Love as I love

by Anna Githens

Twelve Promises of the Sacred Heart:

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.

2. I will establish peace in their homes.

3. I will comfort them in their afflictions.

4. I will be their secure refuge during their life, and above all, in death.

5. I will bestow abundant blessings on their undertakings.

6. Sinners will find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.

7. Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.

8. Fervent souls will quickly mount to high perfection.

9. I will bless every place in which an image of my Heart is exposed and honored.

Love. I never knew I could ask such a thing of God. In a sense, the priest was telling me to ask God to change my heart.

“Pride Month” is a clarion call to Catholics and Christians to increase devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose feast day this year is on June 16th. To St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Jesus said, “I promise you that My Heart shall expand Itself to shed in abundance the influence of Its Divine Love upon those who shall thus honor It and cause It to be honored.”

Our failure to love as God loves brought us to where we are today: unequipped to honor and uphold the beauty and sanctity of marriage in society and in the Church. This failure, which led to a gradual unraveling of marriage and the family over decades, has left humanity fractured, disoriented and immeasurably hurt in a multitude of ways.

For many of us, our beliefs remain in our head yet they fail to convict the heart, which was the case for myself for a time. If we do not own our beliefs we will be less inclined to live in accord with them. Divorce between the mind and the heart must be remedied before we will be able to remedy marital divorce.

While the Ten Commandments gives us the starting point, Jesus gave us the ending point in his Sermon on the Mount, which he encapsulates in this directive: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34).

As I write this on Trinity Sunday I am reminded that real love – the most real you can get – is Trinitarian. In order for our love to be true God must be in the equation. After all, God is love. The Father’s love of the Son and the Son’s love of the Father actually creates an- other person. For “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). Jesus, “Love Incarnate”, sent forth His Spirit to help us love as God loves.

Each of us must start with ourselves but not end with ourselves. Love is never turned in on itself. Love is giving, it is self-emptying, it is willing to die so others may live. “Man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for itself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of self” (St. John Paul II).

Let us accept Christ’s deeper invitation to “love as I love” and devote ourselves to his most Sacred Heart. Our flawed human love got us here. Only Divine Love can save us.

Anna Githens is a freelance writer with a career background in finance, teaching and journalism. She holds an MA in Theology, a BA in Economics and a Certification in Theology of the Body.

10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart.

12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving the sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

FROM THE WRITINGS OF ST. MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE:

“On Friday at Holy Communion

He said these words to His unworthy slave: ‘I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart, that Its all powerful love will grant to all those who receive Communion on the first Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving the last Sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.’”

Diocesan Events

Mass & Rally for Life in Trenton. To mark the first anniversary of the Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v. Wade, there will be a Mass & Rally for Life in Trenton. There will be a bus going from the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway to the event. Mass will be at 9:30 a.m. in St. Mary the Assumption in Trenton. The Rally will begin at 11 a.m. at the Statehouse. For more information call Angela at 732-562-1543 or email jruggiero@diometuchen.org or amarshall@diometuchen.org.

Seminar: The Experience of the Exile, 9 a.m. to 12 noon, St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway. Father Gustavo Rodriguez, coordinator of Hispanic Lay Formation of the Diocese of Metuchen and Father Gustavo Amell ST. of St. Joseph Shrine, Stirling, will lead a presentation on a deeper reflection on exile in the Scriptures. Cost is $20 per person with a special discount for those attending the Hispanic Bible School. To register click on https://diometuchen.org/hispanicevangelization. For more information, contact: Lescobar@diometuchen.org.

The National Black Catholic Congress XIII (NBCC) will be held at the National Harbor, Maryland. The Theme is “Write the Vision: A Prophetic Call to Thrive.”

Celebrating Life! A Day for Grandparents & Seniors (55+) on the Feast Day of Saints Joachim & Anne, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway. The day will include breakfast, fellowship, a guest speaker on “His mercy is from age to age…” and Mass. The event is free but registration is required. Call 732-562-1543 or visit: https://www.diometuchen.org/ humanlifeanddignity.

A follow up of the experience of the July National Black Catholic Congress XIII to be held July 20-23 at the Gaylord National Harbor, Maryland, will be held in the diocesan Pastoral Center to share the experience of prayer and worship, along with issues and visions from the Congress. Details to follow. For more information contact Sister Mariam Perez, coordinator, diocesan Office of Multicultural Ministries at sperez@diometuchen.org or call 732-529-7933.

Retrouvaille Weekend, sponsored by the Office of Family Life, Diocese of Metuchen. Retrouvaille is a lifeline to help couples heal and renew their marriages. Six follow-up sessions are held after the weekend experience (no group discussions). All inquiries are confidential. For further information, contact Rich Colasuonno 732-236-0671 or Annette Colasuonno 732-672-0748 or email 3024@ helpourmarriage.org.

Children’s Choir Summer Camp hosted by the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi’s Office of Sacred Music, in conjunction with the Diocesan Office of Liturgical Music, on the Cathedral’s campus Metuchen. All rising 3rd through 8th graders from any parish in the diocese are invited to participate. Participating Choristers will learn the basics of Music Theory, Gregorian Chant, do fun composerbased projects, and will sing for daily 12:10 Mass at the Cathedral. The week will end with a festive Ice Cream Party.

Diocesan Programs

Eucharistic Adorers Wanted

Now that the pandemic is over, Bishop Checchio would like to offer Eucharistic adoration at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Monday through Friday, from 9:00-11:45 a.m. As St. Pope John Paul II noted. “The Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic adoration.” Anyone who is interested in signing up should contact Angela Marshall at amarshall@ diometuchen.org

Catechism in a Year for Women This virtual Women’s Group will meet each week on Sundays at 2:30 p.m. on Zoom for discussion of Fr. Mike Schmitz’s “Catechism in a Year” podcast which began on January 8. For details, contact Cristina at cdaverso@ diometuchen.org

“The Chosen” Study Series

All young adult engaged and married couples are invited to join in a virtual study series based on the hit series, “The Chosen.” A different episode will be discussed each meeting and virtual watch parties will be planned sporadically. Meetings take place every other Monday evening at 7 p.m. on Zoom. For details or to join, please contact Cristina D’Averso-Collins at cdaverso@diometuchen.org.

Blue Rosary Guild

The Office of Family Life is pleased to announce the creation of the Blue Rosary Guild. The purpose of the Guild is for community members of all ages to make pocket Rosaries for law enforcement officers, providing them with support and spiritual strength and promoting devotion to the Rosary among all the faithful. All materials and instructions will be provided and a Zoom virtual tutorial will also be scheduled. Anyone interested should contact Cristina D’Averso-Collins, Director of the Office of Family Life at cdaverso@ diometuchen.org.

Abortion Healing for Men This Base camp is an open-forum, weekly discussion group for men who have been impacted by abortion. It meets Tuesdays at 12 noon EST. The group is led by Greg Mayo, Men’s Abortion Healing Strategist for Support After Abortion. No registration is needed.

SELLING YOUR HOME?

Willing to buy your home or townhouse in as-is condition. Quick 30 day cash closing. I’m a Licensed realtor in the State of NJ.

Eugene “George” Pantozzi 908-392-2677 (call or text) georgepantozzi@hotmail.com

WINDOW & DOOR SCREEN REPAIRS

Installation of Fiberglass screens for your doors and windows. Pick-up and drop off services available.

George & Sons: (908) 392-2677

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - BUSINESS MANAGER

The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, seeks a Business Manager to develop, implement, and oversee business strategies for the award-winning paper. The ideal candidate will be expected to establish production and quality control standards, develop budget and cost controls, and obtain data regarding the circulation, production and delivery specifications of the paper. Interested candidates should forward their resume to hr@diometuchen.org.

Advertising Sales Representative

The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, seeks an Advertising Sales Representative to assist with the sale of advertising space. The ideal candidate will be responsible for initiating, developing, and closing sales of print media advertising in The Catholic Spirit by creating and building effective client relationships with area businesses and organizations. Interested candidates should forward their resume to hr@diometuchen.org.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - GRAPHIC DESIGNER

The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, seeks a Graphic Designer to assist with the layout and design of its publication. The ideal candidate will have Adobe InDesign and Photoshop experience in a PC environment, be familiar with all aspects of electronic publishing, be well-organized and reliable, and have a proven track record of meeting deadlines. Interested candidates should forward their resume to hr@diometuchen.org.

Give The Gift Of Life

One of our Diocesan parishioners is in urgent need of a kidney transplant. If you, (or anyone you know) have “O” blood type you may be able to save a life! The procedure would be performed at St. Barnabas in Livingston with no cost to the donor. All general questions can be answered by the “Living Donor Institute” at rwjbh.org/ldi. If you think you can be an angel on earth, please email KidneydonorNL@gmail.com God bless you!

Around The Diocese

July 13, 14, 15, 7:30 p.m. -- The Carmelite nuns invite the faithful to participate in honoring Our Lady of Mount Carmel at a solemn Triduum and Benediction conducted by Father Timothy Eck II will preside at the Mass. The liturgies will be held at the Carmelite Monastery, Flemington.

Latin Convention

July 14-16 -- The Latin Liturgy Association (LLA) will hold its 12th National Convention at the Best Western Fairfield Executive Inn, Fairfield. The association is the only one in North America dedicated to promoting the use of Latin in all liturgical celebrations of all approved rites in the Church. Liturgies will include the rosary and vespers and Compline in Latin; and sung Latin Mass presided by Father Peter Stravinskas at the World Apostolate of Fatima Shrine of the Blue Army in Asbury. Keynote speaker is Sir Raymond de Souza of the Sacred Heart Institute. The fee is $100 for LLA members and $150 for non-members and includes all presentations, liturgies, and buffet hot lunches. There is a $25 fee for attendees who want to take a bus to the two sites where the Masses will be celebrated.

For more information visit www.latinliturgy.com or contact Dr. Joseph Daly at (973) 464-2954 or e-mail jrdaly74@hotmail.com or Regina Morris at (314) 6470475 or e-mail morrisrp@swbell.net.

July 16, 8 a.m. – Mass at Carmelite Monastery, Flemington, on feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. (No evening services June 16).

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