To Jesus through Mary! Happy first Saturday to you! We have some great news that we are thrilled to be sharing! The Marian Apparition Exhibit is here and ready for visitors! At long last, and because of YOUR help, we will be able to more effectively teach and spread the message of Our Lady!
Give us just a moment to gush… When we set out to bring this exhibit to the Marian Center, we did so because we love the Blessed Mother a lot (like a whole lot), but, to be frank, were unsure of how we were going to pay for it. We decided to order it and put the rather large bill for the exhibit in her maternal hands. And, as you may have guessed, like a mother she took care of the details. You can imagine our joy when the sponsorship donations started pouring in through the mailbox! YOU all wanted this exhibit as much as we did! Our hearts are full as we type this.
So, we just wanted to start this Saturday’s email off with a huge thank you. With your support, love and prayers, we pledge to keep up the mission of making Jesus and His mother known and loved!
On that note, we’re going to get into the heart of this email, and, as you may have seen coming, we’re talking about THE heart. The heart of Jesus. The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so today we’re going to dive headlong right into His most Sacred Heart.
Enthrone Your Home!
You know you’re in a Catholic house when you see the images of the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts hung in a prominent place on the wall. It’s a hallmark of Catholic culture and one that really differentiates Catholics from other Christian denominations. However, a practice that isn’t practiced so much these days is enthroning your home to the Sacred Heart. In short, enthronement is basically treating your home as if Jesus is present there and is the ruling King within it. It’s a powerful devotion and, given the attack on families (and home life), it is necessary these days. Now, technically, a priestly visit to your home is required for the enthronement, but during these strange times, we did our best without a priest (and will have a priest come to our house as soon as we can). Want to join us in enthroning your home as well? Here’s how!
His Scarred Heart
We all have scars. Some are visible. Other scars are not. They’re felt in our deepest part of our hearts. Those who are not Catholic might wonder why we make such a big deal out of Jesus’ heart. But it is that heart — that bleeding, pierced, scarred heart — that loves us so much and is often so little loved in return. The devotion to the Sacred Heart is just that — us loving the heart that loved us first. We found this 4 minute video that speaks to that and we really enjoyed it!
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
The devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus came to be known through a sickly nun who lived in France in the mid to late 1600s. Her story is remarkable, but not so much so that she seems unlike us. 2nd Corinthians states that His power is made perfect in weakness, and St. Margaret Mary’s life is a testament to that. We found an article about St. Margaret Mary and how these visions started and we learned a lot. The way Jesus spoke to her heart is the same way he wants to speak to ours!
The Promises
Through Jesus’ revelation to St. Margaret Mary, He promised special care for those who practiced a devotion to His Sacred Heart. We found a quick review of the 12 promises and, if you have time, check out this gem of a video – Fr. John Hardon giving a 45 minute retreat on the 12 promises! (We were short on time so we watched it at 1.5 x speed and it was perfectly understandable.)
Marian Minute
We realize that not everyone will be able to visit the Marian Apparition Exhibit this summer or fall, so our plan for the next weeks and months is to use the “Marian Minute” to feature a lesser known approved apparition of Mary. This week we will take a trip to Spain to learn about the Our Lady of Montserrat. The complete story can be found here!
Liturgical Living
This coming Sunday is Most Holy Trinity Sunday and we found some neat little printables that you can use with the kids at home. Another way to live out your Catholic identity is to practice a greater devotion to the Sacred Heart this month. We found 8 Ways to Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Home to have some good ideas. Check it out!
Nifty News
What could be better than a prison conversion story? One that began with Mother Teresa! To learn how a visit from Mother Teresa in prison had a major impact on the life of Jim Wahlberg (actor Mark Wahlberg’s brother) head over to Church Pop.
Sunday Readings
The readings for this Sunday – the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity- can be found here. We also recommend this piece, Love Lessons from the Most Holy Trinity, from The National Catholic Register for your Sunday Mass preparation. And, as usual, the link to Dr. Scott Hahn’s reflection can be found here.
Marian Center Update
The exhibit is open to the public! We are open for our full schedule from Tuesday to Friday 10 to 5, and Saturday 10 to 4. Hope to see you soon!
To Christ Through Mary,
Katie Moe and Lori Mercer
P.S. Please forward this email to friends and encourage them to sign up for our email newsletter.
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