A couple excerpts from his letter:

“As our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding in the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the Bishops of our Nation through the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, overwhelmingly agreed that we should observe this tremendous occasion by consecrating our nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In doing so we are reminded not only of the great blessings which are ours as a nation—the freedom and liberty which are ours because of the sacrifices of the prior generation, but also of the great responsibility which those blessings require of us. We are reminded that these blessings can only be appreciated fully in the context of our relationship with Almighty God, the giver of every good gift, the Creator of this abundant land, who forever calls us into relationship with himself and precisely through his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.”

“We live in a world that is fractured—fractured by war and violence—fractured by a political landscape which is increasingly polarized, so that we are so often unable to recognize what unites us but focus, rather, on what divides us. 

This is also true of the Church. For using on the heart of Jesus Christ and his undying love for the world, his undying love for all of humanity, certainly, but also his undying love for each of us as individuals, allows us to take our focus off of what divides us and to focus, rather, on what unites us, namely, our common faith, our common baptism, our oneness in the Eucharistic Sacrifice as we share together in the Body and Blood of Christ.”

“As Pope Francis stated in concluding his exhortation, ‘Christ’s love can give a heart to our world and revive love wherever we think that the ability to love has been definitively lost.’

May we have hearts that are open to see him and to know him in our brothers and sisters, even those who have hurt us, even those from whom we are alienated.”

Heart of Jesus, source of justice and love - have mercy on us.

Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love - have mercy on us.

Heart of Jesus, patient and full of mercy - have mercy on us.

Heart of Jesus, generous to all who turn to you - have mercy on us.

Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation - have mercy on us.

For those who desire to read the entire Pastoral Letter with prayers you may go to the website:

https://www.scdiocese.org/letter

At the entrances are pamphlets of Bishop Keehner’s letter, free for the taking. We have been given an additional Heart of Jesus Prayer that is in the pews for your taking.

Considering the heat and humidity of these mid summer days, sometimes a bit of self deprecating humor is necessary. Noticed on church signs throughout the Midwest are these ‘special’ sayings. 

“Lord, help us to be the people our dogs think we are.”

“Forgive your enemies; it messes with their heads.”

“Live your life well so we don’t have to lie at your funeral.”

“Just love everyone. I’ll sort ‘em out later—God.”

God Bless,  Fr. Tim

FYI: “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.” (Helen Keller)