

Creating a unified vision for Sacred Heart may help us address an additional growing concern. A concern that is certainly not exclusive to Sacred Heart, or any church for that matter. A recent Gallup poll suggests that church membership, irrespective of denomination or creed, is down more than 10 percent during the last decade, falling below a nationwide majority for the first time since the surveyor began measuring membership some 85 years ago. For the same reasons we wish to move forward with new listening sessions and surveys, we can assume our own membership and active participation have been affected in recent years.

We can address these concerns, however, with the renewed identity. We can devise better ways to communicate with members of our parish who may not have returned following the height of the pandemic. We can reach out to new residents moving into our parish boundaries from out of state. We can enhance or prioritize programming to cater to the needs of current and prospective parishioners in multiple demographic subsets. While this all sounds very technical, it has a common goal of renewal, a theme very much in line with our current liturgical focus.

There is a deep desire among the staff for renewal. While I cannot speak to the way things used to be, or whether the “way things used to be” is particularly the ways things should be now or in the future, I do share in that passion for renewal. I want to help Sacred Heart continue to be something it always has been; a community trailblazer focused on stewardship and charity. I look forward to working with you, our parishioners, to make that renewal a reality.

Peace and all good,
Rob Boelke

Dear parishioners,

I have been writing in these reflections about who and what we are as Franciscans, and on this most central and pivotal of weekends in our liturgical year, I wish to speak about the history of my brother Franciscans in the Holy Land, the area where the events central to our faith took place.

You may be surprised to learn the holy sites that people travel from all around the globe to see in Jerusalem are run by friars, specifically the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Land, or the Custody of the Holy Land. These brothers were given the obligation of maintaining and ministering at these holy sites in 1342, by a papal decree, known as a “bull,” from Clement VI.

St. Francis of Assisi went to the Middle East at the beginning of the 13th century to visit and touch the places that offered an irreplaceable testimony of God’s revelations and love for the human person. During Francis’ journey, and despite the ongoing crusades, Francis encountered and dialogued with the Egyptian sultan Malik Al-Kamil, who was governing the Holy Land at that time. It was a peaceful encounter, which started the beginning of the Franciscans’ presence in the Holy Land and influenced the way in which the order has been present to this day.

The friars act as “guardians” of the important Christian sites in the region, preserving the value and experiences of these historical places, which ultimately aides pilgrims seeking to connect with that history.

The friars consistently tell of the miracles, manifestations, and footprints of the passage of God in this world. They echo the words of the Lord, who spoke to them through the prophets and apostles and became “flesh,” a man like us, living in our midst. This is what is meant when popes say that the friars’ mission is to work so that the biblical places become centers of spirituality, each as a sanctuary, preserving and handing on the evangelical message while nurturing the piety of the faithful.

The friars continue to fulfill their mandate of caring for the sacred shrines today. The following is a partial list of the shrines for which the Franciscans serve as caretakers:

• • The Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth
  • The Basilica of the Nativity, Bethlehem
  • Capernaum, Jesus’ hometown
  • The Church of the First Miracle, Cana
  • The Basilica of the Transfiguration, Mt. Tabor
  • The Church of St. Lazarus, Bethany
  • The Basilica of the Agony, Gethsemane
  • The Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem

The group of friars who have dedicated their life to serving and preserving these sacred places so important to our faith is known as The Custody of the Holy Land (Custodia Terræ
Sanctæ). The Custody is symbolized by the Cross of the Holy Land, a red, Greek cross on a white background that features four smaller crosses, also known as the Jerusalem Cross. The Custody can be traced back to the year 1217, when the first general chapter of the Friars Minor was celebrated at St. Mary of the Angels, near Assisi. In an act of inspiration, Francis decided to send his friars to all nations.

Francis and the order divided their numbers into “provinces,” and left from Assisi out to the four corners of the world. The Holy Land was listed as the most important province for this new mission. The province was entrusted to the care of brother Elias of Cortona, who, while not a cleric and never a priest, was a lay brother with significant organizational skills, which would have been advantageous in establishing a presence in the region amid the ongoing crusades.

As we celebrated Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, we began a journey into Holy Week, culminating with our Easter celebrations. The journey embodies the walk on the sands and rocky paths that Jesus had walked, fallen, and traveled to Calvary. I am humbled to know that my brothers, past and present, work so hard to protect and preserve these sites in which our faith is centered.

May these past few days of our Lenten journey bring us a new respect for the people who are oppressed by war, the poor, alienated, lost and unwanted. May we have a true appreciation for one another as God’s created gifts. I end with a translated portion of Mary’s canticle;

May our souls proclaim the greatness of the Lord, may our spirits rejoice in God our Savior…for He has looked with favor upon us. He is RISEN, He is Risen, Alleluia, He is Risen.

Peace and all good,
Friar Henry

Dear parishioners,

Palm/Passion Sunday: the beginning of Holy Week. Passion Sunday signifies both suffering and love, royalty and triumph. By freely going to Jerusalem, Jesus demonstrates his humility and love for us.

Two Gospels will be proclaimed at this weekend’s Masses. The first, proclaimed before the procession with palms, tells of Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. Riding on a borrowed colt, Jesus was hailed by the crowds as they shouted blessings and praise to God. This is reported in each of the four Gospels, but Luke’s Gospel is the only one to report the exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees as Jesus enters Jerusalem. Jesus’ response shows that this event, and those yet to come, are part of a divine plan.

In this gospel, it almost seems as if Jesus does not want to end his last meal with the disciples. His words on service are significant in this context. Jesus has given the Eucharist to his closest companions and will soon die in service to others. In considering the Eucharist, Francis of Assisi stood in awe at the “humility of God.” This same God gives himself to us in every Eucharist. Jesus models what we are called to be: people of service to others, at home, at work, in our neighborhoods, and in our parish community.

The awareness of others is a valuable Holy Week lesson. Jesus taught us that true power lies in sacrifice and service and that humility is one of the most important virtues we need for our service and mission. Jesus came to forgive, to include, and to welcome and he is repaid in rejection, dishonesty, and hatred. He shows us the absolute depth of his love by sacrificing everything for us and in doing so, has saved us. A journey through suffering love, service of others, true and inspiring leadership.

During his triumphant entry, Christ rode on a colt, symbolizing humility. In his suffering, Christ abandoned himself to his enemies without resistance or striking back. Through it all, there is Jesus. His enemies humiliate him, strike him, scourge him. Soldiers make a crown with thorns, a crown for the “King of the Jews.” Herod mocks him. Pilate, Roman trained, makes a half-hearted attempt at justice but fear for his career prevails.

Jesus, for his part, does not strike back, he does not scold, he does not accuse or blame. He begs his Father to forgive those who “do not know what they are doing.” Jesus seems to be the victim but all through he is, in fact, the master. He is master of the situation because he is master of himself.

So, as we go through this day and week, let us look very carefully at Jesus our Savior. We watch, not just to admire, but also to learn His attitudes and values so that we, in the very different circumstances of our own lives, may walk in his footsteps.

As his disciples, he invites us to walk his way, to share his sufferings, to imitate his attitudes, to “empty” ourselves, to live in service of others – in short, to love others as he loves us. This is not at all a call to a life of pain and misery. Quite the contrary, it is an invitation to a life of deep freedom. A life of peace and of love. If it were anything else, it would not be worth considering.

Peace and all good
Fr. Zack

Dear parishioners,

This weekend we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Lent, and the theme for our reflection centers upon love and forgiveness, as presented to us in the gospel of Luke.

The parable of the Prodigal Son is a story about God’s unconditional love and forgiveness for all of us. It is a story of mercy, compassion, and unwavering love, despite our faults, failings, and weaknesses.

It is a story of a man who left his home, his father, and his family, taking all his inheritance in search of happiness and fulfillment in life. The only problem was that he thought he could find happiness in what the parable calls a “life of debauchery.” As we learned from this parable, the Prodigal Son tried to find happiness by satisfying his every desire, whether moral or immoral. This eventually led him to living as a farmhand, feeding pigs and being treated poorly by others. Coming to his senses, we are told that he returned home, asking his father for forgiveness, to which his father embraces him and welcomes him back with open arms.

However, we also see the reaction of the older brother, who finding out that his younger brother has returned home asking forgiveness from his father for living an immoral life, is enthusiastically welcomed by his father, who celebrates his return with a banquet.

Being always obedient to his father, the older son becomes angry because he believed he has been treated unfairly. The father reminds his older son that all he has belongs to him, but his brother, who was dead to sin, has now come “back to life.”

You could argue the younger of the two sons mirrors the struggle today within society, and the emphasis we place upon success, money, power, and prestige. We live in a materialistic world, where the belief that money is all we need to be happy and successful in life – much like what the Prodigal Son believed. The reality is that in many ways we are facing a spiritual famine in our country and world at this time. Because of this spiritual famine, in some ways, we have ended up like the younger son, who eventually found himself caring for pigs. We see this in our day-to-day living, witnessing drug and
alcohol abuse, all kinds of fraud, theft, violence, murder, human trafficking, marital infidelity, priestly infidelity, the lust for power and control of others, and wars, like we’re seeing in Ukraine.

This passage from St. Luke’s gospel about the Prodigal Son on this fourth Sunday of Lent gives us all cause to stop and reflect upon the tender love, compassion, and mercy of our Heavenly Father. It also gives us the opportunity to reflect upon our own state in life and offers to us some very poignant questions for our meditation as we approach the midway point during this holy season.

We must ask ourselves: “Am I compassionate towards others?” “Do I allow God and the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts, words, and actions?” “Do I offer forgiveness to those who intentionally hurt me? “Do I repay evil with evil, or do I offer love in return?” We all live in a very volatile, hostile, and angry world. We live in a world where violence has become commonplace, and all too often at the expense of the innocent and the most vulnerable of society.

I offer this reflection to you as we draw ever closer to the joyous feast of Easter. I invite all of you to join me in prayer, asking our Heavenly Father to bring peace to our troubled world, to help us to offer compassion and charity to those around us, and show all of us how to live in mutual respect and love towards all people.

There is an old saying “the grass always looks greener on the other side.” There  are many temptations in life, and many false voices that tempt us by saying “follow me” or “follow your desires and you will find happiness.” The best offer of happiness comes from God: “all I have is yours.” God, our Heavenly Father, is there waiting for us to come to him, waiting to embrace us and welcome us into His Heavenly banquet. Therefore I invite you for the remainder of Lent to make an effort to answer his invitation, and come home to the Lord. Let us in faith go into God’s house and enjoy His Heavenly banquet, for God is love, and whoever lives in love, lives in God and God in them.

Peace and all good
Fr. Ron

Dear parishioners,

While my brothers use this space as an opportunity to connect with you through the Gospel or liturgical events, I wish to continue with an educational stream of information on who we are as Franciscans, and what makes us tick. As parishioners, you are likely aware of the Franciscan Charism and differences in lifestyle and approach to the religious life when compared with other orders or with diocesan priests. After all, our order has been with you at this parish since 2005, so osmosis may have set in. Taking the time to help define the way in which we are structured, and provide context for how and why we live in the way we do seems important to reestablish periodically, regardless if you are a recent registrant or come from a multi-generational family of parishioners. For instance, were you aware that  there are multiple orders of Franciscans? Do you know the extent of our commitment to the vows we take? I am happy to answer questions like these to make certain our parishioners feel a stronger connection to their friars. Additionally, changes to our structure can occur, and it is imperative for us as a fraternity to inform you.

The Franciscans consist of three orders. The First Order (no, not the bad guys in the recent Star Wars films) comprises priests and lay brothers who have sworn to lead a life of prayer, preaching, and penance. This First Order is divided into three independent branches: the Friars Minor (O.F.M.), the Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.), and the Friars Minor Capuchin (O.F.M. Cap.). The Second Order consists of cloistered nuns who belong to the Order of St. Clare (O.S.C.) and are known as Poor Clare’s (P.C.). The Third Order consists of religious and lay men and women who try to emulate St. Francis’s spirit by performing works of teaching, charity, and social service. Strictly speaking, the latter order consists of the Third Order Secular, whose lay members live in the world without vows; and the Third Order Regular, whose members live in religious communities under vows.

Historically, the friars wandered and preached among the people, helping the poor and the sick. They supported themselves by working and by begging for food, but they were forbidden to accept money either as payment for work or as alms. The Franciscans worked at first in Umbria and then in the rest of Italy and abroad. The impact of these street preachers and especially of their founder was immense, so that within 10 years they numbered 5,000.

During the first years of the Franciscans, the example of Francis provided their real rule of life, but, as the order grew, it became clear that a revised rule was necessary. After preparing a rule in 1221 that was found to be too strict, Francis, with the help of several legal scholars, unwillingly composed the more restrained final rule in 1223. This rule was approved by Pope Honorius III.

Even before the death of Francis in 1226, conflicts developed within the order over the observance of the vow of complete poverty. The rapid expansion of the order’s membership had created a need for settled monastic houses, but it was impossible to justify these if Francis’s rule of complete poverty was followed strictly. Three parties gradually appeared: the Zealots, who insisted on a literal observance of the primitive rule of poverty affecting communal as well as personal poverty; the Laxists, who favored many mitigations; and the Moderates, or the community, who wanted a legal structure that would permit some form of communal possessions.

Here in the United States, there are seven provinces of Franciscan Friars which span from coast to coast. As it was in St. Francis’ time, so it is now that the friars will undergo changes. Six out of the seven provinces could merge and become one province, which could span the majority of the country. Theses changes will cause us as Franciscans to once again “Begin again.” The saying of beginning again was ascribed to Francis, when he said to the brothers, “up until now we have done nothing, let us begin again.” As friars, we are challenged to ongoing conversion, both in our lives and in ministry and community.

The friars first call is to fraternity, which entails his call to prayer and communal life. In this way, the friar is called to brotherhood, living out the gospel message with his brothers daily in both prayer and common meals. We value this time of community with each other as a time to recharge and engage in the life-giving support of our brotherhood as consecrated religious. Just as families enjoy their times of gatherings on certain holidays and special occasions, this part of common life is very important to us as friars, for our health and well being with each other, and to relax outside of ministry. It is from this common life that we as brothers are called to go forth in mission, to our ministries (parishes, schools, hospital, and soup kitchens) and serve the people of God. This is our DNA, simply put. This is what sets Franciscans apart from other religious communities, that need for fraternity.

It is in living out our vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience that we give witness to the kingdom of God. Just as Jesus tells his disciples, “go out two by two and take nothing for the journey,” we friars must give witness to this by the way we live our lives in community and ministry. We friars must be countercultural in the way we live, breath and interact with all creation. As friars, we are to listen and be challenged by those we live (friars) and work with (staff) and those we encounter in our daily lives through ministry or service. Within the Franciscan order, fraternity remains the nucleus in which we live out our Franciscan life and values as friars.

Peace,
Friar Henry

(Editors Note: Embarking on a new tradition in 2022, the friars of Sacred Heart will alternate penning a letter or discussion aimed to help parishioners engage with the readings, the parish, or their outreach initiatives on a weekly basis. This new practice continues with a letter from Fr. Zachary Elliott, where he details the challenges we have to truly listen to God and each other.)

• Readings for The Second Sunday of Lent

Dear Sacred Heart Parishioners,

This Sunday, I would like to focus on a single word from the Gospel, spoken by God to Peter, James, and John. “Then from the cloud came a voice that said: This is my chosen Son; listen to Him.” (Lk 9:35) The word “listen” comes from the Old English term “hlysnan,”
meaning “pay attention to.”

We live lives filled with noise and sound, so much so that the simple act of listening becomes more difficult. We hear well enough, sure, and there is plenty out there to hear these days. Listening to each other is not easy to start with, but it has become more difficult in this age. Conversations trend toward becoming monologues, where someone waits patiently until the other person has finished, all the while formulating a response in their own mind.

We may find our discussions becoming debates, where someone listens only in order to disagree or find fault in another. To listen is to give of yourself, to put yourself into the other person’s mind and heart. It is not just hearing the words spoken and being able to recite what was heard. It is the understanding and acknowledgement without any of the noise or your self interests distorting the premise.

To listen is to risk. To listen may mean getting more involved. To risk your time, often when you can least afford it, or to remove yourself from the equation in order to serve another in that moment. Listening can also leave us exposed, because when we listen, we are agreeing to set ourselves aside, which may make some of us feel vulnerable. While we describe the sacrifice associated with the action, we can also find positive affirmations in listening. Listening can be an act of love, to be where another can reach out to you, and you share not words, but yourselves. What a wonderfully human attribute!

During Lent, we make time to listen to Christ. This is the command of the Father from the cloud. Listen to Him. This is what Peter, James, and John were ordered to do. Why? Because here is at once God’s Son and God’s revelation. In various ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets, but in these last days, He has spoken to us by his Son.

Jesus is God’s revelation to us. He is the point of personal contact between God and us. How does Jesus speak to us? Vatican II rings loud and clear. Christ is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the church. Listening to Jesus is not the same as listening to others. The same intensity, yes, the same openness, but a greater risk, because we are challenged to follow as well. When God told Peter, James, and John to listen to Jesus, He was saying “obey Him and do what He tells you; follow Him.” If we really listen to Jesus in the proclaimed word, then we can hear Him in our everyday lives.

Let’s take God’s command seriously and listen this Lent. God speaks to us in our loneliness, our pain, our suffering when nothing is going right. Only by listening in desperation do we hear God speak. Not explaining, not defending, not to justify, but only saying “trust in Me.” There is the sound of silence (thank you, Simon & Garfunkel), when we listen quietly, allowing God’s voice to whisper to us. Listen to one another. Listen to Christ in the proclaimed word. Listen to the word of God in the world around us. Allow God to come to  you through your senses.

Peace,
Fr. Zack

(Editors Note: Embarking on a new tradition in 2022, the friars of Sacred Heart will alternate penning a letter or discussion aimed to help parishioners engage with the readings, the parish, or their outreach initiatives on a weekly basis. This new practice continues with a letter from our pastor, Fr. Mike Jones, providing insight on how to follow Jesus’ call to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during our Lenten journey)

• Readings for Ash Wednesday
• Readings for The First Sunday of Lent

Dear Sacred Heart Parishioners,

In the Gospel on Ash Wednesday, we heard from Jesus the needs for prayer, fasting and almsgiving. This passage from Matthew’s Gospel featuring some of Jesus’ core teachings to his disciples is a wonderful reminder to us that during Lent these three themes are connected. Why do we fast or have a simple meal? It is so we can share those resources with the poor, for instance. I have gone into more detail about these three pillars of Lent and have given some suggestions on how we might practice each one during Lent.

The first pillar of Lent is prayer. Lent is a time of spiritual renewal, and during Lent we put special time aside to be prayerful and reflective. Good communication is a sign of good friendship. Lent calls us to renew our relationship with God, by communicating with God each and every day. Some people like to pray with the scriptures during Lent. Others like to pray the rosary, or some other devotional prayer. Others still may find a time to sit quietly each day in God’s presence. There are as many different ways to pray, or communicate with God, as there are prayers, but we encourage you to find a way of connecting with God that feels right for you.

Here are some ideas to reconnect through prayer:

• Experiment with a new form or way of praying. (walking a labyrinth, Lectio Divina,  meditation)
• For one week, set your alarm 10 minutes early and spend that time in prayer before starting your day
• For one week, do an examination of conscience before you go to bed, reviewing your day
• Set up/decorate an intentional space for prayer (a quiet corner, a comfortable chair, a place in nature)
• Participate in the Stations of the Cross, or pray the rosary each week (or pray one decade per day)
• Celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation/Penance this Lent

The second Lenten pillar is fasting and abstinence. Fasting is the practice of limiting the food that we eat on certain days. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday we fast, meaning that we only have two small meals. Abstinence is the practice of not eating certain types of food. On Ash Wednesday and the Fridays in Lent, we abstain from eating meat. Fasting and abstinence reminds us of our total dependence on God. These practices help us to remember that ultimately it is only through the love of God that we are fed, nourished and sustained. The practices also help us remember to abstain from those things that pull us away from being the people God wants us to be.

Ideas for fasting and abstinence:

• Fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstain from meat every Friday in Lent
• Give up eating out for one week or more, and donate the money saved to a food bank
• Choose one unhealthy habit (junk food, smoking, gossip) to abstain from for at least one week at a time
• Abstain from buying any new clothing this month and purge your closet for donations
• Abstain from social media for one week, and spend the time saved reading scripture or in spiritual reflection
• Abstain from complaining for one week, and instead, journal five things each day for which you are grateful

The third pillar of Lent is almsgiving, or acts of mercy and love. Almsgiving and acts of mercy are ways in which we tell God that we will not be possessed by our possessions, but are ready and willing to share our possessions or valuable time in the service of others. During Lent, we make a special effort to do acts of charitable service or take up collections of food or clothing for those in need.

How almsgiving can help guide your Lenten journey:

• Throughout Lent, save up your loose change in a jar and donate to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
• Volunteer once a week to help others; serve at a soup kitchen, mow a neighbor’s yard, rake leaves for your parents
• Stop by a nearby nursing home, and spend an hour visiting with the residents
• Make cards for those who are sick, shut-in, or incarcerated; let them know someone cares
• Perform one act of random kindness every day for a week
• Donate food to a local food pantry each week

Peace,
Fr. Mike