Good morning from Joy Valley! As we write this, we are looking up at the green hills and listening to the birds sing, and it really does feel like joy is pervading everything. God is so good and we are incredibly humbled by His blessings—the privilege and responsibility of working and living here is incredible!
We have big plans for this week’s Cause of Our Joy. We want to talk about the wonderful feast of Corpus Christi that we will celebrate tomorrow and talk about the Sacred Heart of Jesus (June is the month of the Sacred Heart), and also, to tackle the other big thing folks are talking about this month: “Pride” celebrations.
It’s a lot to wrestle with and we want to do all of it justice. So without further ado, let’s get into this!
Corpus Christi
Tomorrow is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. It is a Eucharistic feast that concludes a long string of wonderful liturgical feasts. You can find the readings for tomorrow’s Mass here.
Fr. Dwight Longenecker wrote a dynamite article for the National Catholic Register called “The Gritty Reality of Corpus Christi.” It takes about 3 minutes to read and it’s a wonderful way to prepare yourself for tomorrow’s feast.
Eucharistic Miracles
In preparing to get the most out of our celebration of Corpus Christi we found this wonderful article, The True Presence: Eucharistic Miracles Over the Centuries for Corpus Christi. It discusses several miracles of the Eucharist as well as Venerable Carlo Acutis, the teenager who studied these miracles and catalogued them to make an exhibit (which is currently being featured at the Marian Center this summer.)
If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit and see the Exhibit on Eucharistic Miracles of the World at the Marian Center yet, we’d love to host you.
Celebrating Corpus Christi with the Family
As we have often said, one of our biggest goals with this weekly email is to encourage the protection and promulgation of Catholic culture and heritage, especially within the family. Whether or not you have children or grandchildren, it is of dire importance to pass on our identity as loving, joyful, Catholic people. We found this article, “How to Make the Feast of Corpus Christi Come Alive in Your Family” a great resource for doing just that!
Sacred Heart
The entire month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with the Feast of the Sacred Heart being this Friday, June 28th. Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, giving her 12 promises to those who maintain a devotion to His Sacred Heart.
The Sacred Heart is depicted with a crown of thorns, fire, and the cross. This image can be somewhat confusing or jarring, especially if we don’t understand the symbolism. This piece from Aleteia shed some light on why the Sacred Heart appears as it does.
Sacred Heart in the Home
At their best, our homes are meant to be a place of order, peace, and prayer. With little ones running around we sometimes struggle with the order and peace part, but we certainly can instill the prayer part! Having the image of the Sacred Heart (and the Immaculate Heart!) is a wonderful way to be reminded of who we are and what we are about. Our friend Emily Jaminet wrote an article for the National Catholic Register about how Enthronement of the Sacred Heart can strengthen your family. It’s a worthy read!
“Pride Month”
Every human being made in the image and likeness of God possesses inviolable dignity and is worthy of respect. As we engage LGBTQ+ issues and the “Pride” movement, love, prayer, and a genuine care for others must precede our discussions and interactions with EVERYONE!
Responding with truth to the LGBTQ+ movement can be a daunting task. Many of us don’t feel like we have enough information to engage this touchy topic with others. Many of us have friends and/or family members who are same-sex attracted, so the issue hits close to home.
Without claiming to provide an exhaustive response to the “Pride” movement, we do want to offer a resource or two that may be useful in having these challenging conversations.
True Love
One of these is an article called “Love and Joy are Found in the Sacred Heart, Not in Sin.” If you have a moment, please take a look.
Pride Parades
We also found “Pride Parades vs. Eucharistic Processions” to be an eye-opening contrast.
Stay Tuned!
In next week’s Cause of Our Joy we’ll highlight the beauty of the Church’s teaching on human sexuality and her loving and merciful disposition toward those with same-sex attraction.
Something for the Kids
Because we have the Eucharistic Miracles exhibit at the Marian Center right now, we were searching for a kids’ craft and found this one! It’s a YouTube tutorial on how to make a monstrance—how nifty!
Here are some great ideas for celebrating the Sacred Heart of Jesus at home.
Marian Minute
This coming Thursday, June 27th, the Church will be celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Many have a devotion to the Blessed Mother under this title, but do you know the symbolism behind the icon? This article gives a concise and easy-to-read description!
The Marian Center has been leading a preparation to Jesus through Mary consecration class using Fr. Michael Gaitley’s 33 Days to Morning Glory. The feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is also our consecration day. Please say a prayer for those who are in the final days of preparation!
Saint Spotlight
The Church celebrates the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on June 24th. John was the cousin of Jesus and the first to recognize Christ at the Feast of the Visitation. Jimmy Akin has an article on 11 things to know and share about St. John the Baptist.
This three-minute video from Kendra Tierney at Catholic All Year is fun and gives some great ideas on how to celebrate this amazing saint’s feast day.
Marian Center Update
June- August – Eucharistic Miracles of the World Exhibit at the Center
Friday, June 28th – Community Potluck and Family Night. Dinner starts at 6:00.
Every Friday in July – Bonfire and BBQ. Bring the kids and/or a dish to pass and join us! Grilling starts at 6:00 and salads will be available for those not eating meat!
And you can register online for the Marian Conference this Oct. 25-27 at www.MarianConference.org. You won’t want to miss it.
To Christ Through Mary,
Katie Moe and Lori Mercer
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