O Jesus! my love, my life... how to combine these contrasts?

How to fulfill the desires of my poor little soul?... Ah! despite my smallness, I would like to enlighten souls like the Prophets, the Doctors, I have the vocation to be an Apostle... I would like to travel the earth, preach your name and plant your glorious Cross on the unfaithful ground, but, oh my Beloved, a single mission would not be enough for me, I would like to announce the Gospel at the same time in the five parts of the world and even in the most remote islands... I would like to be a missionary not only for a few years, but I would like to have been so since the creation of the world and to be so until the consummation of the centuries...

The value of sacred spaces

The Second Book of Chronicles tells us: “When Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and devoured the burnt offering and the sacrifices. The glory of the Lord filled the temple, and the priests could not enter it because the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The Israelites, when they saw the fire and the glory of the Lord coming down to the temple, fell on their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, because he is good, because his mercy endures forever” (2 Chronicles 7:1- 3)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is with deep appreciation and love that I address you through this bulletin write-up. I want to express my profound gratitude to each and every one. I am deeply thankful for the privilege of serving as your priest and for the many ways you have enriched my life. I request your prayers as I begin my ministry at St. Anthony’s, Hughson. And please know that I will continue to pray for you.

Brothers and sisters, we heard in the first reading how God created the world and man in the image and likeness of Himself so that he would have eternal life, not so that he would die. But the Devil introduces death through sin. God loves the world so much that even after death he entered the world by becoming poor so that we could enjoy the riches of reconciliation with his poverty. In the gospel we hear how Jesus came into the world to do good and heal the sick so that they may be saved, but we also have to have faith since without faith we have nothing that can save us.

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

With the month of June, we are invited to reflect upon the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is a profound reality that in the midst of the Holy Trinity, beats a gloried wounded human heart - the pierced heart of the Son of God, Jesus. It is a heart depicted aflame with divine love and wreathed with the thorns of the Passion. It is a heart that invites and encourages us to trust in the self-sacrificing love of Christ.

This 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time the apostle Saint Paul tells us in the second reading, “We walk guided by faith, without yet seeing.” (2 Corinthians 5:7). (Hebrews 11:1) tells us that “Faith is a guarantee of things hoped for and proof of things not seen.”

Taking responsibility for our actions is something that many people struggle with, especially when our actions have led us to sin. I remember a priest at a Penance Service giving instructions for those seeking the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and he said “please, just confess your sin, do not try to justify it”.

Happy June to all of you, or better yet, a Blessed month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus! This month we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Sacred Heart of Jesus, and specifically, this weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ-Corpus Christi.