A Shepard's Care
Weekly Column

For the last two years I was blessed to participate in the Encounter School of Ministry which helped me become more activated in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was an inspiring and renewing experience. Encounter Ministries began at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Brighton, Michigan, and is now an international movement fanning the flame of revival in the Catholic Church. (See: https://encounterschool.org/) And I am excited to announce that some of their teachers are coming to IHM to share the fruits that the Holy Spirit has been producing through them.

“But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it.” In today’s gospel reading from Matthew, we hear the well-known parable of the sower. This parable has challenged all of us since the time of Christ to live a holy life loving God and letting Him love us. In the parable, the sower who generously scatters the seeds on good and bad ground is God. The seeds represents his Word. We are the ground or soil which receives the seeds. In this parable, Christ is challenging all of us and asking if our faith is taking deep root in our lives. Are we good soil or bad soil? That’s the question for us to answer today. So what soil are we?

This weekend as we reflect upon our nation’s 250th birthday, our Scripture readings invite us to see our country not only in the context of human history, but also of salvation history. Salvation history is the story of God’s grace flowing through human history.

Scripture scholars say that some version of the phrase “do not be afraid” occurs 365 times in the Bible. The Lord, of course, wants to encourage us with this phrase every day of the year. It is mentioned three times in today's Gospel reading: “Fear no one… Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul… Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10: 26, 28, 31).

In these three days that we are presently in, the Church has given us a point of reflection and prayer to deepen our faith in the Life of God. On Friday we celebrated devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The very Heart that pumped the Blood of Christ’s Humanity that is joined to His Divinity. A heart that once stopped by His death on the Cross, was pierced by the lance of a soldier. At that, the blood and water flowed from His side Giving His life to the world in the Sacraments. Through His Sacred Heart all generations are delivered from sin and death. It is the very center of His Love for us and His thirst for us is unquenchable. As His Blood Flows out to the world from His Sacred Heart, pouring out His Divine Mercy, He longs for our love in return as we are redeemed to the Father through that Sacrificial offering on the Cross. His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity that we receive at every Mass is the culmination of the Love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist.

The bishops of the United States are inviting us to join them in consecrating our nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This consecration is meant to prepare our country for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 2026). The consecration will take place on Thursday, June 11, on the Eve of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, we will pray the Consecration Prayer after Communion during the 8:30 am Mass and during the 7 pm Candlelight Mass.

When looking at the state of young people in the world today, it can be easy to fall into despair. In 2024, the youth ministry organization Lifeteen published a report called “The State of Catholic Youth in America”. According to data gathered for this report, the average attention span of a teenager has fallen under 8 seconds. The average teen spends 4 hours and 15 minutes per day on social media, and watches about 68 videos a day. The stats on mental health and well-being are even more troubling. In 2021, 44% of teens reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless. According to the Wall Street Journal, 4 out of 5 teens lack a sense of purpose in their life. Teens in 2023 spent 70% less time socializing with friends than teens in 2003.

This Spiritual life that we are all called to live is important for us as Christians. It is a gift, a grace of our Baptism and Confirmation. Just as the Holy Spirit dwells in the Soul of Christ Himself, so He dwells within us. The third person of the Holy Trinity is the manifestation of the Love of the Father and Son. A love so complete, where the mutual self-giving from all eternity, bears fruit in the Spirit of that love to all of creation. In Light from Light, all things are.

The Easter Season is coming to a climax—this weekend we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord and next weekend is Pentecost. These two events are closely related as Jesus tells his apostles right before he ascends to heaven: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The apostles probably felt intimidated by this mandate to go “to the end of the earth!” But after they received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost they were, indeed, empowered to give witness to Jesus wherever he sent them. And successive generations of Christians have done the same eventually establishing the Archdiocese of Denver in 1887.