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Prayer of St. Cyprian
Almighty God, we are reminded through your servant St. Cyprian, of your Spirit always within us and Your continued presence in us, and of our oneness with You and the Church. May we always grow together and profess You in Faith, Unity, and Hope. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we ask this through Christ our Lord
Amen.
From the Pastor’s Desk
May Jesus Christ, who died to sin once and for all, be with you!
The summer heat has taken its place in our area. Please make sure to stay hydrated and cool. Check on fellow parishioners, neighbors, and family members who live alone. We should be responsible for each other and their welfare.
During the month of June, our city and country, experienced many challenging issues from unlawful deaths to looting, protests, racial discrimination. In the shadow of these issues there has been ongoing violence which has exceeded the number from last year. Although we may not be able to end this infested violence, we can join in prayer to slow it down. Join me everyday in praying the Hail Mary and asking our Blessed Mother Mary to intercede for us to slow down this hideous crimes. All lives matter against gun violence.
Our scripture readings las week challenged us to be true and faithful witnesses. We should not hide or be laxed when it comes to witnessing for truth, justice, equality, and faith.
This week’s scripture for Mass calls us to be disciples. A true disciple is one who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ and demonstrates it through speech and action. Much is demanded of a disciple, but great are the rewards. Many of us feel we have enough on our plate, but Christ reminds us: Whoever does not take up the cross and follow him is not worthy of him” Jesus would not give us a cross too heavy for us to carry. Praying for the needs of our family, church, city, country, and world is not too much of a cross for us to carry. Prayer is really needed today. Are you willing to take up this cross?
Peace and Blessing.
Msgr. Britto
DEACON’S CORNER
THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF THE SACRED HEART JESUS
In Christianity, the heart symbolizes the center or core of our being, from which prayer and moral actions originate. This even explains the word “core,” which is derived from the Latin word cor meaning, “heart.”
Jesus wants to give us His heart, that our heart might experience the flames of His love. Therefore the heart is so often used in the spiritual writings, as it is seen as a primary source of so much that happens in our spiritual lives. It also explains why love is associated with the heart, as authentic loves come from the “core” of our being, not something that is on the “surface”.
It is the same reason; it is significant that Jesus is often depicted holding out His heart to us, inviting us to take within ourselves and let Jesus’ heart rule over our heart. As Jesus said to his disciples, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find ret for ourselves” (Matthew 11:29)
Sacred Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of the heart (more than a thousand times.) According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of our prayer are in vain.
The heart is our hidden center, the heart is a place of decision, the heart is the place of our encounter God and each other, the heart is the place of covenant (CCC2562-2563). If we want to progress in the spiritual life, we need to look at our heart ad let God transform it, thus transforming our prayer and moral decisions.
Let us be diligent in prayer in these troubling times. Let us take our needs and those whom we have promised t remember in prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And let us not forget to pray for government and civic leaders to have the moral fiber to make change happen. We as Catholics are called to witness and evangelize in the name of the Lord and that challenges us to be more vocal about what is happening in 2020. Action goes a long with prayer!
Deacon Nightingale
Our commitment to Christ: “I pray that you will be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ”. (Philemon 6)
New Poll Show Favorability of the Church is on the Rise
A new poll by Saint Leo University Polling Institute shows that Catholics have a higher opinion of the Church than they did a year ago. The poll shows that U.S. Catholics expressed a 74% level of favorability of the Church, compared to 57% last April. Similarly, the general population’s opinion has increased from 40% in April 2019 to about 42%. As parishes, diocese and other institutions of the Church wrestle to respond to 2018 revelations of further clergy sexual abuse, this report brings hope that, while much more needs to be done, the Church and its members are healing. The report also recorded the faithful’s view of Pope Francis, which sat at 75%, only slightly down from November with 78%, both of which were higher than the view of the pop by the general public.
Coming To Mass, Please Remember
Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water.
Wear your mask in church except children 2years old and younger
Do not attend Mass if you are high risk to contract COVID19
Do not attend Mass if you are sick
Use the center doors when entering church.
Please sanitize your hands when you enter church
Missals and hymnals will no longer be in the pews.
Please follow directions on signs when taking your seat.
Members of the same household may sit together.
Sit 6 ft apart if not in the same household
No Sign of Peace at this time
No Precious Blood at this time
Do not hold hands during the “Our Father”
Receive Holy Communion by hand remove your mask before receiving Holy Communion
Do not congregate after Mass, please go directly to your car.
Please leave your mask on as you exit church
We will continue to follow the guidelines from the CDC. The church will be sanitized between each mass and deep cleaned during the week preparing for Sunday Mass.
