​+JMJ+
In this e-weekly:
​- The 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ("Helpful Hints of Life")
- Things You Will Probably Never Hear Catholics Say… (Smiling Cat Section)

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
 
      Friday, July 3rd marked the continuing of 9 consecutive FIRST FRIDAYS which our Lord asked through St. Margaret Mary that can be offered to His Sacred Heart for special graces and benefit to humanity, especially individuals.


12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at the last hour. –Jesus Christ
 
        The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  God's love has been enfleshed in the human heart of Jesus, which we call His Sacred Heart because from it gushed "immediately blood and water. (John 19:34)"   Holy Water in Baptism for the washing away of Original Sin and forgiveness of your sins and mine.  Precious Blood to be drunk to eternal life or for us to be drenched in the Sacrament of Confession for the return to Baptismal innocence after personal sin. 
 
        Look at the website sections for more on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Look to "Helpful Hints of Life" for Jesus 12 Promises to those who have Devotion to His Sacred Heart.  Receive Him, Who is only Love and Mercy, in the Sacraments of His Church!
 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert



P.S.  This coming Sunday is 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time-Time ordered for Christian Living.  The readings can be found at:  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070526.cfm
​

​is a website that has the Roman Catholic Good News from previous weeks.  Please take a look and pass on if you think others would benefit.

P.S.S.S.  Sunday Readings with Reflections and Questions at end of e-mail

For those traveling this summer and needing to get to the Holy Mass.
MASS TIMES AND CATHOLIC CHURCHES throughout the US

http://www.masstimes.org/

Simply type in the town you will be in.  It also gives you the nearest church to you with the closest Mass Time.
https://thecatholictravelguide.com/

Great advice for Catholic travelers
​
When traveling this Summer maybe add some faith to your trip.  Perhaps stop at a monastery or Cathedral you come across.  There are Catholic historical sites.  Or visit
http://www.catholicshrines.net/ 
for a shrine near your vacation destination. 

​

Father Valentín Aparicio, vice rector of the major seminary of the Archdiocese of Toledo in Spain and an expert in biblical archaeology, explained how to read the Bible “without getting lost in the process.”
Known as “Un cura de Toledo” (“A Priest from Toledo”) on social media — where he has thousands of followers — Aparicio shared his advice during an interview on the podcast “Se buscan rebeldes” (“Rebels Wanted”), hosted by fellow Spanish priest Ignacio Amorós.
During the conversation, Amorós defined the Bible as the “bestseller” that never goes out of style, a “fiery book that has changed history” and that tells the story of Godʼs love for humanity.
However, he also pointed out that many Catholics have difficulty understanding it and that some even become scandalized when reading certain passages of the Old Testament.
Considering this, Aparicio advised those who want to read and understand sacred Scripture: Start with the Gospel of Luke.
Reading this Gospel, which recounts the life of Jesus, followed by the Acts of the Apostles, helps one “gain a fairly clear and comprehensive idea of what the New Testament is.”
“There are times when we do not understand the Bible, but it’s because of the cultural gap that exists. We must remember that some parts of the Bible date back roughly to the transition between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age,” Aparicio pointed out.
Due to that distance in time and culture “so immense and so wild,” in the words of the priest, “if someone doesnʼt take me by the hand, I donʼt know how to navigate it.” Because of this, he emphasized the importance of having guidance while reading and tools that facilitate understanding, such as those available on the internet.
The priest said his YouTube channel features a series of lessons in which he explains the chapters of Genesis.
He emphasized that reading the Bible is not merely about “stringing words together” but about discovering “what God wants to tell you there.”
He drew a comparison with cinema: “What makes a movie good or bad?” he asked. “If a movie is simply a collection of film frames, you end up bored, because you can’t put up with two hours of watching frames. You need a plot, a narrative, a common thread that connects all the frames.”
In his view, the same holds true for the Bible. Its various books are not isolated accounts but rather form part of a single story with profound internal unity. That unity, he explained, is defined by the Hebrew concept of “berit,” or covenant: God’s desire to establish a covenant of love with every human being.
“In the Book of Genesis, the first book, God begins by creating the world; and in the Book of Revelation, the last book, he culminates with a new creation, restoring his plan and returning us to the paradise we had lost. Throughout the entire Bible, we witness the reclaiming of that lost paradise,” he explained.
​

​
How Catholics Started the Hospital & University Systems in the So-Called “Dark” Ages

• by ChurchPOP Editor - July 13, 2019

Did you know the Catholic Church started both the hospital and university systems?
In this week’s episode of The Catholic Talk Show, Ryan Scheel, Fr. Rich Pagano, and Ryan DellaCross discuss “7 Reasons the Dark Ages Weren’t Actually That Dark.”
In this portion of the podcast, the group explains the Catholic Church’s deep involvement in founding the hospital and university systems we know today.
Listen to the full story below:https://youtu.be/e94k_v5q5w0​How Catholics Started the Hospital & University Systems in the So-Called “Dark” Ages

• by ChurchPOP Editor - July 13, 2019

​

THIS 95-YEAR-OLD CATHOLIC COUPLE DIED IN EACH OTHER'S ARMS...
San Diego, Calif. (EWTN News/CNA) - Few love stories can say that they began at the age of eight. But for Jeanette and Alexander Toczko, they couldn't have imagined life any other way.
 
What began as a childhood crush later bloomed into a deep, committed love – a love that would last throughout a war, five children, and seventy-five years of marriage.
“Their hearts beat as one from as long as I can remember,” said Aimee Toczko-Cushman, one of the couple's five children, according to the Daily Mail.
 
After meeting his future wife at the age of eight, Alexander Toczko married Jeanette in 1940 while he was enrolled in the U.S. Navy as a telegraph operator. Alexander was a devoted husband to his wife Jeanette, and as Catholics, he fondly carried a snapshot of Jeanette's First Holy Communion in his wallet.
 
The Toczko's settled in San Diego, California in 1971 where Alexander and Jeanette worked together, establishing their own fashion photography and advertising firm. Alexander had a passion for golf and sketching, and the couple loved to travel with each other.
 
They raised their five children in the San Diego area, and over the years became the proud grandparents of ten grandchildren.
 
This past June, the couple celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. Alexander, a WWII veteran, was 95 and Jeanette was 96.
 
The couple's health had been declining over the months, especially after Alexander had taken a recent fall, breaking his hip.
 
“He was going fast,” their son, Richard Toczko, remembered.
 
Hospice care was brought to Jeanette and Alexander's home, so that they could share their own bed and stay close to each other in their final moments.
 
Remarkably, the inseparable couple had a dying wish that they often told their children – they both wanted to pass away together, in each other's arms and in their own bed.
Alexander was the first to go on June 17. Once Jeanette had been informed that her husband had died, she said, “See this is what you wanted. You died in my arms and I love you. I love you, wait for me, I'll be there soon.”
 
Jeanette died only hours after her husband on June 18.
 
“Even the hospice nurse said it was the most incredible thing to see the two of them taking those last breaths together,” Aimee Toczko-Cushman said.
 
“They both entered the pearly gates holding hands,” reflected their son, Richard Toczko.
A funeral mass was held for Alexander and Jeanette on June 29, a ceremony which commemorated both their lives and their 75th wedding anniversary. They were buried at the Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego.
 
 
" ​1. Be especially attentive "to the content and unity of the whole Scripture". Different as the books which compose it may be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God's plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since his Passover.
The phrase "heart of Christ" can refer to Sacred Scripture, which makes known his heart, closed before the Passion, as the Scripture was obscure. But the Scripture has been opened since the Passion; since those who from then on have understood it, consider and discern in what way the prophecies must be interpreted."   -Catechism of the Catholic Church #112

A bit of humor…

 Some Thoughts:
-“What's the name of your new dog?” “I don’t know. He won’t tell.”
-Daddy reads some bedtime stories to make little Jonny fall asleep.  Half an hour later mommy opens quietly the door and asks: “And, is he asleep?”  Little Jonny answers: “Yes, finally.”

50 Things You'll (probably) Never Hear Catholics Say16)  Go ahead and ask me all your questions about Catholicism.  I feel pretty confident that I can answer all of them.
17)  There are too many people in the front pews at Mass.
18)  I had my conversion through Religious Ed.
19)  Birth Control or Natural Family Planning (NFP)?  I haven’t really heard any strong opinions one way or the other.
20)  Donuts after Mass AGAIN?!?!
21)  The Catechism of the Catholic Church, that 2600 page book? Yeah, it's a pretty quick read. Totally beach material.
22)  All that exorcism stuff doesn’t freak me out at all. 
23)  You're interested in celibacy, too?!!
24)  G.K. Chesterton… He was Anglican, right?
25)  I don't know who to pray to when I lose my stuff!
26)  I never really get distracted during the Rosary either.
27)  Latin Tridentine Mass and Novus Ordo are practically the same thing.
28)  I, too, have a devotion to St. Willibald.
29)  How ‘bout them Crusades?!
30)  Mary who?
31)  I just wish the Sisters of Life were more joyful.
32)  I’m not at all self-conscious after Ash Wednesday Mass.  Let’s go to the disco.
33)  What marriage controversy?
34)  I think St. Patrick would be proud of how we celebrate him.
35)  I miss Limbo.
 ​

 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Several days ago as I left a meeting at our church, I desperately gave myself a personal TSA pat down. 
I was looking for my keys.  They were not in my pockets.  A quick search in the meeting room revealed nothing.
 
Suddenly I realized, I must have left them in the car. 

Frantically, I headed for the parking lot.  My wife, Diane, has scolded me many times for leaving the keys in the ignition.  My theory is the ignition is the best place not to lose them.  Her theory is that the car will be stolen. 

As I burst through the doors of the church, I came to a terrifying conclusion.  Her theory was right. The parking lot was empty.
 
I immediately called the police, gave them my location, confessed that I had left my keys in the car and that it had been stolen. 

Then I made the most difficult call of all, “Honey,” I stammered.  I always call her “honey”in times like these.  “I left my keys in the car, and it has been stolen.”
 
There was a period of silence.  I thought the call had been dropped, but then I heard Diane’s voice. “Ken” she barked, “I dropped you off!” 

Now it was my turn to be silent.  Embarrassed, I said, “Well, can you please come and get me.” 

Diane retorted, “I will, as soon as I can convince this policeman I have not stolen your car!”
 ​

​"Christ is the light of humanity; and it is, accordingly, the heart-felt desire of this sacred Council, being gathered together in the Holy Spirit, that, by proclaiming his Gospel to every creature, it may bring to all men that light of Christ which shines out visibly from the Church." These words open the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. By choosing this starting point, the Council demonstrates that the article of faith about the Church depends entirely on the articles concerning Christ Jesus. The Church has no other light than Christ's; according to a favorite image of the Church Fathers, the Church is like the moon, all its light reflected from the sun."  -Catechism of the Catholic Church #748


+JMJ+
SUNDAY BIBLICAL MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sunday, July 5th, 2026

The First Reading-Zachariah 9:9-10 
Thus says the LORD: Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!  See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass.  He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; the warrior's bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.  His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Reflection 
In Zechariah’s prophecy, then, there is a paradox: this coming king is triumphant—a conquering hero—and yet he conquers in a peaceful way, banishing “horse, chariot, and bow,” the weapons of war.  He banishes them from “Ephraim”—the northern kingdom of Israel composed of predominantly of the ten tribes—and “Jerusalem”—the southern kingdom of Judah composed (mostly) of the two tribes Judah and Benjamin (with others mixed in).  In other words, this king will reunite “all Israel.”
Adults - What are some ways we can use peace to conquer the issues in our life? 
Teens - How do you think an attitude of peace can influence today’s culture?
Kids - Try to solve an argument peacefully this week. 

Responsorial- Psalm 145: 1-2, 8-11, 13-14
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
For our Responsorial, Holy Mother Church gives us a very important Psalm, the last Davidic psalm in the whole Psalter, and one of only two psalms to mention “the kingdom of God”, the other being Ps 103.  But Psalm 145 has much more to say about the kingdom of God than 103.  It is the quintessential “kingdom of God” psalm.  In this poem, David, the great king who was promised a universal kingdom, praise God for God’s universal kingdom. David acknowledges that God is the true, eternal, universal king; the implication, then, is that David’s kingdom is just a reflection of the divine reality.  God’s kingdom is characterized by love, mercy, forgiveness, healing, and even resurrection: “lifting up the fallen” and “raising up” the “bowed down.”  
How can you live the values of love, mercy and forgiveness this week?

The Second Reading- Romans 8: 9, 11-13
Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.  Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.  If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you.  Consequently, brothers and sisters, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.  For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Reflection 
This Sunday we find ourselves in Romans 8, the theological heart of the letter.  St. Paul reminds us that we have the Spirit of Christ living in us.  We have the Spirit through faith and the sacraments, especially baptism.  It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that assures us we have eternal life.  This present life has too much suffering and evil to be the object of our hope!  To live joyful lives here and now, we must have a very robust notion of how quick and temporary this life is, and how joyful the next in God’s presence!  The Holy Spirit enables us to live joyfully, with a peace that “transcends understanding”—i.e. doesn’t make sense from an earthly perspective!—because he lives in our hearts and consoles us by reminding us of heaven!  This is the kingdom of God marked by resurrection described above in Psalm 145.
Meditate this week on the fact that the Holy Spirit, the literal love of God, dwells within your soul
The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 11:25-30
At that time Jesus exclaimed:  "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones.  Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.  All things have been handed over to me by my Father.  No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.  Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." 
Reflection 
When he says, “all things have been handed over to me by my Father,” we see that Jesus is claiming to be the heir of the universal kingdom of David and the universal kingdom of God.  The two are ultimately one and the same.  Just as David handed all things over to Solomon, who then rode into Jerusalem to claim the throne on a donkey; so God has handed all things over to Jesus (Eph 1:22), who is also the Son of David. The humble mule of David on which Solomon rode was a public statement of the close relationship between father and son.  So here, Jesus emphasizes his intimacy with the Father: “no one knows the Father but the Son.”  Jesus alone, of all religious teachers who have ever lived, understands and experienced God as his Father, and can teach us how to have that relationship.
Adults - What does it mean to you to be an heir of the kingdom of God?
Teens - Do you have a relationship with all three Persons of the Trinity? How can you work on building those relationships up? 
Kids - What does Jesus teach us about a relationship with God?


LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK!  - “The yoke of Christ is not really a yoke but a bond of love, which joins us to Him, and through Him, to our loving Father in heaven. The rule of life which He asks us to keep, if we are loyal followers of His, is not a series of prohibitions and don'ts. It is rather a succession of sign-posts on the straight road to heaven, making our journey easier and safer. He does ask us to carry our cross daily, that is, to bear the burden of each day's duty, but once the cross is grasped firmly and lovingly it ceases to be a burden.
Ours is a world which is in an all-out search for new idols. It is a world which has left the path marked out by Christ, and forgotten or tried to forget, that man's life does not end with death. To be a Christian and to have the light of faith to guide our steps in this neo-pagan darkness, is surely a gift, and a blessing from God, for which we can never thank Him enough. Thank you, God, for this gift. Please give us the grace and the courage to live up to it and to die in the certainty that we shall hear, as we shut our eyes on the light of this world, the consoling words, "come you blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you."  —Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

In this e-weekly:
-  Two special prayers to the Immaculate Heart  (the praying hands at the very last)
-  Pro-Life Atheist to Convert to Catholicism, "There is a God-shaped hole in my heart"     (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
-POPE LEO XVI: Failure to Understand the Eastern Christianity Impoverishes the Church  (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- (New Series on COMMUNICATION) Devotion of the First Five Saturdays (Helpful Hints for Life)

​Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
 
      She that, “kept all things, reflecting on them in her heart (Luke 2:51),” is the source of Jesus' Sacred Heart.  For if Mary did not first conceive Jesus in her Immaculate Heart, she would have never said yes to the Angel Gabriel and conceived Jesus Christ in her womb. 
      Mary has a heart that is for all men.  She who received our Lord Jesus with unimaginable love in her heart and body, she who raised Him and treasured the moments she shared with Him, she who saw Him go forth from her side into a world that loved and despised Him, she whose heart was pierced when she saw Him so cruelly treated by men and pierced in His own Sacred Heart with a lance as He hung on the Cross, is the same woman and the same Immaculate Heart that loves you and I more than we can ever conceive.   And that Heart is the one shelter we most desire to dwell in (whether we recognize it or not) for it there where Jesus and His Sacred Heart dwells! 
       Let us turn toward and love the Heart of Blessed Mary Immaculate because she was conceived without sin in the womb of her mother, St. Anne; sorrowful because she beheld the death of her beloved Son and beholds your sinfulness and mine, but this is your Heart and mine to dwell in forever because she loves and is completely united to Jesus Christ, and Jesus and Mary are our true comfort and our true strength!
 Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert


P.S.  This coming Sunday is the 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time.  The readings can be found at:https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062126.cfm


P.S.S.  At the end of E-weekly is this week's readings with reflections and questions for self or family.

 
The devotion involves the following practices on five consecutive first Saturdays of the month, with the specific intention of making reparation for the five gravest offenses of man against the Blessed Virgin.

1. Go to Confession (within 8 days before or 8 days after the first Saturday)

2. Receive the Holy Eucharist

3. Pray five decades of the Rosary

4."Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on fifteen mysteries of the Rosary."
 
On December 10, 1925, the Most Holy Virgin appeared to Lucy of Fatima, and by her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. The Most Holy Virgin rested her hand on Lucy's shoulder, and as she did so, she showed her a Heart surrounded with thorns, which she was holding in her other hand. At the same time, the Child Jesus said:
 
"Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them."
Then the Most Holy Virgin said:
 
"Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console me, and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes, while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."
 
“Mary's role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows directly from it. "This union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to his death"; it is made manifest above all at the hour of his Passion:
Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross. There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, joining herself with his sacrifice in her mother's heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim, born of her: to be given, by the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross, as a mother to his disciple, with these words: "Woman, behold your son."        -Catechism of the Catholic Church #964
Communication
 
Communication in today’s world is expected to be brief, quick, “close the deal” communication.  However, we as human beings need deep, heartfelt communication - the kind that causes us to take risks and let our guard down.  This type of communication is difficult.  We have all been wounded and have reasons to censor ourselves.  But God has created us to be in communion with each other, and therefore in communication with each other. 

Devotion of the Five First Saturdays
 
Given by Our Lady of Fatima and the Infant Jesus to Sister Lucia, a devotion to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin
in reparation for the 5 sins against her Heart.
 
The Virgin of Fatima speaks to the three children at Famita Portugal in 1918:
"You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.  If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace... I shall come to ask for... the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays..."
 
The devotion involves the following practices on five consecutive first Saturdays of the month, with the specific intention of making reparation for the five gravest offenses of man against the Blessed Virgin.

1. Go to Confession (within 8 days before or 8 days after the first Saturday)

2. Receive the Holy Eucharist

3. Pray five decades of the Rosary

4."Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on fifteen mysteries of the Rosary."
 
On December 10, 1925, the Most Holy Virgin appeared to Lucy of Fatima, and by her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. The Most Holy Virgin rested her hand on Lucy's shoulder, and as she did so, she showed her a Heart surrounded with thorns, which she was holding in her other hand. At the same time, the Child Jesus said:
 
"Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them."
Then the Most Holy Virgin said:
 
"Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console me, and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes, while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."
 
“Mary's role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows directly from it. "This union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to his death"; it is made manifest above all at the hour of his Passion:
Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross. There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, joining herself with his sacrifice in her mother's heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim, born of her: to be given, by the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross, as a mother to his disciple, with these words: "Woman, behold your son."        -Catechism of the Catholic Church #964

​By Ishmael Adibuah·Vatican Bureau
Follow +
June 18, 2026 at 11:05 AM ET

Pope Leo XIV has emphasized the value of the Eastern Catholic Churches, warning that failing to understand them is harmful to the Church.
In a private audience with members of the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches on June 18, Leo highlighted the great gift of the Eastern Churches in communion with Rome. He also explained that these Churches offer Catholics a rich diversity, often unknown to the wider Church.
“Yes, the Eastern Catholic Churches have a great gift to offer the entire Catholic community, which is often unaware of the diverse ecclesial traditions within its ranks,” the pope said. “The Christian East can only be preserved if it is understood: to lose that understanding is to impoverish the Church.”
Leo also stressed the importance of seminary formation for Eastern Catholics preparing for the clergy. He stated that this can help Catholics appreciate not only their own heritage but also that of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
“The Eastern Catholic communities preserve many of these [spiritual riches], sharing them with their brothers and sisters in the Orthodox Churches,” Leo explained. “It is good for us to delve deeper into these treasures together with millions of our Eastern Catholic brothers and sisters, as we look forward to progress toward full unity with all the Eastern Churches.”
His remarks also included an appeal for peace in war-torn regions, particularly those where Eastern Christians are affected.
“Let us pray to Jesus, the Lord of peace, and appeal to people’s consciences so that they may be moved by indignation; and may respect for humanity and a proper sense of civility be restored!”

Pro-life Atheist to Convert to Catholicism: ‘There is a God-shaped hole in my heart’.

Kristin Turner was an outspoken supporter of abortion who didn’t believe in God. She even used to speak at events on the topic “Why abortion is good for society.”
But now the 21-year-old activist is an ardent pro-life advocate who recently announced her intention to join the Catholic Church.

“There is a God-shaped hole in my heart,” she wrote on Twitter May 29. “I have tried to fill it with everything under the sun. But that’s not possible. I need him as much as he wants me.”
Turner said she came to her decision through “a lot of small things,” but her involvement in pro-life advocacy played a big part.

After suffering abuse by a high school teacher and thinking she had become pregnant by that abuse, she researched abortion further. 
After that, Turner said, she “had to reconsider” her pro-abortion position.

“I realized this act of violence against me is parallel to the act of violence committed against an unborn child who is not seen as fully human, and whose body is not respected, and therefore can be violently violated,” Turner told Prudence Robertson in a recent interview on “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly.”

“And when that happened,” Turner said, “I knew I had to do something.”
However, she said, “as a feminist … and as somebody who’s progressive and still is progressive, I thought there wasn’t a place for me in the pro-life movement.”

She decided to speak up for life anyway, first starting a pro-life group on her college campus, then founding her own nonprofit, Take Feminism Back. According to its LinkedIn profile, the group “exists to assist pregnant and parenting people in need. We also work to promote progressive social change that includes all people from the womb to the tomb.”
Since 2021, Turner has worked as communications director for Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), an organization whose mission “is to achieve socio-political justice for the preborn by mobilizing anti-abortion activists for direct action and opposing elective abortion through a progressive lens,” according to its website.

Members have protested in front of abortion centers and marched in front of the Supreme Court. Turner and PAAU’s founder, Terrisa Bukovinac, were even incarcerated for four days in November 2022 after a “rescue” event at a Virginia women’s center.

The organization also uncovered potential illegal activity by a Washington, D.C., abortionist last year after discovering the bodies of 115 babies outside an abortion clinic.
It was through her pro-life work that Turner felt drawn to the Catholic Church.

“It was really through that work and seeing how fruitful an act of sacrifice could be and how transformational an act of sacrifice could be that drew me into the Church,” she said, “and just seeing the sacrifice of Jesus and what he was willing to do to humanize, to help save our lives.”

Turner also cited the number of Catholics involved in the pro-life movement who talked with her about the Church.
“There’s just many things that have brought me here, but the main one has been seeing how necessary it is to sacrifice for these unborn children,” she told Robertson.Watch the full “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” interview with Turner below.
https://youtu.be/8bl9siOyofY?list=PL9CQlldupc59F7ZFZYqjf__SMFj-rfd-O

Pope Francis met with deacons and their families Saturday at the Vatican and encouraged them to help their parishes to recognize Jesus in the poor.
“Deacons remind the Church that what Saint Thérèse discovered is true: the Church has a heart inflamed by love. Yes, a humble heart beating with service,” the pope said June 19.
“The generosity of a deacon, who gives of himself without seeking the front ranks, has about him the perfume of the Gospel. He tells of the greatness of God's humility in taking the first step … to meet even those who have turned their backs on him,” he said.
The pope welcomed deacons from the diocese of Rome to the Vatican’s Hall of Blessings, where he expressed to each of them the importance of their distinct ministry in the life of the Church.
“The decrease in the number of priests has led to a prevailing engagement of deacons to substitute them in tasks which, however important, do not constitute the specific nature of the diaconate. They are substitute tasks,” he said.
Pope Francis cited the dogmatic constitution, Lumen Gentium, which describes the diaconate a ministry in which “hands are imposed not unto the priesthood, but unto a ministry of service.”
He said: “The Council, after speaking of service to the People of God ‘in the diaconate of the liturgy, of the word and of charity”, emphasises that deacons are above all - above all - “dedicated to duties of charity and of administration (Lumen Gentium, 29).’”
“The phrase recalls the early centuries, when deacons looked after the needs of the faithful, especially the poor and the sick, in the name and on behalf of the bishop. We can also draw on the roots of the Church of Rome.”


The pope encouraged the deacons to follow Christ by embracing his “logic” of lowering oneself.
“We are all called to lower ourselves, because Jesus stooped to us, He made himself the servant of all. If there is one great person in the Church, it is the one who made him- or herself the smallest, and servant of all,” Pope Francis said.
“I expect you to be humble. It is sad to see a bishop and a priest showing off, but it is even sadder to see a deacon wanting to put himself at the centre of the world, or at the centre of the liturgy, or at the centre of the Church. Be humble. Let all the good you do be a secret between you and God. And so it will bear fruit,” he said.
Deacons can also serve the community through their witness as good spouses, fathers, and grandfathers.
“This will give hope and consolation to couples who are going through difficult times and who will find in your genuine simplicity an outstretched hand,” he said.


The pope added: “Doing everything with joy, without complaining; this is a testimony that is worth more than many sermons.”
Deacons can act as “sentinels” for their parish, he said, by helping “to help the Christian community to recognize Jesus in the poor and the distant, as He knocks on our doors through them.”
“Whatever the need, see the Lord. So you, too, recognize the Lord when, in so many of his little brothers and sisters, He asks to be fed, to be welcomed and loved. I would like this to be the profile of the deacons of Rome and of the whole world,” Pope Francis said.

​

The Miracle That’s Getting Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Beatified
by ChurchPOP Editor - July 6, 2019
@jamesrgoodman, Twitter

Praised be to God!

The Vatican announced that the Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will be beatified after the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints approved a miracle attributed to his intercession.
The Congregation approved the miracle on July 6. Official beatification dates have not yet been announced.

The MiracleCatholic News Agency reported that the miracle involves the “unexplained recovery of James Fulton Engstrom, a boy born apparently stillborn in September 2010 to Bonnie and Travis Engstrom of the Peoria-area town of Goodfield.
“He showed no signs of life as medical professionals tried to revive him. The child’s mother and father prayed to Archbishop Sheen to heal their son.”
Seven medical experts advising the Vatican Congregation unanimously approved the miracle. The archbishop needs one more approved miracle attributed to his intercession for his canonization.
Sheen’s cause for canonization was postponed for many years due to a legal battle over his burial place.
The remains were recently transferred to the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois (where Sheen also received his priestly ordination), allowing the cause to continue.
Archbishop Sheen was especially recognized for his work in radio and television.From 1930-1950, Sheen hosted The Catholic Hour on NBC night-time radio, which after 20 years, had a weekly listenership of four million viewers.
His show, “Life is Worth Living,” aired on DuMont Television Network (1952-55) and ABC (1955-57), reaching millions of viewers.
His show also won two Emmy Awards for “Most Outstanding Television Personality.”
His competitors for the 1952 award were Lucille Ball, Edward R. Murrow, Arthur Godfrey and Jimmy Durante.
Listen to one of Ven. Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s showsbelow:
https://youtu.be/tAW2I0pTlsw?list=RDtAW2I0pTlsw


His Mother Rejected an Abortion– Now, This Priest Helped Her Meet the PopeBy Elise Harrishttp://www.ewtnnewsonline.com/images/Pope_Francis_Figueridos.jpg

Rome, Italy (EWTN News/CNA) - It was during the thalidomide sleeping pill craze that Sarah Figueiredo became pregnant with her fourth and last child, Anthony.
Developed after the Second World War and found not only to help with sleeplessness but also to alleviate morning sickness for expectant mothers, thalidomide was widely prescribed by doctors across the world to their pregnant patients as a safe drug to use.


Sarah, who was raising her young family in Nairobi at the time, was one of the expectant mothers prescribed the drug.
It wasn’t until 1961 that thalidomide was discovered to cause severe birth defects in babies born to mothers using it. Many of the children were born with a condition called “phocomelia,” which results in shortened, absent or flipper-like limbs. It was taken off the market in 1962.


When the doctors found out that Sarah’s unborn son would be among the children with this disability, they advised her to have an abortion. However, Sarah and her husband,  both devout Catholics,  refused. Sarah believed her son had “a special mission.”


According to her son – now Msgr. Anthony Figueiredo – what his parents told the doctors was that “if God has allowed us to conceive a child, that child will not be wasted. On the contrary, God will have a mission for that child, which they believe very strongly is that I would be a priest.”


Despite his crippled arm, Msgr.  Figueiredo was ordained in 1994 and has vast experience in missionary work and a hefty academic background in theology. He currently  serves as a spiritual director to hundreds of seminarians studying at Rome’s Pontifical North American College, advises cardinals on their writing and speeches, and works closely with the Pope.


He has also met Mother Theresa and was able to work as a personal assistant to St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI for several years.


The priest largely credits his parents and their faith for encouraging his vocation, telling EWTN News that they “never discouraged me from being a priest.”
“With great sacrifice they sent all of us to Catholic schools and now with old age my mother is the happiest woman in the world, one would say, because she has a son who is a priest.”


Sarah, 84, told EWTN News that she and her husband had prayed that one of their three sons would become a priest, and that she knew this prayer would be answered in Tony, as she calls him, because “I dreamt that one day. I had a dream that one of my sons, the last one,” would be ordained. “I (knew) he had mission.”


While there are “a lot of blessings” in having a son who is a priest, one of the biggest came during a trip Sarah made to Rome to visit her son during the June 1-3 Jubilee for Priests.


Msgr. Figueiredo said he had been walking in the Vatican Gardens one day in April when he got a phone call from the Pope himself.


The Pope said that he knew the priest’s mother would be coming to Rome for the Jubilee of Priests, and wanted to meet her. Since he was busy throughout the three-day event, which concluded with a Mass June 3, Francis told Msgr.  Figueiredo that  “I would really like her to come to my home prior to that Mass.”


It was Pope Francis himself, then, who “completely organized everything,” and welcomed both the priest and his mother into his residence at the Vatican’s St. Martha Guesthouse the morning of June 3.


“It was very, very beautiful. He was just like an ordinary parish priest the way he made my mother welcome,” Msgr. Figueiredo said, recalling how Francis spoke about the number of children in their families and the biblical roots of some of their names.


One particularly touching moment for Msgr. Figueiredo was when the Pope told him that he recognized the priest’s mother from a photo he had given him.


“I gave him the photo three years ago,” Msgr. Figueiredo said,  saying it’s  “quite extraordinary that this Pope, who is probably the most photographed man in the world, remembers each person. It’s as if he has them in his heart.”


Pope Francis also administered the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to Sarah, who has suffered from two strokes in recent years and in 2010 was diagnosed with aggressive, stage 4 breast cancer, but today is cancer-free.


The Pope “took his time, there was no rush, and he was particularly compassionate,” the priest said, noting how when his mother attempted to stand up for the anointing, Francis told her sit down and himself got up.


“I think that’s amazing from a Pope. There’s really no sense of being in authority, he’s really a servant, a servant of the servants of God. We touched that that day in his residence.”


Sarah, who carried the chalice up to the altar during the Mass after their meeting, said to visit the Pope was “a gift from God…I felt very proud that God had chosen me to come to this special occasion.”


After bringing the chalice to the Pope, “he pressed my hand, and he recognized me and he held me tight,” she said, explaining that the experience is something “I will remember all my life and I thank God for that.”


She also thanked her son for helping give her the opportunity to meet the Pope and to receive his blessing. Giving advice to parents who are hoping for a religious vocation among their children, she counselled that “the more you pray the better it is.”


“We need more priests in this world,” she said, noting how she “always prayed” for her son’s vocation. Even at 84, Sarah continues to pray a daily rosary, keeping one under her pillow so that should she wake up during the night, she can pray a decade before going back to sleep.


Msgr. Figueiredo said that to celebrate the Jubilee of Priests alongside his mother “was an enormous sign to me that God is faithful,” especially when someone gives something of their life to him, whether it’s a parent, a child, a type of suffering, or a vocation.


In regards to the “special mission” his mother believed he had, the priest said for him, this mission has entailed showing a special compassion and solidarity with those who suffer.


“I truly believe what St. Paul said: that God’s power is made perfect in weakness,” he said,  voicing his belief that priests “who particularly have a cross can show a certain kind of compassion and mercy to those who are suffering.”


While as a priest “I can preach until the cows come home,” people really start paying attention when they see “that you yourself suffer in your flesh…one immediately connects.”


For Msgr. Figueiredo, this is what Christ did on the Cross: “he suffered on the cross for us, and so when I am going through suffering myself I see that he’s gone there before me and has faith, believing that the Father will bring good even from tragedy.”


“That’s really helped me to stay close to the smell of the sheep, as Pope Francis exhorts us as priests and as every Christian,” he said.​


" The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life. "Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church."
"Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of Saint Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints."
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2177

​ SPECIAL PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Heavenly beauty and splendor of the Father,
You are the most valued Heavenly treasure.
 
New Eve, immaculate in soul, spirit and body,
Created of the godly seed by the Spirit of God,
You are the spiritual Mother of mankind.
 
Pure Virgin, full of grace then and now,
Your whole being was raised Heavenly in full glory,
To be elevated above all the hosts within the Kingdom of God.
 
O Heavenly Mother, Queen of Heaven and earth,
I recognize the glory of your highest title,
The Immaculate Heart of Mary!
 
Loving Mother, dispenser of endless blessings,
You who continuously intercedes on our behalf,
Please present my need before your loving Son Jesus.(In your own words, make your special request here. Do not just mention a word. Speak to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as you would speak to another person, begging your Heavenly Mother to plea to Jesus on your behalf, that you be granted this special request.)
 
O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I know that you are now presenting my need before Jesus,
For you have never turned away those in dire need.
 
Mother dearest, I await your favorable answer,
Submitting myself to the Divine will of the Lord,
For all glories are His forever and ever. 
 
 
[This is a weekly electronic newsletter from Father Robert. This will be sent out weekly. Please recommend this to individuals you think might be interested. Any suggestions or comments are welcomed, or if you wish to no longer receive this please e-mail: [email protected]]
 
“The finding of Jesus in the temple is the only event that breaks the silence of the Gospels about the hidden years of Jesus. Here Jesus lets us catch a glimpse of the mystery of his total consecration to a mission that flows from his divine sonship: "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's work?" Mary and Joseph did not understand these words, but they accepted them in faith. Mary "kept all these things in her heart" during the years Jesus remained hidden in the silence of an ordinary life.
Catechism of the Catholic Church #534


+JMJ+

SUNDAY BIBLICAL MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
12th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Sunday, June 21st, 2026

The First Reading - Jeremiah 20:10-13
Jeremiah said: “I hear the whisperings of many: ‘Terror on every side!  Denounce! let us denounce him!’  All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine.  ‘Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him.’  But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.  In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion. O LORD of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart, let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause.  Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!”
Reflection 
Jeremiah cries out in complaint to the LORD, that the prophetic ministry to which he was called has meant nothing but suffering for him.  The people laugh, mock, reproach, and deride him whenever he speaks (20:7-8), yet if he remains silent he cannot contain the Word of God, which burns within him like fire.  He suffers persecution, like David describes in the psalms (20:10-13), leading him to despair of life, and to curse his birth like Job (20:14-18; cf. Job 3:1-26). The passage ends however, with the prophet praising the Lord, and voicing his faith that God will assist him. 
Adults - Is it easy for you to turn toward the Lord in times of suffering? 
Teens - Do you turn to the Lord in times of persecution? How does your faith bring you comfort? 
Kids - Say a special prayer of thanks to Jesus from coming to save us, and enduring all of the hard things that we may face so that we don’t have to face them alone.   

Responsorial- Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35 
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
For your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother's children,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
Answer me, O LORD, for bounteous is your kindness;
in your great mercy turn toward me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and whatever moves in them!’‘
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Reflection 
Psalm 69 gives voice and articulation to the pain of heart that believers throughout the ages experience as they suffer persecution for following the God of Israel.  Particularly painful is the betrayal by close friends and family members: “I have become an outcast to my brothers,” the psalmist says.  In the modern West, most Christian believers have had close family members reject their childhood faith, and many practicing Catholics are the only ones remaining from their nuclear family who continue to observe the faith.  Psalm 69 gives divinely-authorized voice to this cry of pain, of being rejected or disdained even by one’s own family. Do you know someone whose family doesn’t support their faith? Reach out and extend your friendship! 

The Second Reading- Romans 5:12-15
Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law.  But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come. But the gift is not like the transgression.  For if by the transgression of the one the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many.
Reflection - In this passage, St. Paul is going back to the Old Testament to show how the salvation in Christ was foreshadowed or typified in characters of human and Israelite history.  Here, he focuses on Adam.  Adam fell into sin, and lost the presence of the Holy Spirit which he enjoyed in the state of creation.  This lack or void, which we call original sin, was transmitted to his descendants apart from any action on their part, just by the fact of their birth.  This, St. Paul says, is a kind of inverse image of Christ, the Second Adam.  Christ restores to us salvation and the Holy Spirit in a passive way, merely by the fact of our spiritual rebirth in Baptism.  Baptism is not our action, it is God’s action in our lives, through which God infuses into us once more the Holy Spirit, lost by our first parents.
 -Baptism causes a physical change in our souls, enabling us to live a life full of grace. Pray for the grace to persevere in your struggles and to rejoice in your blessings. 

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 10:26-33
Jesus said to the Twelve: “Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.  What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.  And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.  Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?  Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.  Even all the hairs of your head are counted.  So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.  Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.  But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
Reflection  “Fear no one,” is the message of Jesus to us today.  The truth will come out in the end.  Those who are maligned and falsely accused, but struggle for the truth, will be vindicated. The worst that can happen to any believer in Jesus in this life is to die, and yet even death, for the follower of Christ, has been transformed to the entrance into eternal life.  “All the hairs of your head are counted,” Jesus says, which does not mean that we will never be subject to harm and abuse.  Rather, it means nothing happens to us that is not part of God’s ultimately loving plan for our lives.  How can suffering be part of a loving plan?  There are some truths about God and about love that can only be learned through suffering, and involuntary suffering at that.  Accepted as from God, suffering can expand our heart and enable us to love more, to love like God. 
Adults - Do some research this week on the Catholic teaching of redemptive suffering.  
Teens - Offer your small annoyances this week in prayer for someone who is struggling.  
Kids - How can you share the love of Jesus with someone who is sad?

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK!  - A large majority of today's teenagers, in most so-called Christian countries, have come to despise, or at least to neglect, the religion of their ancestors. In most cases the cause of this is that Christianity was never really put into practice in their own homes. There are cases of very black sheep coming out of very white Christian homes, but these are cases of weak personality—they prefer to follow the mob rather than try to force their way against it. On the whole, the decline of religion among today's youth is due to bad example from their elders.  In today's gospel message, our Lord is asking each one of us to be a fearless apostle. We will be, if we live up to our religion at home and abroad. "Have no fear of men," He tells us, "don't mind what your fellowmen think of you, if you object to obscene language in your work-place. Don't fear what will be thought of you if you say your grace before and after meals in a public restaurant or hotel. Don't take that extra drink just because your companions at the party might ridicule your control ..."  These acts and many others like them, may seem trivial to some but they are giving testimony to the faith that is in us. Those who scoff at such things at first, may begin later to look into their own hearts, and come to realize what it is to be a man of principle. Eventually they may become men of principle themselves.  Let us remember our Lord's promise "Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven."  -Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

In this e-weekly:
- What are you going to do?  (A bit of humor… [the smiling cat])
​- Catholic Trainer Merges Faith and Fitness in Theology of the Body Inspired Program  (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Helpful Hints for Life)

​

 
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,



We recently celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Here are some of its origins and rich blessings:

"And He showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin into which Satan hurls such crowds of them, that made Him form the design of manifesting His Heart to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of sanctification and salvation which it contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procure for Him all the honor and love possible, might themselves be abundantly enriched with those divine treasures of which this Heart is the source.”


These words were spoken by Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque on December 27, 1673, as He appeared to her to make known in a clearer way His immense love of humanity and his desire to save them.  Jesus made known to her and through her to all of humanity His Sacred Heart.  Her own religious superior and fellow nuns were skeptical, but through a cure of a bad illness she had many came to believe.  When her revelations were submitted to theologians for analysis, they were dismissed as delusions.  Jesus sent Blessed Claude de la Colombiere, a holy and experienced Jesuit Priest, as a confessor to the nuns.  Seeing the work of the Lord in St. Margaret Mary he studied, submitted, and distributed the revelations given by Jesus.  As Devotion to the Sacred Heart spread, Pope Clement XIII officially recognized it and approved the Devotion in 1765.
 
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque further wrote:
“He should be honored under the figure of this Heart of flesh, and its image should be exposed...He promised me that wherever this image should be exposed with a view to showing it special honor, He would pour forth His blessings and graces. This devotion was the last effort of His love that He would grant to men in these latter ages, in order to withdraw them from the empire of Satan which He desired to destroy, and thus to introduce them into the sweet liberty of the rule of His love, which He wished to restore in the hearts of all those who should embrace this devotion."..... "The devotion is so pleasing to Him that He can refuse nothing to those who practice it."          


 
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert



P.S.  This coming Sunday is the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time-Time Ordered for Christian Living.  The readings can be found at: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061426.cfm
https://www.usccb.org/events/2026/consecration-sacred-heart-jesus US Bishops Consecrate United States to Sacred Heart


P.S.S. Sunday Readings with reflections and questions can be found at end of e-weekly.

12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Of the many promises Our Lord Jesus Christ did reveal to Saint Margaret Mary in favor of souls devoted to His Sacred Heart the principal ones are as follows:
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.
5. I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.
9. I will bless those places wherein the image of
My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.
10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
11. Persons who propagate this devotion shall
have their names eternally written in my Heart.
12. In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.



“Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony and his Passion, and gave himself up for each one of us: "The Son of God. . . loved me and gave himself for me." He has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, "is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that. . . love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings" without exception.”                                 Catechism of the Catholic Church #478
​

Hypuro Fit roots its programing in St. John Paul II’s theology of the body and encourages its members to trade the mentality of needing to achieve the perfect "beach body" for the eternal goal of living as a gift for others through self-discipline, self-mastery, and honoring the body God gave them. Credit: Hypruo Fit
“What we like to say with both approaches [we offer] is that we’re authentically Catholic but we’re technically excellent, meaning that we are going to base all of our exercise routines, our nutrition protocols, based on the latest science and studies we have at our disposal,” Crouse explained. “But at the same time, we’re also authentically Catholic, meaning that for our one-on-one clients, we’re going to pray with them and for them. But then even for our subscribers in our app, we’re bringing them back to our why, which is this idea of self-mastery for self-gift.”
Crouse said the majority of the apostolate’s clients are between the ages of 30 and 60, so “they’re people in their vocation and they’re really busy.” 
Additionally, about one-third of clients are priests and religious, who receive access to the programming for free. Due to this, Hypuro Fit is aiming to show them that you don’t have to work out like you did in high school, you don’t even have to work out every day, you just need to show up and do something that is reasonable for your lifestyle.
“Ultimately we’re doing this to better give of ourselves and find that why and put everything in light of Christ and his resurrection,” he said.
Crouse added that the main goal of the ministry’s work is to help individuals “be more present and to live out their vocation to the best of their ability.”
“If we can help priests to be better priests, have more energy, give better, religious to be better brothers and sisters, husbands and wives to conquer themselves in order to give themselves to be more present — that’s the goal, that’s the dream.”
VISIT THEM AT:  (Highly recommended!)
www.HypuroFit.org

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Discover the difference a Hypuro Fit Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach can make in your life.
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Guided by our Blessed Mother, the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles live a life of prayer, song and work in Gower, Missouri. Making vestments is part and parcel of daily life at the abbey. (photo: Courtesy of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles)
Lindsey Weishar FeaturesJune 17

With the discovery of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster’s well-preserved body at the Abbey of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles in Gower, Missouri, the order perhaps best known for its beautiful albums of sacred chant has once again come into the public eye. 
As thousands of pilgrims have flocked to their home in the weeks following the revelation of the exhumation of Sister Wilhelmina, the Benedictine nuns released a statement on their website, part of which read, “Many have voiced concern about the disruption to our life, but we have, thankfully, remained unaffected and able to continue on in our life of ora et labora, prayer and work, as Sister Wilhelmina would have it. Unless we looked out the front windows, or out at the crowds attending our Mass and Divine Offices, we would not even know people are here.”
Part of the order’s ability to maintain peace and contemplation amid such exterior changes is certainly due to their devotion to Christ and their rule of life. Their website describes their special devotion to Mary under the title of Queen of the Apostles and their dedication to praying for priests: “Totally consecrated to the Queen of Apostles, we take Our Lady’s hidden life at Ephesus as an inspiration for our own. We seek to be what she was for the early Church: a loving and prayerful support to the apostles, the first priests, and daily offer prayer and sacrifice for the sake of her spiritual sons.” 
 


‘A Hidden Source of Spiritual Strength Through Prayer’
The Register spoke with Mother Abbess Cecilia Snell, who shared about Sister Wilhelmina’s special love for priests and how it informed the charism of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles.
“Mother Teresa of Calcutta asked Sister Wilhelmina to be among her ‘Veronicas,’ a group of special intercessors for priests, after visiting Sister Wilhelmina's motherhouse in the early 1990s,” Mother Abbess Cecilia recalled. “Sister Wilhelmina wedded her love of tradition with her love of the priesthood in 1995, setting out for Elmhurst, Pennsylvania, where the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter had just established its American headquarters. She faithfully helped at the seminary until its move to Nebraska, and as the community [of Benedictine sisters at Gower] settled into a more monastic way of life, she passed on this great love for priests. She drew inspiration from a stained-glass window of Pentecost at the chapel in Elmhurst, around which were the words Perseverantes Unaminite in Oratione (‘Persevering in One Heart in Prayer’), writing that she saw in this the ideal of her new community, praying and sacrificing for priests.” 
“When we were to be elevated as an abbey, a motto had to be chosen,” Mother Abbess Cecilia continued. “Sister Wilhelmina was ill on the day we were discussing what it would be. We had no idea that we were choosing the self-same phrase that she had chosen 23 years earlier, and only found out about her choice of a motto in her writings after her death. So it was literally the movement of the Holy Spirit. She wanted us to be what Our Lady was for the apostles, a hidden source of spiritual strength through prayer.”
 
Benedictine LifeThe beauty of the nun’s life is its simplicity. In speaking of their charism on their website, the Benedictines note, “We cannot preach the Gospel to the nations nor bring the Lord to our tabernacles, but we can be ‘Love in the heart of the Church’ with firm adherence to her teaching, loyalty to the Holy Father, and deep-seated love of the traditional liturgy.”
Like St. Thérèse, who in her autobiography said, “In the heart of the Church, I will be love,” the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles are missionaries without ever leaving their convent. Their vows of obedience, stability (staying in the same monastery throughout their lives), and conversion of life (which includes poverty and chastity, but also “conversatio, literally a continual turning to the Lord”) are the soil in which their key identity as daughters and brides of Christ flourishes.
Mother Abbess Cecilia described the daily life of the order in this way:
“In the Benedictine life, we speak of ‘three eights’: eight hours of prayer, eight hours of work, eight hours of sleep. It does not break up quite so tidily, but that is the ideal. We have eight ‘hours,’ that is, eight times in which the Divine Office (or Liturgy of the Hours) is chanted, a sung high Mass every day, and two periods of lectio divina (spiritual reading and mental prayer). We work in silence for the remainder of the day on vestments [for priests] and upkeep of the farm, house and garden, as well as correspondence. … We have one hour of recreation, which is when we are allowed to speak, usually while we are keeping our hands busy. We are always ready to go to bed at the end of the day, but take turns in the night in the church in prayer for priests.” ​

‘Ora et Labora’
(Photo: Courtesy of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles)

Praying for Priests, Making Vestments and Sacred SingingAs Mother Abbess Cecilia emphasized, “The prayer for priests is what animates our day.” This prayer is intertwined through both the ora part of their lives — like keeping nightly vigil for priests — and the labora: 
“We continue a tradition Sister Wilhelmina faithfully practiced, that of placing an ordination card at the foot of the crucifix in our community room each day, asking Our Lady to take our prayers especially for that priest. We seem to feel the effects of this and instinctively know who needs prayers. For example, we will sometimes have days where it seems everything is going wrong. Sisters check the crucifix, and, sure enough, there will be a bishop’s card that day, and we will see it as a sign that extra prayers and sacrifices are needed. We also devote much of our work to the making of vestments, a very privileged work.”
The nuns’ devotion to prayer also finds expression in their beautiful sung chant. An auditory sign of their solidarity as a community, their singing accompanies the Latin high Masses that take place daily in their chapel. This is a gift they’ve shared with the world through the recording of albums, topping the Billboard charts. 
Mother Abbess Cecilia shared that the albums are the fruit of the abbey’s daily life: “Since we give so many hours to chanting each day, singing as a group comes naturally to us. Someone suggested that we record back in 2008, in order to share our life of prayer with the world without any intrusion. We recorded our first that year and have made a total of 14 since then! We are actually hoping to record another album before Christmas.”
 


Sister Wilhelmina’s Joyful WitnessIt is clear that Sister Wilhelmina’s spirit continues to strongly guide this community, as the order continues to grow and draw young women. Mother Abbess Cecilia noted: 
“Sister Wilhelmina really saw us as a specifically Marian community and an ecclesial one. She always encouraged us to be very faithful to the daily recitation of the Rosary, to renew our Marian consecration each month, and to pray for the Church, especially its leaders.”
She also remembered her own personal connection to their foundress:
“I myself was so deeply stuck by Sister Wilhelmina when I met her 20 years ago. She was assisting at the first vows of a sister and Investiture of Novices at the cathedral in Scranton. Everything bespoke a deep peace and holiness about her, that she was so joyful to serve the Lord after so many years. That was definitely a draw for me in my own vocation, along with her unshakeable conviction to preserve and pass on the faith she loved so dearly. She was in love with Our Lord, and never fell out of love, teaching us all to be faithful spouses.” 
This love finds expression in Sister Wilhelmina’s order in its orientation toward Mary, who always points to her Son:
“Sister Wilhelmina saw Our Lady’s mission as Queen of Apostles, beginning at the foot of the cross, when Our Lord said, ‘Behold thy son,’ to his mother, Mary,” Mother Abbess Cecilia explained. “She really felt we all needed to enter into that motherhood and extend the prayer of Our Lady throughout the Church. The crowning glory was really at Pentecost, when her prayer sent forth the apostles into the whole world. Sister Wilhelmina was constantly praying for a new Pentecost and the renewal of the priesthood.” 
 


Peace Through It AllSuch holy fervor translates itself into the nuns’ way of life. The past couple of years have been peppered with the unexpected. From 2019-2021, there were some drive-by shootings at the abbey in Gower, including one in which a bullet went through Mother Abbess Cecilia’s bedroom window. These shootings prompted the building of the abbey walls in 2021. Of this incident, Mother Abbess Cecilia said, “I have to say, I rolled over and went back to sleep after I heard the bullet enter my room. When you have the Benedictine lifestyle ordering your life, your soul becomes ordered inside. That is why Pax is a phrase heading Benedictine correspondence and even our entryway: PAX INTRANTIBUS, ‘Peace to all entering.’” 
With the discovery of Sister Wilhelmina’s well-preserved body and the unexpected attention this has drawn — pilgrims may now pray before her body encased under glass in the abbey’s church — the sisters continue to be ordered by their way of life. 
As Mother Abbess Cecilia put it, “Gunshots or incorruptibles, we take everything in stride as part of God’s will for us in our journey toward heaven.” 


READ
God’s Will: The Life and Works of Sister Mary Wilhelmina; available at EWTNRC.com or (800) 854-6316.

 'Fastest Nun in the West' on path for sainthoodBy RUSSELL CONTRERAS
This undated photo provided by the Palace of the Governors shows Sister Blandina Segale, who co-founded the first hospitals and schools in New Mexico and reportedly challenged Billy the Kid. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe is exploring sainthood for the Italian-born nun for her work with the poor, immigrants and Hispanics and Native Americans during the frontier days. (AP Photo/Palace of the Governors)

      ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Archdiocese of Santa Fe announced Wednesday it is exploring sainthood for an Italian-born nun who challenged Billy the Kid, calmed angry mobs and helped open New Mexico territory hospitals and schools. Archbishop Michael Sheehan said he has received permission from the Vatican to open the "Sainthood Cause" for Sister Blandina Segale, an educator and social worker who worked in Ohio, Colorado and New Mexico.
 
It's the first time in New Mexico's 400-year history with the Roman Catholic Church that a decree opening the cause of beatification and canonization has been declared, church officials said.
 
"There are other holy people who have worked here," said Allen Sanchez, president and CEO for CHI St. Joseph's Children in Albuquerque, a social service agency Segale founded. "But this would be a saint (who) started institutions in New Mexico that are still in operation."
 
Segale, a nun with the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, came to Trinidad, Colorado, in 1877 to teach poor children and was later transferred to Santa Fe, where she co-founded public and Catholic schools. During her time in New Mexico, she worked with the poor, the sick and immigrants. She also advocated on behalf of Hispanics and Native Americans who were losing their land to swindlers.
 
Her encounters with Old West outlaws later became the stuff of legend and were the subject of an episode of the CBS series "Death Valley Days." The episode, called "The Fastest Nun in the West," focused on her efforts to save a man from a lynch mob.
 
But her encounters with Billy the Kid remain among her most popular and well-known Western frontier adventures.
 
According to one story, she received a tip that The Kid was coming to her town to scalp the four doctors who had refused to treat his friend's gunshot wound. Segale nursed the friend to health, and when Billy came to Trinidad, Colorado, to thank her, she asked him to abandon his violent plan. He agreed.
 
Another story says The Kid and his gang attempted to rob a covered wagon traveling on the frontier. But when the famous outlaw looked inside, he saw Segale.
 
"He just tipped his hat," said Sheehan, the archbishop. "And left."
 
Many of the tales she wrote in letters to her sister later became the book, "At the End of the Santa Fe Trail."
 
"She was just amazing," said Victoria Marie Forde of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. "It's tough to live up to her example."
 
Segale found St. Joseph's Hospital in Albuquerque before returning to Cincinnati in 1897 to start Santa Maria Institute, which served recent immigrants.
 
Her work resonates today, with poverty, immigration and child care still high-profile issues, Sanchez said.
 
Officials say it could take years — possibly a century — before Segale becomes a saint. The Vatican has to investigate her work and monitor for any related "miracles."
 
Those miracles could come in the form of healings, assistance to recent Central American immigrant children detained at the U.S. border or some other unexplained occurrences after devotees pray to her, Sanchez said.
 
"She's going to have to keep working," Sanchez said. "She's not done." Pope Francis: To have a dialogue with God we need to make ourselves like a small child

                    
Pope Francis celebrating Mass at Santa Marta residence

27/06
 
(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis said God is like a gentle father who holds us by the hand and we need to become like a small child to have a dialogue with Him.  This was the focus of his homily during the Mass he celebrated on Friday in the Santa Marta residence.
 
June 27th is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Pope’s  homily was a reflection on the nature of the love between God and his people.  He described this feast as a celebration of God’s love in Jesus Christ. 
 
“There are two aspects to this love.  First, love is more about giving than receiving.  Second, love is more about actions than words.  When we say it’s more about giving than receiving, that’s because love communicates, it always communicates.  And it’s received by the one who is loved.  And when we say that it’s more about actions than words, that’s because love always generates life and makes us grow.”
 
Pope Francis said that in order to understand  God’s love we need to become small like a child and what God seeks from us is a relationship  like that between a father and child. God gives us a caress and tells us: I’m by your side.
 
“This is the tenderness of our Lord and of His love; this is what He tells us and this gives us the strength to be tender.  But if we feel we’re strong, we’ll never experience those caresses from the Lord, those caresses from Him that are so wonderful.   ‘Don’t be afraid, for I am with you and I’ll hold your hand’… These are all words spoken  by the Lord that help us to understand that mysterious love He has for us.  And when Jesus speaks about Himself, he says: ‘ I am meek and humble of heart.’ Even He, the Son of God, lowers himself to receive his Father’s love.”
 
Pope Francis concluded by homily by noting that God is always there in front of us, waiting for us and urges God to give us the grace to enter into the mysterious world of his love.
 
“When we arrive, He’s there.  When we look for Him, He has already been looking for us.   He is always in front of us, waiting to receive us in His heart, in His love.  And these two things can help us to understand the mystery of God’s love for us.  In order to communicate  this, He needs us to be like small children, to lower ourselves.  And at the same time, He needs our astonishment when we look for Him and find Him there, waiting for us." 



" The priests, prudent cooperators of the episcopal college and its support and instrument, called to the service of the People of God, constitute, together with their bishop, a unique sacerdotal college (presbyterium) dedicated, it is, true to a variety of distinct duties. In each local assembly of the faithful they represent, in a certain sense, the bishop, with whom they are associated in all trust and generosity; in part they take upon themselves his duties and solicitude and in their daily toils discharge them." priests can exercise their ministry only in dependence on the bishop and in communion with him. The promise of obedience they make to the bishop at the moment of ordination and the kiss of peace from him at the end of the ordination liturgy mean that the bishop considers them his co-workers, his sons, his brothers and his friends, and that they in return owe him love and obedience.”Catechism of the Catholic Church #1576

A bit of humor…

What are you going to do?


I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.  
I like work. It fascinates me. I sit and look at it for hours.
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
The sole purpose of a child's middle name, is so he can tell when he's really in trouble.

There was a very gracious lady who was mailing an old family Bible to her brother in another part of the country.  "Is there anything breakable in here?" asked the postal clerk.  "Only the Ten Commandments." answered the lady.
==================================================================
"Somebody has said there are only two kinds of people in the world.
There are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, it's morning."
==================================================================
A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter.  Then he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have circled the block 10 times.  If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment.  Forgive us our trespasses." When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note "I've circled this block for 10 years.  If I don't give you a ticket I'll lose my job.  Lead us not into temptation."
==================================================================
While driving in Pennsylvania , a family caught up to an Amish carriage.  The owner of the carriage obviously had a sense of humor, because attached to the back of the carriage was a hand printed sign...
"Energy efficient vehicle: Runs on oats and grass.  Caution: Do not step in exhaust."
 ​

“Only validly ordained priests can preside at the Eucharist and consecrate the bread and the wine so that they become the Body and Blood of the Lord.”Catechism of the Catholic Church #1411
 
 
+JMJ+

SUNDAY BIBLICAL MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion

11th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Sunday, June 14th, 2026

The First Reading - Exodus 19:2-6a

In those days, the Israelites came to the desert of Sinai and pitched camp. While Israel was encamped here in front of the mountain, Moses went up the mountain to God. Then the LORD called to him and said, “Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob; tell the Israelites: You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself. Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.”
Reflection 
The words God speaks to Israel in today’s First Reading are intended for us as well. The Church is the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to Israel—a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (see Deuteronomy 26:19; Isaiah 62:12). In the Church, we have been gathered as the new “Israel of God” (see Galatians 6:16), under a New Covenant in Jesus Christ. This  covenant, like the covenant of old, requires things of us, but the gift we get in return – eternal life – is the most precious of gifts we could ever receive. 
Adults – Are there teachings of the Church you struggle with? Begin this week, to work toward understanding.
Teens - Do you ever think of the Church as a bunch of rules? The moral law is more of an instruction manual – it tells us how the world was designed to work, and how it will work when all is perfected.
Kids – Ask a grownup up help you choose one virtue to learn about and work on this week. 
Responsorial- Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5 
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
   serve the LORD with gladness;
   come before him with joyful song.
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Know that the LORD is God;
   he made us, his we are;
   his people, the flock he tends.
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
The LORD is good:
   his kindness endures forever,
   and his faithfulness to all generations.
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Reflection 
Today’s Psalm is the praise of the people of God, to the One who has made them His own. He cares for us as a shepherd cares for his sheep, tending us with kindness and mercy. As sheep do not always understand the ways of the shepherd, we do not always understand His ways (Isaiah 55:8), but we can trust that they are good. If you are struggling this week, try praying specifically for understanding, or for peace. 

The Second Reading- Romans 5:6-11
Brothers and sisters: Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the  appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath. Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life. Not only that, but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Reflection - Together we have been saved and reconciled to God, as we hear in today’s Epistle. The wrath that Saint Paul refers to is His judgement against sin. Sin came into the world through Adam and Eve, and all humans are born with a stain of original sin on their soul – not because of something they did but because of the nature they inherit. Through Baptism that stain is truly and really washed clean, and we are united to God by grace – His actual Divine Life in our souls. God is a gentleman, however, and will not stay if He is not wanted. This is why, like any relationship, it is our behavior that keeps (not earns) us in relationship with God. 
 -Have you pondered the reality of the life of God living in your soul? If not, do so this week!

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 9:36—10:8
At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease 
and every illness. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon from Cana, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
Reflection  Moses was Israel’s first shepherd (see Exodus 3:1). With the Promised Land in view, he prayed that God would raise up a successor so that God’s people would not be left as sheep without a shepherd (see Numbers 27:17). These same words are used in today’s Gospel to describe Jesus’ pity for the crowds, who are “troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” Israel’s shepherds—the Pharisees and scribes—had abandoned and misled the people through their hypocrisy and spiritual blindness (see Matthew 23:1–36; Jeremiah 50:6). But God had long before promised that He Himself would come and save His sheep—searching over the whole earth where they had been scattered “for lack of a shepherd” (see Ezekiel 34:1–24). Jesus is the new Moses and new David promised by the prophets, a divine shepherd-king sent to restore God’s priestly kingdom (see John 10:11).
As Moses commissioned Joshua as his successor, so we see Jesus today giving the Twelve His powers and authority (see Matthew 9:35; 10:1). In God’s plan, they are to seek out the lost sheep of Israel first and then bring all nations into the fold (see Acts 13:46; Romans 1:16). 
Adults – Try to pray in person with someone who needs prayer this week. If it is uncomfortable at first, keep it simple!  
Teens – Where do you need guidance this week? Ask boldly!
Kids – Try to take five minutes to speak to Jesus each day this week about your day. 

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK!  - (Christ) still has compassion for today's sinners and wants them to be saved, not lost. But for this he needs "harvesters," apostles, who will help him. Here is where all good Christians, all who really love God and their neighbor, must help. He is not asking us to give up our present occupation, or to leave home and family to become priests or missionaries. The work we can do and which he is asking us to do is on our very doorsteps. In some cases it is inside—in our own homes.
The first movement towards this apostolate to our fellow men is to show the good example of a truly Christian life. In the home and in our place of employment, example may go unnoticed or sometimes even be ridiculed by the very ones who need it, but with the grace of God, which always accompanies it, it will eventually produce good fruit. There are thousands of men and women in heaven today who owe their salvation, under God, to the good example of a sincere Christian neighbor. After good example, comes good advice. A suggestion, a hint, an encouragement, kindly and charitably offered, may often turn a neighbor from evil ways. This good advice must always be humbly and charitably given. Nobody, a sinner least of all, wants to be lectured or "preached at." St. Francis de Sales, the gentlest of apostles, said that one will catch more flies with a spoonful of honey than with a barrel of vinegar. There are pious Christians who abhor sin so much that they abhor and repel the sinner, as well. In this, they are more pharisaical than Christlike. He abhorred sin, but he still loved the sinner and wanted him saved.  The harvest is plentiful; indeed it is huge. But let not its huge size frighten us. If everyone reaps his own corner, we shall all meet in the center of the harvest-field some day.  —Excerpted from The Sunday Readings, Year A by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
​

In this e-weekly:
-  Link to Worldwide Eucharistic Miracles (Catholic Website of the week-by the laptop computer)
​- St. Louis Seminarian Stronghold: Bonds of Brotherhood Bear Vocational Fruit and More (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- Read the totality of John 6 ("eat my flesh and drink my blood...") of the Holy Bible (Praying Hands)

 Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

      Every person whether they would admit it or not, or recognize it or not, has as their deepest need and desire to be truly loved.  This is not as the world loves, but as God is Love.
 
       The Son, Jesus, left His Father in heaven so that He could come to earth to die for your sins and mine.  And then He left His Mother on earth so that He could give us Himself fully Present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, HIS BODY, HIS BLOOD, HIS SOUL, AND HIS DIVINITY, His whole self in the Holy Eucharist.
 
        And the love at the Holy Mass should not only be coming from one place, namely Jesus.  He, Who is only Love and Mercy, must be able to dwell in us fully as He does in the tabernacle.  He must do this so that you and I are not rushing from the Holy Mass cutting each other off in the parking lot, but that you and I are most desiring to lay down our lives for one another in our families (to our kids and parents, brothers and sisters), in our friendships (those old and those new friends), in our work place (the one we don’t like) and in our schools (to all our classmates).


         Love starts in God’s House with you and me.  So let it begin in our immediate families and our parish families.  Talk to and invite over that family you do not know well in the parish, especially if they sit by you at every Mass.  Visit the sick and home-bound of the parish.  Ask how you can help some family in the parish that is in need or suffering in any way.


   Go now to MARY, Mother of the Eucharist, MARY, who gave us Jesus in the BODY, go to Mary and THANK (Eucharist means “thanksgiving”) God for the gift of the Holy Eucharist and starting living that gift of selfless love in the here and now!!!


Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert


P.S.  This coming Sunday is the Corpus Christi-Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The readings can be found at: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062225.cfm
​

Holy Eucharist (from Old English halig  “whole” + from Latin eucharistia  from the Greek eucharístia  “gratefulness, thanksgiving”= “whole thanksgiving”)
 
-the ritual, sacramental action of thanksgiving to God which constitutes the principal Christian liturgical celebration of and communion in the paschal mystery of Christ [His Passion, Death, and Resurrection].
[The liturgical action called the Eucharist is also traditionally known as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  It is the heart of the seven sacraments of the Church; the Holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. The Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life.]


The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life. "Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church."


"Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christi, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, the feast of Saint Joseph, the feast of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints." Catechism of the Catholic Church #2177

Eucharistic Miracles


http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/a3.html
 
Having trouble believing that Jesus is fully Present: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist?  You are not alone.  When someone has doubted, often a Priest, God has often sent a miracle where the Consecrated Host turns into human Flesh or Blood.  Check out this site for more!

Left to right: Quinton Durer, Joseph Inserra, Jack Nowak and Thomas Hashbarger meet with Archbishop Rozanski after Mass in high school. (photo: Courtesy of subjects / Courtesy of subjects)

Jack Figge Features
May 26

In sixth grade, Jack Nowak was volunteering at a summer camp at St. Clare of Assisi grade school in Ellisville, Missouri. He was paired to work with Quinton Durer, a freshman in high school. They quickly moved past small talk, and Jack asked Quinton what he wanted to be when he grew up. 
Quinton said that he had no idea. 
Jack blurted, “I want to be a priest!”
Fast-forward seven years, and both are seminarians at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis. 
But they are not alone. Four other men from St. Clare of Assisi parish are also in seminary, each with their own discernment story.
But their collective story has a common theme: They relied on one another throughout high school as they prayed about their individual vocations. 
Nowak, the youngest seminarian, will be a college sophomore in the fall. Joseph Inserra, Thomas Hashbarger and Joseph Corrigan will all begin their junior year. Ben Borgemyer just concluded his propaedeutic year after graduating from the University of Missouri in 2023. And Durer will begin the next phase of his formation as he enters “Theology I” in the fall. 
“It was huge to have older brothers that entered seminary before me,” Nowak said. “We could talk about it pretty openly. It was just amazing to be able to go up and ask all the questions that I had, especially my senior year, when everyone else was in seminary.” 
In high school, they each began regularly attending the parish youth group. Even though they were friends in grade school, the youth group made them brothers.  

​“Not only did the youth group have a strong Catholic foundation, but we were all always together,” Hashbarger said. “We would always hang out outside of the youth group, such as every Saturday, when we would have fun and talk about our faith and what’s going on within us. Having these friends made it a lot easier for me to process and talk about discernment.”  
Soon, the young men began opening up about their own struggles with discernment, a struggle they soon discovered that many young men encounter. 
“Discernment in high school is often stigmatized, with misconceptions such as being too young to make serious decisions like attending seminary or fearing the celibate priesthood,” Corrigan said. “There is this notion that you're missing out on so much if you don’t go to college.”
The guys would share these fears with each other. But they also frequently turned to the parish’s then associate pastor, Father Andrew Auer, to express their worries and concerns about discernment. Father Auer, who now serves as associate pastor at St. Thomas More Newman Center parish at the University of Missouri at Columbia, shared that these fears are commonplace among young people discerning a call.  
“Young people struggle to talk about discernment because of fear,” Father Auer told the Register, “fear of others thinking it’s weird; fear of being the ‘Jesus freak.’”
But with prayer, Father Auer told the young men, God will help them sort through the anxiety and help them listen for his voice. 
“So often I have to tell the guys, ‘Hey, you’re 17. If God wants you to be a priest, he’ll make it happen. Let’s just take the next step and keep praying.’ If I’m praying, the Lord takes care of the rest: He convicts; he helps fight sin; he opens doors; he puts away fear. Anxiety and fear will suffocate vocations,” Father Auer said.
When they entered seminary, the men found a new appreciation for the community they had in high school, as they heard stories of other seminarians struggling to find groups that were open to talking about discernment.  
“You hear a lot of stories about the guy who, in high school, has to work up a lot of courage to tell people that he’s discerning the priesthood because he feels very alone in this process,” Inserra said. “That was most certainly not the case with us. It was really helpful to be able to know that there are other people that are going through the same thing and have a lot of the same questions, fears and hesitancies.”
What sparked these conversations, however, was the culture of the youth group. Under the guidance of Father Auer and the then youth minister, Alyssa Norberg, a vibrant community was formed centered around fun, formation and prayer.  
“Young people love to be challenged,” Norberg, who serves as a communications specialist at Kenrick-Glennon, told the Register. “It really took a culture of praying for vocations at the parish. But we were also intentional in creating an actual space for young men and women to ask the question about vocation. But, really, we just placed a high call before the students to be saints, and they responded.” 
To form the students as future saints, the ministry focused on two things: creating a culture of love and teaching the teenagers how to pray. 
“The most important thing in the youth group was to give them the language and tools for prayer as well as authentic experiences of love,” Father Auer said. “The core team, youth minister, and I all loved them. We accepted the teens in all of their goofiness and didn’t run from it. But once you get them into a routine of prayer, I’m really not worried. If the Lord is calling, they’re prepared to listen and obey.” 
Even with this intentional framework, both Norberg and Father Auer know that God’s hand was at work in bringing so many young men who were discerning their futures to St. Clare. 

​“There’s something just supernatural about that time that we all had together at St. Clare; the parish was truly anointed during those years,” Norberg said. “Part of that, just like the Lord’s preference, and bringing people together for that time, and those are things that are all out of the youth ministers’ control; it’s all out of, yeah, the men, even their own discerning hearts.”
Soon after the young men joined the youth group, it became more than simply a group of young Catholics who would meet twice a week; it became their friend group. They would frequently hang out on Friday and Saturday nights with each other; and after youth group, they would hang out together, too. 

But they did not keep this joyous community to themselves; they began inviting younger students to join them.  
“The youth group started out as my friend group. I was going to these events to have fun,” Hasbarger said. “But then, as we transitioned from sophomore to junior year, I asked Quinton for advice on how to be a good upperclassman, and he said that the youth group is not about me anymore; it’s about giving yourself to others. So we all had to learn how to serve the underclassmen and actually go outside of ourselves and form a community.”
The youth group gave the now seminarians more experience than just how to be a leader and help form dynamic communities. It taught them how to live amongst one another, and it also exposed the guys to another reality: women.  
“In high school, I had a girlfriend that I met at a youth group,” explained Inserra. “Dating somebody helped me to come to know others as well as myself on a deeper level, so that when I finally started to recognize that call to seminary, I had the capacity to discern and understand what was going on in my heart.” 
Even as the guys navigated relationships and friendships, the biweekly Wednesday and Sunday youth group gatherings served as a constant foundation for their faith life, a foundation that helped support the deep community they formed. 
“The steady, simple stuff at St. Clare, like the ‘Sunday Life Nights’ and ‘Wednesday Gatherings,’ served as a foundation for my faith life,” said Durer. “It just kept my faith life going.”  
This brotherhood the men formed not only inspired the younger students but even some of the older volunteers. In the summer going into his senior year at Mizzou, Borgmeyer decided to serve on the youth group core team, a group of adults that assists the youth minister in leading the community. During that summer, seeing the younger guys discern their own call to seminary more seriously left an impression on the then college student.  
“It was just nice to be around guys who were discerning and wanting to pursue a relationship with the Lord in a deeper way and possibly give their lives over to him and through the priesthood,” Borgmeyer said. “Being at St. Clare made discernment more normal for me and allowed me to start considering my own vocation more seriously.”  
For Norberg and Father Auer, watching the six seminarians grow in their friendship and faith left a deep impression, reminding both of them that friendship is critical to the spiritual journey. 
“The St. Clare men are great evidence that we need holy friendships in our walk with the Lord,” Father Auer said. “I would see how they encouraged each other. They went to pray because they knew the other guys were doing it. They weren’t alone in their journey, so discernment never became this very fearful or wild thought.”
L to R: Jack Figge, Joseph Corrigan, Jack Nowak, Joseph Inserra and Thomas Hashbarger serve Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception after the 2022 March for Life.(Photo: Courtesy of Jack Figge)

Now that these six men are in seminary, they continue to be grateful for the brotherhood and friendship they formed in high school, a brotherhood that continues to bear fruit as they all pursue Christ and discern where he is calling each of them. 
“Having these men here in seminary is like bringing a little piece of home with me,” Inserra said. “Especially coming into seminary, where it is a different and challenging environment, with a lot of pressures and struggles, these guys are the people who I can feel at home with and who help me remember past times. But in the present moment, they provide me a space with a lot of support and familiarity and a community that I know I will not be judged in.” 

BOOKS |  JUN. 27
The Dead Sea Scrolls Cast Light on Baptism, the Eucharist, the Priesthood and More
BOOK PICK: Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity
Thomas L. McDonald
Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity
By John Bergsma
Image, 2019
272 pages, $25
To order: amazon.com
 
The mystique of the Dead Sea Scrolls — from their discovery in the Judean desert in the 1940s to the long delay in publishing — has led to outlandish theories that can obscure the genuine reasons for their fascination. They provide the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Old Testament, proving the continuity and stability of the texts, as well as containing some manuscripts created during the lifetime of Jesus. They also illustrate the beliefs and practices of a community of Jews that developed shortly before the birth of Christ, casting new light on Judaism and the early Church. Most intriguingly, particularly for author and Scripture scholar John Bergsma, are the parallels between the Qumran community of Essenes and the ministries of John the Baptist, Jesus and the Church, and the tantalizing suggestions of contact among them.
Bergsma, a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, lays out all of these issues carefully and cautiously in Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity. He doesn’t make any outrageous or extraordinary claims, nor engage in the flights of fancy that characterize a certain kind of writing on the Scrolls. Instead, he explores the evidence by focusing on five areas where the world of the Essenes can cast light on the roots of Christianity: baptism, the Eucharist, marriage and celibacy, the priesthood, and the Church.
Who exactly were the Essenes? Josephus counts them among the Pharisees and Sadducees as one of the sects of Judaism, known for their more rigorous lifestyles and interpretation of the Law. Like the Pharisees, they believed in the resurrection of the dead, heaven, hell, angels, demons and other aspects of first-century Judaism that would become part of the Jesus movement. To the Essenes, however, the Pharisees were slackers. They objected to the way the Temple was run, practiced demanding ascetics, engaged in more frequent ritual washings, and lived in communities with common goods.
The movement had two levels of followers: those who married and lived according to the Law in various places, and those who remained celibate and followed a proto-monastic lifestyle of work, prayer, study and copying of Scriptures. In a small settlement at Qumran on the Dead Sea, a group of Essenes awaited the coming of two messiahs — one priestly, one kingly — while they collected and produced a diverse library of documents, including copies of Hebrew scripture (both canonical and non-canonical), community rules, prophecy, apocalyptic writings, law, prayers and interpretations. This library, discovered over a span of 10 years, is what comprises the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The value to Christians of these discoveries should be obvious, since they add greatly to our understanding of religion in the period immediately before and after the Incarnation. They show that certain beliefs about the messiah, celibacy, ritual washing, communal memorial meals, and the kingdom of God were not as alien to first-century Judaism as some have suggested.
Bergsma begins with John the Baptist, who seems as though he could spring out of some of the texts found among the scrolls. Writers less cautious than Bergsma have suggested that, in fact, he is directly referenced in the Scrolls. Like the Essenes, his ministry was prophetic, ascetic and celibate, which made it distinct in the milieu of first-century Judaism. John’s ministry in the Judean wilderness was a half-day’s walk from Qumran, and his use of ritual washing done with repentance and humility echoes particular practices of the community. John’s language of repentance finds parallels in scrolls such as the Damascus Documents, where the Essenes are called the “repentant ones of Israel.”
John identifies himself with Isaiah as a “voice crying out in the wilderness,” which is similarly cited in the Community Rule of Qumran. The passage, in fact, drew both John and the Essenes to choose the wild areas as the locus of their work. Both were preparing for the coming of messiahs. Part of joining the Qumran community was a pledge not to take food prepared outside of the community, except for things found in the wild, which may explain John’s peculiar diet of locusts and honey. The scrolls even detail how to prepare locusts for eating. None of this proves that John was an Essene, but it’s certainly suggestive.
Bergsma also explores a kind of sacred meal of bread and wine practiced by the Essenes. We already knew of these second hand from Josephus, but now the scrolls provide primary evidence that men in priestly garments (white linen) performed ritual immersions and then took a meal in which bread and wine was blessed, prayers were said, and lessons read from scripture or community documents. Interestingly, the Scrolls state that the men are to take their seats according to rank, which evokes Luke 22:24, in which the apostles argue over rank.
These points are just a sample of the connections Bergsma outlines as he views the New Testament through the lens of the Scrolls, casting light on issues such as the Eucharist, the date and location of the Last Supper, celibacy and marriage, the organization of the Church, and the priesthood. These are not all new observations, but they’ve never be synthesized this well for a general readership in such a clear and engaging way.
The subtitle is the key to understanding Bergsma’s project: Christianity grew in Jewish soil and has Jewish roots. By illuminating the beliefs and practices found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, we understand that soil and those roots far better. Even if there were no direct connections between Qumran and early Christianity, we can still learn an immense amount about how Christianity took shape, its concerns and forms, from analyzing the scrolls. And while Bergsma doesn’t prove the link between Qumran and Christianity, he amply and convincingly illustrates its plausibility.
Thomas L. McDonald writes from New Jersey.

Here is What Early Christians Believed About the Eucharist Philip Kosloski | Jun 02



Their beliefs were rooted in Jesus' words and the traditions passed down to them from the Apostles.After almost 2,000 years of Catholic teaching, the Church boldly proclaims in the Catechism, “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ ‘The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it'” (CCC 1324).
It is a striking statement, one that shows how much the Church values the Eucharist in the present age. Yet, is this belief something new, introduced during the last few centuries? Or has it been part of the Church’s teachings since the very beginning?


As with all essential teachings of the Catholic Church, it is simply a reechoing of the Church’s beliefs throughout the centuries. This is clearly revealed when delving into the writings of the early Christians who lived in the first few centuries after Christ’s death and resurrection.
To help illustrate that point, here is a small selection of quotes from these Christians that detail their beliefs about the Holy Eucharist. After reading these, it becomes clear how the Church has passed on this teaching over the years virtually unchanged.
On the Lord’s own day, assemble in common to break bread and offer thanks; but first confess your sins, so that your sacrifice may be pure. However, no one quarreling with his brother may join your meeting until they are reconciled; your sacrifice must not be defiled. For here we have the saying of the Lord: “In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice; for I am a mighty King, says the Lord; and my name spreads terror among the nations.” (Didache, c. 90)
For we do not receive these things as common bread or common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Savior being incarnate by God’s Word took flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the Word of prayer which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus. (St. Justin Martyr, c. 100)
They [Gnostics] abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, the flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His graciousness, raised from the dead. (St. Ignatius of Antioch, c. 110)
[Christ] has declared the cup, a part of creation, to be his own Blood, from which he causes our blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as his own Body, from which he gives increase to our bodies. (St. Irenaeus of Lyons, c. 140)
The Word is everything to a child: both Father and Mother, both Instructor and Nurse. “Eat My Flesh,” He says, “and drink My Blood.” The Lord supplies us with these intimate nutrients. He delivers over His Flesh, and pours out His Blood; and nothing is lacking for the growth of His children. O incredible mystery! (St. Clement of Alexandria, c. 150)


When You Care for a Sick Family Member, You are a 'hidden hero,' Pope SaysBy Ann SchneibleVatican City, Jun 10 / 11:13 am (EWTN News/CNA) - During his weekly general audience, Pope Francis lauded families for the “hidden heroism” of caring for a sick loved one.

“These are the heroes. This is heroism of the family!” the pontiff said during his Jun. 6 catechesis.

The Pope spoke of men and women who come to work, sleep-deprived after having cared for a sick family member.

“This hidden heroism is done with tenderness and with courage when someone is sick at home,” he said.

The Pope's address, delivered Wednesday to pilgrims in Saint Peter's Square, was the latest in a series of catechesis dedicated to the family. Since late year, the pontiff has been centering his Wednesday addresses on this theme as part of the lead-up to the World Day of Families in September, as well as October’s Synod of Bishops on the Family.

Pope Francis focused his latest address on the particular sufferings experienced when a family member falls ill.

“It is an experience of our fragility which we live mostly in the family, from children, and above all the elderly,” he said.

He added that because of the love we feel for family members and loved ones, we feel their sufferings even more.

This is particularly the case when parents suffer from the illness of a son or daughter, he said.

In many parts of the world, families do not have ready access to hospitals, the pontiff noted. In these cases, the family becomes the “closest hospital,” in that caring for the sick person falls to the parents, grandparents, and siblings.

Pope Francis observed how, in general, families grow in times of sickness. For this reason, he stressed the importance of teaching children from a young age with a sense of solidarity during such times.

“We must educate children to solidarity with the sick so that they are not anesthetized to the sufferings of others, but rather are capable of helping the ill and of living fully each human experience,” the Pope said.

Throughout his catechesis, the Holy Father recounted several scenes from the Gospel in which Jesus heals the sick.

“(Jesus) publicly demonstrates himself as one who fights against illness, and who has come to heal man of every evil: The evil of the spirit and the evil of the body,” he said.

Pope Francis recalled a scene from the Gospel of Mark in which the people brought sick and possessed people to Jesus.

Recalling how the doctors of the law reproved Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, the Pope said: “But the love of Jesus was to give health, and do good.”

The pontiff cited particularly the scene of the man born blind, and the debate over whether he had been deprived of sight because of his sins or his parents' sins. “The Lord clearly said: neither him nor his parents; and thus he manifested in him the work of God, and healed him.”

This is God's glory, and the Church's task, the Pope said: “to always help, console, to lift up, and be close to the sick.”

Pope Francis also emphasized the Church's invitation to continuously pray for those “struck by disease.”

“And we must pray more, be it personally or in community.”

Pope Francis said that the Christian community knows that the family, in times of sickness, is never alone.

“We must thank the Lord for the beautiful experiences of fraternity in the Church which help families through difficult moments of pain and suffering,” he said.

“This Christian closeness, from family to family, is a real treasure for the parish: a treasure of wisdom, which helps families during difficult times and makes them better understand the Kingdom of God.”

“These are God's caresses,” he said.
 

 
Holy Communion augments our union with Christ. The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus. Indeed, the Lord said: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him." Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet: "As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me."
On the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of the Son, they proclaim to one another the Good News that the first fruits of life have been given, as when the angel said to Mary Magdalene, "Christ is risen!" Now too are life and resurrection conferred on whoever receives Christ. -Catechism of the Catholic Church #1391
​

A bit of humor…


The Point of A Conference Call
A conference call is the best way for a dozen people to say “bye” 300 times.
Liz Hackett On What The ’80s Taught Her
If growing up in the ’80s taught me one thing, it’s that my friends and I should have found a treasure map by now.
 
Some Thoughts
When there's a will, I want to be in it.
When you don't know what you are doing, do it neatly.
Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard drive on my computer?
Who stopped payment on my reality check?
Why is abbreviation such a long word?
Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted then used against you.
You're just jealous because the voices are talking to me and not you!

​

(Remember it is JESUS who speaks here)
1
After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (of Tiberias).
2
A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
3
Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.
4
The Jewish feast of Passover was near.
5
When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?"
6
He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do.
7
Philip answered him, "Two hundred days' wages  worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little (bit)."
8
One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
9
"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves  and two fish; but what good are these for so many?"
10
Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass  in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
11
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
12
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted."
13
So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets  with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.
14
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."
15
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
16
When it was evening, his disciples went down to the sea,
17
embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
18
The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.
19
When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea  and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid.
20
But he said to them, "It is I.  Do not be afraid."
21
They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading.
22
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left.
23
Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks.
24
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
25
And when they found him across the sea they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"
26
Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
27
Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal."
28
So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?"
29
Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."
30
So they said to him, "What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do?
31
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
32
So Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
33
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34
So they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."
35
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
36
But I told you that although you have seen (me), you do not believe.
37
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
38
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
39
And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it (on) the last day.
40
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him (on) the last day."
41
The Jews murmured about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven,"
42
and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"
43
Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves.
44
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.
45
It is written in the prophets: 'They shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
46
Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.
47
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
48
I am the bread of life.
49
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
50
this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.
51
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
52
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?"
53
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.
54
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
55
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
57
Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
58
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."
59
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
60
Then many of his disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?"
61
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock you?
62
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
63
It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
64
But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.
65
And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father."
66
As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. [perhaps the saddest line in Sacred Scripture]
67
Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?"
68
Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69
We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."
70
Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you twelve? Yet is not one of you a devil?"
71
He was referring to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot; it was he who would betray him, one of the Twelve. 
 
[This is a weekly electronic newsletter from Father Robert.  This will be sent out weekly.  Please recommend this to individuals you think might be interested. Any suggestions or comments are welcomed, or if you wish to no longer receive this please e-mail: [email protected]]


+JMJ+
SUNDAY BIBLICAL MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couples or Family Discussion
Corpus Christi-Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ – June 7th, 2026

The First Reading - Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14B-16A
Moses said to the people: "Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert, so as to test you by affliction and find out whether or not it was your intention to keep his commandments. He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live, but by every  word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD. "Do not forget the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery; who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock and fed you in the desert with manna, a food unknown to your fathers."
Reflection 
Today’s First Reading describes God testing Israel in the desert. The heavenly manna was not given to satisfy the Israelites’ hunger, as Moses explains. It was given to show them that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. There is a connection here to a well known but often confusing verse in the New Testament - “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them..” (Matthew 5:1-2) It seems apparent to us that to talk to someone you have to open you mouth, but the Gospel writer is, in fact, harkening back to this verse in Deuteronomy “by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” The writer is making an implicit reference to the divinity of Christ. 
Adults - The book of Wisdom tells us that the manna tasted like the favorite food of whoever ate it. What does this say to you about the mercy and love of the Lord? 
Teens - Read the Beatitudes this week and reflect on how you are applying them to your life. 
Kids - Where do you learn about the teachings of Jesus?  

Responsorial- Daniel 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20 
R.Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R.  Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R.  Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R.  Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Reflection 
In today’s Psalm we see a connection between God’s Word and the bread of life. We sing of God filling us with “finest wheat” and proclaiming his Word to the world. Have you been/are you still unable to receive the Eucharist due to the pandemic? Be sure to make a prayer of Spiritual Communion. 

The Second Reading- 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Brothers and sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
Reflection - The language Saint Paul uses here is filled with both liturgical and marital imagery. In particular the Greek word koinonia that is translated as “participation,” means an intimate relationship with another person and sharing in things like faith, sufferings, and service. This is a great example to us of how we are to live as the Body of Christ. 
 -Do you think of the whole Body of Christ as your family? They are!


Sequence Lauda Sion
Laud, O Zion, your salvation,
Laud with hymns of exultation,
Christ, your king and shepherd true:
Bring him all the praise you know,
He is more than you bestow.
Never can you reach his due.
Special theme for glad thanksgiving
Is the quick'ning and the living
Bread today before you set:
From his hands of old partaken,
As we know, by faith unshaken,
Where the Twelve at supper met.
Full and clear ring out your chanting,
Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting,
From your heart let praises burst:
For today the feast is holden,
When the institution olden
Of that supper was rehearsed.
Here the new law's new oblation,
By the new king's revelation,
Ends the form of ancient rite:
Now the new the old effaces,
Truth away the shadow chases,
Light dispels the gloom of night.
What he did at supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
His memorial ne'er to cease:
And his rule for guidance taking,
Bread and wine we hallow, making
Thus our sacrifice of peace.
This the truth each Christian learns,
Bread into his flesh he turns,
To his precious blood the wine:
Sight has fail'd, nor thought conceives,
But a dauntless faith believes,
Resting on a pow'r divine.
Here beneath these signs are hidden
Priceless things to sense forbidden;
Signs, not things are all we see:
Blood is poured and flesh is broken,
Yet in either wondrous token
Christ entire we know to be.
Whoso of this food partakes,
Does not rend the Lord nor breaks;
Christ is whole to all that taste:
Thousands are, as one, receivers,
One, as thousands of believers,
Eats of him who cannot waste.
Bad and good the feast are sharing,
Of what divers dooms preparing,
Endless death, or endless life.
Life to these, to those damnation,
See how like participation
Is with unlike issues rife.
When the sacrament is broken,
Doubt not, but believe 'tis spoken,
That each sever'd outward token
doth the very whole contain.
Nought the precious gift divides,
Breaking but the sign betides
Jesus still the same abides,
still unbroken does remain. 

The Holy Gospel according to John 6:51-58
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."
Reflection  The Eucharist is given to us as a challenge and a promise. That’s how Jesus presents it in today’s Gospel. He doesn’t make it easy for those who hear Him. They are repulsed and offended at His words. Even when they begin to quarrel, He insists on describing the eating and drinking of His flesh and blood in starkly literal terms. Four times in today’s reading, Jesus uses a Greek word—trogein—that refers to a crude kind of eating, almost a gnawing or chewing (see John 6:54, 56, 57, 58). He is testing their faith in His Word. Yet as the Israelites grumbled in the desert, many in today’s Gospel cannot accept that Word. Even many of Jesus’ own followers abandon Him after this discourse (see John 6:66). But His words are Spirit and life, the words of eternal life (see John 6:63, 67). In the Eucharist we are made one flesh with Christ. We have His life in us and have our life because of Him. This is what Paul means in today’s Epistle when He calls the Eucharist a “participation” in Christ’s body and blood. We become in this sacrament partakers of the divine nature (see 1 Peter 2:4). This is the mystery of the faith that Jesus asks us to believe. And He gives us His promise: that sharing in His flesh and blood that was raised from the dead, we too will be raised up on the last day. 
Adults - Take some time this week to really study the Real Presence in the Eucharist and meditate on the face that you are truly receiving the whole Person of Christ. 
Teens - Research Eucharistic Miracles this week, and read about the great miracles Christ has worked for those who sometimes struggle to believe in the Real Presence. 
Kids - How do you know that it’s Jesus you receive instead of bread and wine? 

LIVING THE WORD OF GOD THIS WEEK!  - “He was about to leave the world and return to the Father. (The Most Holy Eucharist) was to serve as an unending remembrance of His passion, as the fulfillment of ancient types — this the greatest of His miracles. To those who sorrow over His departure He has given a unique solace."  Let us receive His lasting consolation and share it with one another as often as we can!