“Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus”

In an article included in last week’s bulletin, I described highlights from the Pope’s recent encyclical letter, Dilexit Nos, and offered prayerful reflections on the importance of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Beginning on Wednesday, December 4, we will have an opportunity to encounter Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament for an extended period of time. Immediately following Mass and continuing through 5:30pm, St. Frances of Rome will celebrate the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. On Tuesdays and Thursdays during Advent, our parish partners with Holy Trinity and Saint Leonard, respectively, will host similar devotional opportunities. Together, we have a chance as a region to encounter the Risen Eucharistic Lord.

In supporting this special devotional practice during Advent, the clergy in our area are calling upon the faithful to offer a continuous presence during Adoration times. It is a norm of the Church that the Eucharistic Lord should always be companioned with at least one Catholic present.

Here at Saint Frances, which has the most time during Advent devoted to Adoration of any parish in the area, this means that individual(s) will need to be present over the course of an 8 ½ hour period. Please commit to at least one hour weekly on December 4, 11, and 18 in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

A true love of Our Lord as well as a special respect and veneration for the Blessed Sacrament are the hallmarks of a Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As Pope Francis stated in and of Dilexit Nos:

“For it is by drinking of that same love (from prior encyclicals) that we become capable of forging bonds of fraternity, or recognizing the dignity of each human being, and of working together for are for our common home.”

I ask each SFR parishioner to consider devoting time to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during Advent.

Peace,
Father Steven