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IX: The Day and the Month of the Sacred Heart: Friday and June

 

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Friday is the day of the Sacred Heart. The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart is always celebrated on a Friday, because Good Friday is the day of the crucifixion, and that is where the love of Jesus in the Sacred Heart is revealed. It is celebrated on the Friday that follows the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, because personal prayer to Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist is an essential element of the devotion of the Sacred Heart. Both celebrate the human encounter with the love of Jesus on the Cross: in the Sacred Heart, and in the continuing sacramental presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. It is a custom to link a Holy Hour of Adoration of the Lord in the Eucharist to the focus on the Sacred Heart on Friday, especially on the First Friday of the month, when many people make a special effort to attend Mass as part of the Sacred Heart devotion.

For Catholic Christians, as May is the Month of Mary, so June is the Month of the Sacred Heart. This is because the link to the Solemnity of Corpus Christi results in the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart almost always being celebrated in the month of June. I strongly encourage individuals, families, parishes and Catholic schools to specially dedicate the month of June to the Sacred Heart.

 

For Reflection:

  1. What can the parish do to encourage the devotion to the Sacred Heart on Fridays?
  2. How can the human and loving encounter with the crucified Jesus be better encouraged in the celebrations and liturgies that are celebrated in our parishes?
  3. Does my parish offer times of prayer during the week? In the various forms of the liturgy that take place on the weekends, how can the parish reflect the compassionate Heart of Christ that reaches out to the flock? Does the parish encourage a prayerful environment or would people describe it as unwelcoming?
  4. June is the month of the Sacred Heart. Has my parish dedicated itself and its community to the Sacred Heart of Jesus? To what degree have parishioners been involved in the process? Do they feel that they are an integral part in dedicating the month of June to the Sacred Heart?