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June 2002 Dear Friends Most Sacred Heart of Jesus we implore that we may ever love thee more and more! May this simple prayer to the Sacred Heart be ever on our lips and may the reality of this prayer be realized more fully day by day in our lives. St. Paul in Colossians Chapter 3 writes, "Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed you too will be revealed in all of your glory with him." He goes on to write, " That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshiping a false god; all this is the sort of behavior that makes God angry." And just in case we have all of the big sins covered Paul goes on to write, "… but you of all people must give all of these things up: getting angry, being bad-tempered, spitefulness, abusive language and dirty talk; and never tell each other lies." Can we as ordinary men and women truly live a life in accordance with the scriptures? Can we, as modern, 21st century Christians really live a holy and devout life in our "advanced", "high-tech" culture of today? How can we as individuals and we as a people of God accomplish such a tall order when our church leadership is in such disarray and our culture is so strongly driven by secular and humanistic influences? The answer is a resounding YES! Now more than ever before in our lifetime, God is calling men and women of ordinary means, status and vocation to enter into a life of true holiness. No matter what your state in life or profession, it is the Divine desire of our Savior that every man and woman that call themselves His follower should aspire to saintly holiness. Pope John Paul II in his apostolic letter Novo Millennio Inuente, January 6th 2001, exhorts the church of the 21st century, "… it would be a contradiction to settle for a life of mediocrity, marked by a minimalist ethic and a shallow religiosity. To ask catechumens: ‘Do you wish to receive Baptism?’ means at the same time to ask them: ‘Do you wish to become holy?’ It means to set before them the radical nature of the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.’ (Mt 5:48)" His letter goes on to state, "…perfection must not be misunderstood as if it involved some kind of extraordinary existence, possibly only for a few "uncommon heroes" of holiness. The ways of holiness are many, according to the vocation of each individual." He continues, "The time has come to re-propose to everyone this high standard of ordinary Christian living: the whole life of the Christian community and of Christian families must lead in this direction. June has been the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was June 7th. When I was a young boy, my father dedicated our family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Lord has used the devotion to his Sacred Heart to help me overcome sins in my life and to aid me in making real progress on the journey to holiness which starts with a desire for holiness. Devotion to the Sacred Heart, as we know it, began about the year 1672. On repeated occasions, Jesus appeared to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation nun, in France. During these apparitions He explained to her the devotion to His Sacred Heart, as He wanted people to practice it. He asked to be honored in the symbol of His Heart of flesh. He asked for acts of reparation, for frequent communion, communion on the First Friday of the month, and for the keeping of the Holy Hour. The Heart of Jesus never ceases to love us in heaven. This great love compels Him to pour into our lives his sanctifying grace for the conversion of our lives. It is through this inexhaustible fountain of grace and holiness, which have their source in the boundless ocean of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that we find the grace and strength and perseverance to stand against the teachings of our culture and to become radiant holy men and women of God. I want to share with you the daily prayer of consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus that I have practiced since my childhood:
I continue to use this prayer in my home and have taught it to my wife and 4 children. We use it as a part of our family’s morning prayer. If you will contact us at THE WAY HOME, we will be glad to send to you a copy of the beautiful Novena to the Sacred Heart. Please visit THE WAY HOME web site at lumen2000.com where you will find a number of other prayers to use in your devotional life. You will also find there Father Bob Hilz’s commentary on the scripture readings for daily Mass, book lists on the Holy Spirit and Spiritual direction, clips from the program and copies of our monthly newsletters. Enclosed is a return envelope for your contribution, along with a card for you to submit your prayer intentions. All prayer intentions are lifted up daily by our staff, at the weekly prayer gathering of our community and at various masses during the week. We continue to actively solicit your financial support as we seek to serve the Lord with our whole hearts. THE WAY HOME is a nonprofit ministry that maintains its existence through the support of viewers like you. We thank you for your support in the past and ask that you continue your support as the Lord provides the means. St. Paul promises in Colossians 3:12 and following:
May Jesus the Lord of life draw you into and keep you in the white-hot center of his Sacred Heart. Forever in His Service, Mike Wagner |
