Exiit qui seminat

Starting on Monday, December 18th, the parish will be welcoming Father David Szatkowski, SCJ, a Priest of the Sacred Heart, who will be conducting our Advent Mission. The mission, given on the evenings of December 18-21, will focus on the reign of the Sacred Heart in every aspect of our lives. The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, made popular in modern times by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, was extremely important to our spiritual patron, St. Pio of Pietrelcina. As we know from our weekly novena, Padre Pio prayed the Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus every day. He writes,  "Be of good cheer; abandon yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and let Him take care of everything."  The importance of the Sacred Heart of Jesus lies in its role as a powerful symbol of divine love, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness.  The Sacred Heart shows the depths of Christ's suffering and the love that led him to sacrifice Himself for our sake. Through the Sacred Heart we see the unconditional love that God has for each and every one of us. The Sacred Heart is a reminder of our need to turn away from sin with contrite hearts and to seek the Lord's forgiveness. During this busy season, especially as our celebration of the Birth of our Savior looms near, let us abandon ourselves to the Sacred Heart and spend some time in holy reflection at our Advent Mission. May it help remind each of us of the immenseness of God's love that caused Him to enter into the world to save us from sin and death.