From the Deacon — June 29th, 2025
This Friday’s Solemnity
One of the most difficult parts of seminary is facing your own brokenness. I faced this reality in a major way during my first few years of seminary. I entered Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Fall of 2020, when everyone was still trying to figure out what life looked like with Covid. For many of us, definitely including myself, that period of time caused our brokenness and insecurities to come to the surface. Then add entering seminary to that whole experience: In seminary, Jesus desires to bring deep healing and love to all areas of the seminarian’s life so that He can live and minister from a place of love. However, to experience that healing, the seminarian needs to know where he is sick so that he can bring his illness to the Divine Physician. I was no different. Needless to say, between the Covid-world and seminary, I confronted my brokenness in a direct way during those first few years. But blessed be God for Jesus’ Sacred Heart!
In the Sacred Heart of Jesus, our broken humanity (which Jesus took on) meets God’s divinity. When Jesus became man, He didn’t take on the perfect humanity we had before the Fall. He took on our broken humanity. Obviously, He did not sin, but He was subject to the same sufferings and limitations that we experience every day. This is tremendous news! This means that Jesus has taken on our brokenness and transformed it with His love. I experienced this through my years of seminary. I encountered the living, beating, human Heart of Jesus that loved me even when I sinned and even when I was weak. In fact, He has special love for me (and for you) in my (and in your) weakness. He does not condone or affirm our sinfulness, but He does see us in our brokenness, sit with us in the midst of it, and transform it by His love. Sometimes this process takes a long time and is quite painful (trust me, I know), but it is worth it. Totally worth it. So often, we simply try to cope with our weakness and brokenness on our own, and it robs us of our joy and peace. Jesus wants more for us than that. He wants to heal us. He wants you and I to experience the abundance of His love. That is what we celebrate on this Solemnity of the Sacred Heart (Friday, June 27). We celebrate that Jesus has taken on a human heart so that He can transform all of our brokenness with His love. So whether you are reading this before the Solemnity or after, Jesus desires to bring you healing. Open your heart to Him, let Him show you your brokenness, then let Him love you in the midst of it. He has more for you, just let Him love you with His Sacred Heart.
Totus Tuus
If you want your kids to encounter the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I would highly encourage you to consider sending your kids to Totus Tuus. As you know, St. Pat’s is running Totus Tuus for the first time this summer, and I have heard good things about it from some of my seminarian brothers who have helped lead it in the past. Jesus loves to touch our hearts and the hearts of our kids through play, through community, and through prayer, and Totus Tuus uses all three to bring kids closer to Jesus. Please see the Events page on page 5 for further information.
4th of July Parade
Speaking of play and community, St. Pat’s is walking in the Brighton 4th of July Parade, and we would love to have a whole host of people, so please consider signing up and joining us! While walking in the parade is obviously a great way to have fun and build community among parishioners, it is also a subtle way to bear witness to the rest of Brighton that the Church is alive and joyful. Events such as these can lead to casual conversations and invitations to join St. Pat’s events such as Alpha or some community-building night. So, if you want to support your Church and your country, please consider walking in the parade. For further information see the Events page on page 4. Important note: Due to the parade we will have Mass at 8:30 AM on Friday, July 4th in the Church.
Housekeeping Items
Fr. Mathias preached on various housekeeping items that pertain to coming to Mass on Sundays. If you missed that homily, see it here.
I pray that you have a blessed Solemnity of the Sacred Heart on Friday and a blessed Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul on Sunday!
Your servant in the Lord,
Dcn. Peter