Category Archives: Blog Posts

Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter 2020: JN 15:12-17, Homily, Art

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“Colors of Love” Painting by: Ronald Patrick Raab, CSC 2020

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Gospel JN 15:12-17

Jesus said to his disciples:
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”

 

Feast of Saint Mathias, Apostle 2020: JN 15:9-17, Homily, Art

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“Remain in my love” Painting by: Ronald Patrick Raab, CSC 2020

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Gospel JN 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.

“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you:  love one another.”

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter 2020: JN 15:1-8, Homily, and Art

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Easter Lilies, Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2018

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Gospel JN 15:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter 2020: JN 14:27-31A, Homily, Art

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“Peace I leave with you” Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2020

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Gospel JN 14:27-31A

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.
I will no longer speak much with you,
for the ruler of the world is coming.
He has no power over me,
but the world must know that I love the Father
and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”

Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter 2020: JN 14:21-26, Homily, and Art

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Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2019

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Gospel JN 14:21-26

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him,
“Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us
and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name,
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.”

 

 

Fifth Sunday of Easter 2020: JN 14:1-12, Homily, Prayers of the Faithful, and Art

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” Do not let your heart be troubled” Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2020

CLICK HERE to listen to today’s homily

 

Gospel JN 14:1-12

Jesus said to his disciples:
“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.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him,
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father.”

 

May 10, 2020 Fifth Sunday of Easter

Prayers of the Faithful

Let us pray for our Universal Church that we may be made new in Christ Jesus. May Christ’s name be proclaimed in all we do on earth and may we proclaim with love the treasures of hope, love, and faith in these uncertain and fearful days of ill health, unemployment and hunger.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for unity and love where division and hatred have made a home. We pray for harmony in our nation, hope within our families, and love within our service toward one another.

We pray to the Lord.

Let is pray for our children and grandchildren who graduate this spring, the young who search for employment, and for those who may be troubled by the future. May hope abound for our young people who step into the next chapters of life.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for farmers and growers in this spring season. We pray for all who provide food in our nation in these days of COVID-19. May hope spring up for all food workers who help sustain our bodies and families.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for the ill and those who care for them. May hope abound in our nation during this time of virus and uncertainty. May our elderly find integrity in aging, and may our sick discover the healing touch of Christ Jesus.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us unmask our mouths to verbalize our prayers to heaven for all of our mothers here on earth. May we celebrate the beauty and bounty of family life. May our troubles be shallow in the deep waters of our baptismal life.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our beloved dead and for those who grieve here on earth. We pray for those who face the uncertainty and grief of COVID-19. May we remember the dead in Potter’s Graves.

We pray to the Lord.

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter 2020: JN 14:7-14, Homily, Art, COVID-19 Update

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Pastel Drawing by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2016

CLICK HERE to listen to today’s homily

Gospel JN 14:7-14

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to Jesus,
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father.
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”

 

 

 

Sacred Heart Parish: Coronavirus Update 5-10-20 

 

  • Sacred Heart Parish has created a COVID-19 Task Force to discuss the innumerable details that need to be considered to allow our parish to reopen safely and resume Masses. The Task Force will report back to the parish.

 

Mission Statement: The Sacred Heart Parish Covid-19 Task Force will assist the Pastor in planning for the reopening of the parish for the celebration of Masses for as many parishioners as can be accommodated in a healthy and safe environment within state guidelines. It will also help articulate how Sacred Heart Parish can lead in calling all parishioners to service. The plan will outline what adjustments will be needed when Masses with a greater number of people become possible at a future time. The health and safety of all clergy, staff and parishioners will be the central element of the plan. The Task Force’s assistance will be offered for as long as necessary.

 

  • Sacred Heart Parish will determine when and how we resume Masses based on our ability to maintain a safe environment. Keep in mind that these procedures and timeline may be different from other churches in the diocese.

– The goal is to tentatively resume Masses at Sacred Heart Church only the weekend of Pentecost, May 30 & 31.

– Initially, Masses will be offered only at Sacred Heart Church. We will open the two mission churches at a later date.

– We are pursuing the ability to live stream/ record Masses and make them available on our website.

 

  • It is important to keep in mind that when Masses do resume, things will be different than before.

– The number of people who can attend will be limited.

– Parishioners will be asked to register in advance to attend a Mass.

– There will be a check-in process for Mass.

– We will follow social distancing rules.

– Attendees will be required to wear a mask.

– The church will be cleaned and sanitized after each Mass.

 

  • More details coming soon

– Check the bulletin, website & Facebook for more details. We will be sending out more detailed communications in the next few weeks.

 

 

Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter 2020: JN 14:1-6, Homily, and Art

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Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC

 

CLICK HERE to listen to today’s reflection

PLEASE READ our COVID-19 update from Sacred Heart Parish: CLICK HERE 

 

Gospel JN 14:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples:
“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.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Fifth Sunday of Easter 2020: Bulletin Cover Art and Column

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May 10, 2020 bulletin cover

PLEASE READ the complete bulletin by clicking here    

 

May 10, 2020

Fifth Sunday of Easter

 

Dear Believers in the Risen Christ,

Even though I know in my mind I belong to God, my heart is often troubled. My heart is often like a swinging door, welcoming God on one day and then keeping God out on others. A troubled heart is a mark of being human. There is no one answer that will finally convince the human heart to stop worrying or questioning or pondering its place in life.

Jesus understands the fickleness of human experience. He experienced Peter’s denial. That denial must have broken Jesus’ heart. He witnessed Judas betray him. Jesus felt deeply the lukewarm commitments of his disciples. Our capacity to sit up straight in the glow of God’s love for us is never easy. The troubled heart on many days wins when we believe the flimsy stories we tell ourselves, that we do not belong, that we are unlovable or that we do not have a suitable place in center of God’s heart.

Our troubled hearts beat a common drum of despair and loneliness in these COVID-19 days. Our restlessness causes us to lash out at others and to become suspicious of others wearing masks, especially African American men or people without homes walking down the streets. People who are already broken bear the brunt of our despair, our brothers in large prisons and our fathers in nursing homes. When our hearts are troubled, we tend to view the world with nasty judgments and snarly suspicions and then our fear snakes it way into life one more time.

In John 14: 1-12, Jesus is inviting every troubled heart to understand that he reveals only love and kindness. He even has a place for us, for you and for me, in eternal life. A dwelling that will be forever. A dwelling of love and healing and a new understanding that death gives way to life. A dwelling where fear melts away and unity and communion become real. Jesus tells us one more time in this Easter season that only he is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Our hearts are restless until that message finally makes a home within us. We are slow learners where our hearts are concerned.

However, Jesus’ promise is not just about life after death. Because of his Resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit, our present life contains his eternal life. In other words, eternal life is NOW. We belong to him no matter how troubled we are and no matter how our stubbornness gets in the way. Eternal life is for us who believe. If this is real, then we are to live here on earth the hope of heaven.

Heaven is pure unity; then we are to seek unity and communion among all the divisions of his world. Heaven is sure food and full satisfaction; then we are to seek out those who are starving for food and love. Hope and good will be here in our neighborhood when we reflect heaven on earth. Heaven is pure love: then we are to seek out the lost and forgotten and those whose lives are not seen as having value.

The Easter message of Eternal Life is balm for our troubled hearts. Eternity also begins today as we strive to welcome the lost and the sinner. Eternal life wells up in our hearts washing away our troubles. This is Easter. This is the work of the Father. This is hope for our world and the pleasures of the human heart.

Jesus said to him, “ I am the way, the truth and the life.”

 God give you peace,

Fr. Ron

 

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter 2020: JN 13:16-20, Homily, and Art

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Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2020

CLICK HERE to listen to today’s homily

Gospel JN 13:16-20

When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master
nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.
If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.
I am not speaking of all of you.
I know those whom I have chosen.
But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.
From now on I am telling you before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe that I AM.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send
receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”