Gulf Pine Catholic

2 Gulf Pine Catholic • June 26, 2020 June 19, 2020 Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sollemnitas Sacratissimi Cordis Iesu Juneteenth, Emancipation Day This year the Solemn Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, ( the image of the Sacred Heart represents the actual heart of Jesus Christ and His love for all humanity and symbol- izes the divine light of His love ) falls on Juneteenth, commemo- rating Emancipation Day. On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger (along with 2,000 Union troops) announced to the people in Galveston, Texas, that the Civil War was over and slavery had been abolished in our nation. We hear in 1 John 4:7-8, Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. If we take to heart these words of Holy Scripture, not only is there no room for racism or any form of bigotry, hatred or slavery, we are truly called to LOVE one another-from the heart. For it is “In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.” 1 John 4:9 Under the shadow of the violence between police and citi- zens of color and the extension of that violence into communi- ties where neighbors have killed neighbors, I am reminded of US Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina recounting his per- sonal interactions with police, from being pulled over seven times in one year in South Carolina to being stopped when walking onto the grounds of the Capitol for no other reason than the color of his skin. In light of the unrest, violence, and division in our country, part of my reflection and of our reflection should be centered on these experi- ences and on the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- am I, and are we, willing to take a hard look at ourselves and how we image the love of Jesus Christ and His Sacred Heart -- His love for all humanity and the divine light of His love? Jesus gave his life for us and rose from the dead that we all may become free. Thus, as we gaze upon Jesus with his arms outstretched and his Sacred Heart exposed, revealing His eternal love for us, it is a call for each and every one of us, you and me, to have a change of heart that all people may be truly free. Jesus shows us the way and sometimes it includes the Cross. The old saying often attributed to Native Americans to never judge a person until you have walked a mile in their moc- casins has truth. This should give us pause individually, as a Church, and as a nation. United in our celebration of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Juneteenth, we must stand together as brothers and sisters, united in the love of Jesus Christ, so that racism, bigotry, hatred, and slavery of any kind may cease. In this way, we bear witness that we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. 1 John 4:14-15 Bishop Kihneman A message from Bishop Kihneman Prayer for Protection against Storms and Hurricanes Our Father in Heaven through the intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, spare us during this Hurricane season from all harm. Protect us and our homes from all disasters of nature. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.