Holy Family Catholic Church
PO Box 231 Afton, Wyoming 83110
(307) 886-3429 / www.holyfamilywy.org
Mass Time – Sundays – 1:30 p.m.
Fr. Florante Marcelo, Administrator
Deacon Bill Hill
June 26th, 2011
MINISTRIES:
June 26th: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Body and Blood of Christ
Corpus Christi
Lector: Theresa Vasquez
Eucharist: Phil Wanek
July 1st: The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – Mass @ 10:30 am
July 3rd: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lector: Mike Charlton
Eucharist: Charmin Charlton
July 10th: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lector: Betsy Palmer
Eucharist: Jamie Kallgren
July 17th: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lector: Renee Rainguet
Eucharist: Jack Leaven
July 24th: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lector: Theresa Vasquez
Eucharist: Phil Wanek
UPCOMING EVENTS:
July 28th: Communion Service/ Adoration – 12:00 p.m.
July 1st: Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – Mass @ 10:30 a.m.
July 10th: DeSmet Mass – Daniel Junction – 12:00 p.m. Bishop Etienne presiding.
Aug. 3rd: Labor Day Garage Sale/ Youth Fund Raiser – All Day
A primary goal of the Bishop’s pastoral plan is to
encourage and enable people to grow in holiness, and it is his wish to consecrate the Diocese of Cheyenne
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the length of this plan.
The Bishop is asking each family to participate by offering prayers of consecration in their homes as
well as enthroning an image of the Sacred Heart in each home.
Consecration to the Sacred Heart
Come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11, 28-30)
Consecrate yourself and your family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The image of the Sacred Heart originated in 1673 when Saint Margaret-Mary Alacoque introduced the devotion to the Church, after Christ asked her to venerate an image of his heart of flesh in reparation for the world’s indifference and hostility to his love and mercy. The devotion to the Sacred Heart can be the Catholic answer to having a personal friendship with Jesus.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a most effective means of living always in the company of our Lord Jesus whom we receive in Holy Communion. In other words, our devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an extended act of love for Him who shows us the greatest possible love by offering His Body and Blood for us in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. In His fourth apparition to St. Margaret Mary, our Lord revealed His Sacred Heart, declaring:
“Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it spared nothing, even going so far as to exhaust and consume itself, to prove to them its love. And in return I receive from the greater part of men nothing but ingratitude, by the contempt, irreverence, sacrileges and coldness with which they treat me in this Sacrament of Love. But what is still more painful to me is that even souls consecrated to me are acting in this way” (Louis Verheylezoon, SJ, Devotion to the Sacred Heart, Westminster, Maryland: The Newman Press, 1955, pp. xxvii).
When the devotional life is neglected, then there is a loss of gratitude and reverence, and coldness before our Lord in the Eucharist.Our Lord asks St. Margaret Mary to make known His desire for a renewed devotion to His Sacred Heart, so that He might give His love ever more abundantly and we might respond with gratitude and return love for His divine love.
The center of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the Enthronement of the image of the Sacred Heart in the home. By the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart, we link the tabernacle of our parish church to our home, inviting our Lord to be our constant and most intimate companion. The Enthronement is a way of life. It means that Christ is King of our hearts, and we desire Him to be present with us always.
Through St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Our Lord made twelve promises to Christians who consecrate themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Here they are:
The Twelve Promises
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.
2. I will establish peace in their families.
3. I will bless every house in which the picture of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
4. I will console them in all their difficulties.
5. I will be their refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.
6. I will shed abundant blessings upon their undertakings.
7. Sinners shall find in My Heart a fountain and boundless ocean of mercy.
8. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
9. Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.
10. I will give to priests the power of touching the hardest hearts.
11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.
12. I promise you, in the excessive mercy of My Heart, that My all-powerful love will grant to all who receive communion on the first Friday of the month, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence, they shall not die in my displeasure nor without the sacraments. My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
Opening our hearts to the consecration would help us to begin a whole new way of life, with Christ as our King and the leader of our household. This consecration is a natural extension of the Eucharist. We return to our homes with the Body of Christ within us, and then live as the Body of Christ. Christ’s presence is continually reflected in our homes and is visible to all those we encounter.
The image of the Sacred Heart in our homes can become a place of prayer and a reminder to pray. We can pour out our hearts to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and receive the help we need. We can express true love for one another as well, as we treat one another with love and respect. If Jesus is King of our homes, then our homes will be transformed. If we are the slaves of someone, then we do what the one who enslaves us tells us to do. If we are disciples of Jesus, we follow Jesus’ way.
Enthronement
The Enthronement includes with it the Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Enthronement without the Consecration would simply amount to the placing of a sacred image in a prominent place in the home. It would be a good and pious practice, but it would not transform lives in the way that the Enthronement does. The Act of Consecration gives expression to the profound meaning of enthroning the image of the Sacred Heart in our home.
By the words of the Consecration, we articulate the meaning of the Enthronement. We place our hearts totally into the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and we beg Him to be the source of our healing and strength, the medicine and nourishment by which our poor and wounded hearts are made strong and whole. The enthroned image of the Sacred Heart gives us the occasion to renew frequently, throughout the day, our act of consecration.
The words of the Act of Consecration of the Family proclaim the reign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the heart of each member of the household and in the home itself. They express the commitment of the family members to return love to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in response to the constant and immeasurable love, which He shows to us in the Church. In short, the Act of Consecration is a full response to the promises made by our Lord to St. Margaret Mary. It pledges frequent reception of Holy Communion, penance for sins committed and acceptance of the divine will at death.
The form of consecration calls upon the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, and St. Joseph, our protector, to intercede on our behalf. In truth, it asks our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph to present our Act of Consecration to Christ, in order that it may be as fitting and worthy as possible.
The Act of Consecration takes place after the image of the Sacred Heart has been enthroned. It expresses in words what the Act of Enthronement expresses in action. Enthronement and Consecration go together inseparably.
Since the Enthronement is a way of life for us, demanding our daily conversion of heart, we do not undertake it without considering carefully what it means for us. Our preparation should deepen in us our understanding and desire of the Enthronement and Consecration.
The preparation has three principal parts: study, prayer and practical arrangements. Each part is important to the proper disposition of the family members and the home itself. The goal of the preparation is hearts aflame with love of Christ. Only a careful preparation and thoughtful Act of Enthronement and Consecration will dispose minds and hearts to follow Christ the King, to trust in His never-failing love and to place our hearts in His.