Speaker 1 00:00:10 Welcome back to another edition of our diocesan podcast, big City Catholics, with Bishop Robert Brennan, the Diocese Bishop of Brooklyn, myself, father Christopher Henney. Today we're joined with special guest from the Diocese of Columbus, father Daley, who will introduce in just a few moments. But our topic today is divine mercy, as we come close to this feast of the Divine mercy. We pray today as our opening prayer, the prayer that is prayed every time we pray, the divine mercy, the closing prayer in the name of the Father, son, and Holy Spirit, amen. Eternal God in who? Mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible look kindly upon us and increase your mercy in us that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence, submit ourselves to your holy will, which is love and mercy itself. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen.
Speaker 2 00:01:04 Well, hello Father Heew. It's good to be back together again for the podcast. And we are just coming off of a great weekend, having celebrated the solemn feast of Corpus Christi, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. That leads us into the Feast of the Sacred Heart, and I've invited a priest who I consider a good friend, father Stash Daley, who was one of the priest of Columbus in Ohio, with whom I had the pleasure of serving. Father Daley is, for me was the vicar for religious as well as a pastor, but also now serves on the faculty of the Pontifical College, Joseph Feem, he's Vice Rector, which gives him responsibility over the college portion of the seminary. So Father St, thank you so much for joining us today
Speaker 3 00:01:51 For Join Privilege to join you, albeit from a distance, <laugh>
Speaker 1 00:01:55 <laugh>,
Speaker 2 00:01:55 The, the wonder of technology. Isn't it great,
Speaker 1 00:01:59 The podcast doesn't have the, uh, budget to fly you in yet, just yet. <laugh>. <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:02:05 And yet father has come in to Brooklyn a few times because he does some spiritual direction with people in the east and also has done some retreat work for some of our religious, so he knows he has an open door here in Brooklyn and he usually brings some pastries back to
Speaker 3 00:02:22 Ohio <laugh>. That's true. You gotta love those black and white cookies. <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:02:29 Do you know very few people in Ohio knew what a black and white cookie
Speaker 1 00:02:33 Is? <laugh>. Seriously,
Speaker 2 00:02:35 There was one woman who, from the northern part of the diocese who used to bring them to me once in a while, but nobody knew black
Speaker 1 00:02:41 And white, the things we take for granted here. Exactly. In New York. Exactly.
Speaker 2 00:02:44 So Corpus Christi was just a wonderful, wonderful day. You were in your old parish of Holy Family, father sta
Speaker 3 00:02:52 Yes. Um, yeah, I was very privileged and very blessed. Two of the three priests are in a provincial chapter in Rome, so the pastor asked if I would return to the parish to assist with Corpus Christi, knowing it's a special salinity, not only for the parish and for the church, but also for me in in particular and in person. So it was very much just a very blessed, beautiful opportunity to return to parish life and to celebrate such a powerful salinity with the faithful and of, for to preach on that powerful gospel passage all around. It was just
Speaker 2 00:03:21 Wonderful. That's right here. It, as part of our eucharistic revival, our deaneries came together to celebrate the feast in different ways. Some celebrated on the traditional day on Thursday, and then again they celebrated their own parishes and then some of the deanaries were together. I was here at the Cathedral with Father Hen. It was a beautiful mass, beautiful music, A nice crowd of people.
Speaker 1 00:03:44 Absolutely. Yeah. Thank you.
Speaker 2 00:03:45 Many who join us by way of television, um, many, especially the home bound. And then they had a procession, they cover two churches, this parish, and so they had a procession from one church to the other. I was with the deanery down in Carroll Gardens and we processed, they had a mass, I caught up with them at the end of mass and we had a procession from the park where they celebrated an out outdoor mass, was a great crowd. And then went through one of the busy streets of Brooklyn Court Street where there are people out all over the place. You know, people are walking, eating all kinds of things. And this huge procession went down this very busy street bringing our Lord, uh, to St. Mary's Star of the Sea. It was just incredible. And the people who participated, I was, um, in Astoria on Thursday, and they too just had a tremendous gathering. And we've had some unfortunate incidents here, father Daley, with either vandalism in the church, but a couple of desecrations of the Eucharist. In fact, on Friday I offered a massive reparation in one of those churches. But you know what encourages me in the midst of these kinds of things and in the midst of people expressing doubts, there is a significant group of the faithful who really do believe, and these kinds of days just bring out that faith and that love for Jesus in the Eucharist. Isn't that your experience as well?
Speaker 3 00:05:10 Absolutely. Absolutely. For sure. Yeah. No, I mean when it, people, the faith will always rise to the occasion when given the opportunity to treasure, protect and really, like you said, pray with gratitude and thanksgiving for the gift of the Lord. I'm among that.
Speaker 2 00:05:22 Yeah. I often think if Jesus said when the son of man returns, will he find faith? I wish he would find more faith, but I believe he will find faith. I, I believe he'll find faith here in Brooklyn and Queens. I think he'll find it over there in Columbus. He'll find a lot of faith because there are people who really believe and really do love Jesus Christ. Yeah,
Speaker 3 00:05:42 Absolutely.
Speaker 1 00:05:42 Bishop and, and your homily on the Feast of Corpus Christi, you know, you mentioned something I thought was really beautiful for the das and Bishop to say words of affirmation. You said to the people sitting in the pews, the people who who watch mass via net tv, the fact that you are here shows us that your faith is strong. That's really beautiful statement of, of affirmation. It's nice to hear that. It's nice for our local shepherd to say, you know, thank you for your faith. Your faith is strong and can it be stronger? Yes, hope, hopefully we pray that it, it'll continue to grow. But when we took this procession, thank you again, Bishop, for celebrating the mass, our procession walked through the streets of this very gentrified and gentrifying neighborhood here in Brooklyn. We printed out flyers so that as we walked the street and people would stand and, you know, take photos or videos of this kind of antique procession walking through. You know this as if, if we're like a sign of of things once before and we had flyers of what is the Eucharist? Why do we believe what we believe and the name of our church and, and our address, so that hopefully people will see that and maybe it'll re encourage or rejuvenate them to consider what a coming back
Speaker 2 00:06:53 Yeah. Idea. What a great idea. Yeah. Excellent. You know, father Daley, you spoke about the significance of the feast, uh, for the church in general, but also for you, really for all of us as priests, this is a great week for priests because we start the week with the solemn feast of Corpus Christi. But on Friday, the day that this particular episode launches, we celebrate the solemn feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And it's a day of prayer for sanctification of priest. So this is a beautiful week, a very powerful week for all the church for us as priest, but really for all the church.
Speaker 3 00:07:31 No, it's so true. And you know, I mean, how often do we hear our faithful or our brother priests, you know, or just anybody moving through life? They say, what timing is everything <laugh>? You know, timing is everything. Well, you know, it doesn't matter what you're trying to accomplish, timing is everything. And the timing of the sacred heart piece is powerful, but I think a lot of times we don't fully appreciate it or it falls to the back of our mind. But, you know, Corpus Christi, you mentioned like some of the parishes celebrated the perception for Corpus Christi on the Thursday before, which is originally the date of the celebrity on that Thursday. And of course a lot of people wonder, well, why? And it, it really, it's nine Thursdays from holy Thursday, a kind of novena of weeks, nine weeks have passed. Of course that really makes it sink in <laugh>, you know, just nine Thursdays.
Speaker 3 00:08:17 And so we've been kind of like living a novena of Thursdays and that's how the, you know, the traditional date was set. But Bishop be highlighted it for a priest or for someone who's praying for priests or praying for vocations to the priesthood, when we enter into the mystery of Corpus Christi, it's always important for us to just kind of take full stock and full measure of how the Lord instituted the gifts of himself among us in the Eucharist at the same time, at the same event as he instituted the priesthood. And for you, for me, for all priests, it's not something we boast in. It's really something that it humbles our hearts and it revitalizes our souls to realize that, you know, know our identity as men of God. Priest of Jesus Christ is intimately bound up with the mystery of Corpus Christi, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 3 00:09:04 You know what most people might say as a blessed sacrament or holy communion to kind of hear that out, Corpus Christi started on a Thursday and then it went for eight days in octave, eight days of celebrating the gift of Jesus among us in the Eucharist, eight days of giving things and praise for the institution of the priesthood. Something for the faithful to be praying for and something for the priest to be praying about. But when the Lord appeared in the great apparitions to reveal his sacred heart, he said, you know, the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, I went that a universal feast of my sacred heart with the understanding that for eight days we've been giving thanks and praise for the gift of the Lord among us in the Eucharist. And then on that ninth day from the Thursday, that Friday, we then see the totality of the person in Jesus, the, the whole heart, the whole person of the Lord that the Eucharist leads us into, and that comes to us through the fingers, the hands of the priest. And I mean, these are just powerful days. Uh, you know, we Catholics, we can become party fatigue in the Easter season cuz there's just so much to celebrate, you know? Exactly. And here we are just kind of being overwhelmed by the goodness of God, the love of the Father, the presence of the Son among us, and how the spirit stirs within us to just kind of ponder these mysteries and give us greater meaning to our life.
Speaker 2 00:10:18 And we've all grown up with the images of the sacred heart, the, the image of Jesus, whether it be in a portrait or the statue with the open heart. Yeah. And you get that invitation. In fact, this year we'll use the reading from Matthew, come to me, all you who labor and are burdened. And I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon your shoulders. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. We hear Jesus drawing us to himself, calling us to his open heart, his love, amazing love, his profound love for each and every one of us and for all of us.
Speaker 3 00:10:52 Yeah. And, and I think, you know, in an age where so many of us are easily tempted or plagued to doubt the sincerity of someone for whatever reason, for a variety of reasons, it's of utmost importance for Catholics, for all Christians, for all people of good will. To understand that when the Lord speaks to us, there's nothing but sincerity and authenticity. When he reveals his heart, he's literally revealing the totality of who he is. There's nothing hidden from us. He reveals the fullness of his love for us. That openness and that invitation is extended to come to him and thank God for
Speaker 2 00:11:23 It. You know, in the diocese where I grew up right next door to where I am now, in the diocese of Rockville Center this year they've kind of taken the month of June as the month of the sacred heart. And all the churches have these banners with the image of the sacred heart and the words God is love. And you know, when you think about it, love is so misunderstood these days and it gets reinterpreted in many different ways, some of them not healthy. And yet by contrast, we focus in God is love, self emptying, sacrificial love, rooted in the truth, rooted in God who created us in his own image and likeness.
Speaker 3 00:12:06 No, it's true. I I think you know, what we need most today for all of humanity, but especially within the church, is that that encounter with the love that the Lord only the Lord can give and only the Lord has. And, uh, it's an invitation to you and me and to all to remember we can't give what we don't have. And humanity is desperate for God's love. And that's the power of the witness of the Christian. It's, we can radiate, we can reflect, we can echo the love that emanates from the heart of Jesus. And like you said, you know, so many of us were used to having the heart of Jesus exposed in our homes and that might work for us. But we encounter a lot of people today who they're not familiar with the reality of having the heart of Jesus exposed in their home. They're not familiar with that message and they might not even be familiar with the gospel passage for the feast. And so there's really like a new fervor, a new awakening of excitement of how do we tap into that love that only the Lord can give, so that then we have his love to share and to offer and radiate to others.
Speaker 1 00:13:02 You know, father, my family, our Irish, my parents were born in Ireland and I had the opportunity every summer to go back to Ireland and, and spend time with my grandparents, my grandmother and my extended family. And every house that you enter in Ireland has the image of the sacred heart with a little red light shining on it. And that was like sort of the nightlight for a child. It is like walking through the dark kitchen at night or whatever. You have a, a great line that I think bishop credits you for about those images on the wall. If
Speaker 3 00:13:33 We are gonna be summarized by one liners at the end of our life I'm in, I'm in trouble. <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:13:39 Well what what's that line? Father?
Speaker 3 00:13:43 I, you know, being a great promoter of restoring the presence of the image of the sacred heart to people's homes. I always remind him, now remember the Lord doesn't wanna just be a picture on the wall. He wants to be the presence in the home. And you know, we have a line here. It is never one and done. You know, when someone embraces the invitation echoed by the church to really bring the heart of Jesus into their home, you know, it's not just merely a picture on the wall, it's actually inviting the presence of the Lord into the home. And, and I think this is a good opportunity just to kind of revisit the connection between Corpus Christi and sacred heart. You know, the presence of the Lord that we adore, we love, we receive in the holy charas at church. That's the presence we're supposed to be reminded of.
Speaker 3 00:14:27 Whenever we behold the heart of Jesus, whether it be like Bishop said, a beautiful print or picture on the wall or a statue in the corner, or a relief, you know, when we see that image powerful as it is given to us by the Lord himself. And even the Lord tells us to have his heart in the home and he will bless the homes where his heart is exposed and honored and venerated. We see that image, but then it's a reminder, an invitation into the presence of the Lord who's dwelling among us. Yeah, I mean no matter I've traveled all over the country and even all, all over Europe for engagements with regard to the sacred heart of Jesus. And you know what's interesting is everywhere I go, someone always points to Ireland, they always refer to Ireland. And I think that's just, it's beautiful, it's amazing.
Speaker 3 00:15:10 You know, as you can see that for a long time, for many generations, the faith in the Lord was really made strong by the, the people gathering together in the home, praying the rosary usually under the image of the heart of Jesus, there was an incredible source of strength and a spirit of perseverance. You know, I would just find it an invitation to be renewed by that, you know, and we can all be known for many things. And if you're known for having the heart of Jesus in your home, I think that's a really good thing to be known
Speaker 2 00:15:36 For <laugh>, isn't it? Isn't it? You know, to that end, I learned a great devotion from you and from the people of Ohio so that it's not just a matter of placing a picture on the wall, but you actually have the enrollment of the sacred heart in the home. It's a family prayer. Yeah. Prayer of the family in preparation and then it's really dedicating ourselves. It's re it's not just about a picture on the wall, but Right. Inviting Jesus into our home, into our family. Could you tell us a little bit more about the environment?
Speaker 3 00:16:07 Yeah, absolutely. So the environment is actually, it's a movement of the heart. It's a movement of the soul of a disciple. So an individual, a married couple, a family. It could be empty nesters, it could be a couple starting new. It could be someone in an apartment when they have been prompted by the Holy Spirit to really bring, invite the presence of Jesus into the home through the restoration of the sacred heart of Jesus. You know, there, uh, in image form the enthrallment process, which all came about, about 150 years ago, give or take from a, a beautiful, very hardworking missionary priest, father Mateo Crowley. The idea was the family was under incredible burdens. The family was under incredible stress and a lot of that had to do because of the Industrial revolution. Parents were being pulled out of the home just to earn enough money to keep food on the table.
Speaker 3 00:16:54 Children were left alone to fend for themselves. The stress, the burden on the family was incredible. And Father Mateo already building upon this strong, powerful devotion to the, having the heart of Jesus in the home. With the approval of multiple different popes, he started advocating for this exercise, this practice of not just having the heart of Jesus in your home, but the people who live in the home. They enthroned Jesus as king brother and friend. With the idea, with that conviction, with that consolation that once again it's not just a picture, it's a presence of the Lord Jesus dwelling among us. And we invite him to be the king, to be the brother and to be the friend no matter who we are, where we are, what we're experiencing. The Lord is able to be the Lord. You know, to use another phrase that's really popular today, you know, my home is my castle.
Speaker 3 00:17:45 And I would always tell, especially like at the men's conferences here in Columbus, I said, your hell might be your castle, but it's never gonna be your kingdom. It has to be the kingdom of the Lord. So give your castle over to the kingdom of the Lord if you want to have that peace that only the Lord can give. And of course it's one of those ooh and ah moments where're like, oh you stab deeply <laugh>. It's like, and it's like, but it's really the truth, you know? And we bring the Lord into our home, not in a superficial way, not in a one dimensional way. We bring him into our home in such a way to where he is, his presence as the king, as the brother, as the friend of all who dwell there. There's a particular movement of prayer. We really encourage people to do it on the Lord's day on Sunday after they've attended Sunday mass in their parish.
Speaker 3 00:18:29 Maybe have the image blessed by the priest, maybe even invite the priest to come over. But the person who actually entrons the heart of Jesus in the home. It's the person who lives there. You engage the word of God's sacred scripture. You've just received our Lord and holy communion. And then you have this really beautiful, we might even dare to say solemn, active enthronement where the individuals who are there, the family, the couple, they solemnly enthroned or place in a place of honor the heart of Jesus. And you know, I always tell people I grew up visiting my grandparents and we always had the living room with the furniture that was covered in plastic that no one could use <laugh>. And I was like, only for the Holy Father if he would visit one day <laugh>. And it's like the sacred heart of Jesus doesn't need to be in the formal living room where no one's allowed to go.
Speaker 3 00:19:14 The heart of Jesus needs to be in the kitchen or in the room where everyone's hanging out. So that we see him and that we are reminded, his presence is among us. And as much as he consoles us, the Lord praises God for this. He challenges us. And uh, I think, you know, I always tell people when you bring the Lord in, don't be surprised when he starts moving the furniture <laugh>. Mm-hmm. Rearranging things. And there's this other line you always encourage people to remember. When we bring the Lord into our home and we acknowledge him, his presence as king brother and friend, he will reveal things so as to heal those things. And we need only the healing that God can give. But in order to have that healing, the Lord himself will reveal where that healing is needed. And that's just some of the, the life-changing effects that come about from when a disciple just acknowledges Jesus is the king, the brother and the friend of all who dwell there and visit there, it's employing the already powerful image of the heart of Jesus. So it's really, really powerful. Really beautiful.
Speaker 1 00:20:12 And father speaking, you know, of life changing, I'd be interested to hear in, in your experiences those sort of, as we call them, like maybe success stories where you know, a family begins this process, this prayerful process and literally as you said, bringing Jesus into your home, letting him rearrange the house in a way that would bring you that peace, that healing. Any stories or any experiences that you can perhaps share with us?
Speaker 3 00:20:39 Yeah, well you know, it's interesting. I just celebrated my 15th anniversary of priesthood. In fact, I offered my first mass on the ity of Corpus Christi that year back in 2008. And right after I was ordained a priest, I was sent to a very large parish, St. Michael's in Worthington. And I moved, you know, I moved in July. The pastor showed me around for a couple of days and then he said, okay, I'm gonna take my time to visit my family. He said, so the place is yours. I'm like, what <laugh> 25 year old priest, the oil is still wet on my hands. And I was like, okay. Grateful that, you know, there was a very strong and they're just very beautiful staff. And the second day after the pastor went on his family visit, a young couple came in, a beautiful couple, the secretary passed him back and so was meeting with them.
Speaker 3 00:21:24 And you know, they said, well father, we'd like your blessing. And I said, oh, okay, sure. You know, if I may ask it for what? And they're like, well we wanna get divorced. And it's like, um, I'm new but I'm not that new <laugh>. I was like, what's going on here? And you know, as so often as the case of heartache and heartbreak, there was a breakdown in communication. And when there's a breakdown in communication, distance becomes painful. And I was just starving. I was just grabbing for anything I could think of and find. And I just happened to remember that I found an old booklet that was a novena of days, nine Days of Prayer for the Enthrallment of the Sacred Heart. I mean, truth be told, I wasn't thinking we're gonna claim this home, save this marriage for the sacred heart. I was just trying to buy myself nine days to find out what I gonna say <laugh>.
Speaker 3 00:22:09 You know, I was just like, okay, Lord, if I can get nice solid days, maybe I'll have something from the Holy Spirit. So I asked him, I said, you know, before we proceed any farther with this conversation, I know things are painful. I know things are difficult, would you be willing to pray with me for nine days? You'll be in your home, I'll be here. And um, and I said, the goal is on the ninth day we will just entrust ourselves to the sacred heart and we will entro. I said, there's two big things there and they're separate and unique and yet related. We will entrust and we will entro. They kind of look at me and roll their eyes and are like, fine, this is what we have to do. We'll do it. And you know, it's amazing. As they were praying the novena in preparation for Thermia of the Sacred Heart and learning about the sacred heart, by the third day, I mean things were so incredibly challenging, they were much worse in communication between the two of 'em.
Speaker 3 00:23:01 And then by the sixth day of the novena, the overall nine days, you know, I'm praying my knees off in the church, desperate to find direction on how to accompany this couple, how to just offer any kind of assistance. And by the sixth day, you know, it looked like there was a parting in the cloud only in Sofar as they could actually tolerate one another's presence. And then what had happened was by the ninth day of the novena, you know, they said, father, why don't you come to our house and we'll just finish it here. You know, I walked in and I'll never forget I walked in the door and on the stack of papers by the door were all of the papers from the attorneys and the lawyers and whatnot. And they didn't draw any attention to it, I just happened to catch it in my eye.
Speaker 3 00:23:39 But we went into the kitchen, in the kitchen on the island, they had an image of the sacred heart and a little candle burning, kinda like that image you shared of the homes in Ireland. And I said, you know, this is really beautiful. Uh, thank you for bringing the sacred heart into your home. And, and I said, before we conclude, you know, may I ask like what's been going on? And they said, father, we left your presence at St. Michael's. And we thought for sure, like you needed to be committed <laugh>. I'm like, here you are telling us to pray for nine days in am midst of all of this turmoil. And like we're done. And then by the third day, it was even worse for us by the sixth day, we don't even know, really know why. But by the sixth day we could actually sit down and say the prayers together.
Speaker 3 00:24:19 We had been praying them apart today on the ninth day. We know we are not where we need to be as a married couple, but we also know we didn't find each other on our own. We found each other because of someone else. And we know that someone else was the Lord and we do not know what to do from here, but we do know that we have to do it together. And so we had this powerful conversation. We said the prayers, and I told 'em, I said, one of the greatest things that I heard them say was that they knew everything wasn't perfect, but because of this process they were able to actually pray with one another. But before that, and even more importantly, they had been praying as individuals and you know, we just had this beautiful opportunity to kind of explore the psychology of our humanity.
Speaker 3 00:25:02 Like when we do not have the Lord on the throne, we put ourselves there or someone else there. And we automatically set that person up for failure cause only the Lord can be God. And when we let the Lord be God, then all of our other relationships fall into their proper category. They fall into their proper fruitfulness. And we just had a beautiful invitation to the sacrament of confession. And we had a beautiful opportunity for the, you know, that reality of praying together. And of course, you know, at another powerful missionary, father Peyton, the family that prays together stays together. I mean, it all comes together. If the Lord is at the center, if the Lord is at the center of our heart, at our homes, of our marriages, of our priesthood, of our vows, of conservative religious, if he's at the center of our school, he's at the center of our country, things come together.
Speaker 3 00:25:48 And that couple, you know, they were only recently married maybe two or three years by that point in time. I've had the privilege of, you know, walking with them now for 15 years and baptizing their five children. And you know, now the children are taller than I am. And you know, and we always go back to that, you know, and they've, they're in like their third house since that opportunity unfolded. And I'll pop in and visit every now and then. And it's like that simple, very inexpensive, almost, we might dare say cheap image of the sacred heart that they could find. And they put on the island in their kitchen. It was nothing fancy, nothing special. The edges of it are now warped, you know, and I think the Lord might've even been colored by one of the little babies at that point, you know?
Speaker 3 00:26:27 So, but at the same time, you know, they said, father, this is our most treasured possession. You know, it's nothing in the eyes of the world, but for us it's everything because it reminds us of what happens if we just put the Lord where he belongs on the throne and our home and our hearts. And you know, I just, um, it, it's humbling as a priest when you realize the power of the Lord in our own brokenness. You know what I mean? Like I said, the oil on my hands from ordination was still wet. And I just happened to have that simple, easy to follow booklet on a novena for the environment of the sacred heart, how to prepare your heart, your home. And I don't think that there's anything more tumultuous or challenging, maybe even more violent than a relationship where there's a broken communication, you know? And, and to see the Lord work there and how there's been ups and downs, twists and turns, but the power of Jesus and the effect of his mercy, um, and the reality of the sacrament and how it all started in the home
Speaker 2 00:27:27 In the Exactly. And um,
Speaker 3 00:27:29 You know, it just starts in
Speaker 2 00:27:30 The home. It all starts in Yeah, exactly. Now one of the things that really impressed me in Columbus was that there were so many people who caught onto this and you had the annual gathering, a Sacred Heart Congress in the fall. But there's also, for people who are, are interested, even now, you in Columbus have developed a website, um, yeah, it's welcome. His heart.com and on that website you see some of the prayers, but also you can get the material you need so that you can begin this devotion in your home. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Absolutely. And again, there are the external signs which are very, very important cuz the external signs do something to us to give, remind us of who we are and what's important. But it's really the internal action of making the intention to make Jesus Christ the center of our home. So I would encourage anybody who wants to know more, and I hope that we'll have opportunities to talk more about the internment of the Sacred Heart in conjunction with the St. Gabriel Radio. You, you have the conversations there. You have a monthly program. Is that true on First Friday?
Speaker 3 00:28:37 We do, yeah. We have a live show. I can joined Wilson, who maybe about two or three years into my work of really pushing and throw it, advocating for it in the home. The Lord brought the three of us together, and then we were invited by Think Radio to have a live hour long radio show on the first Friday of the month. On a monthly day of the Sacred Heart. We cover topics relating to the life of the church, the importance of the heart of Jesus in the home. Yeah. So it's, it's really powerful. And, and Bishop, like you said, this is not a devotion that's limited to any particular diocese or geography or country or even language. It's universal. And so anyone in anyone is most welcome to, uh, go to
[email protected] and find, uh, the resources that can guide them in making the Lord the center of their home, wherever they may be.
Speaker 2 00:29:19 That's just great. And so for those who are interested, I invite you to take a look and we'll have opportunities to talk about this a little bit more so that maybe I can envision this devotion growing even here because family life is so under attack and whatever we can do to strengthen the bonds that we share with each other, but that those bonds that we have with each other are really rooted in Jesus Christ
Speaker 1 00:29:45 Around this time last year, actually, Bishop, you had given me the booklet or the pamphlet of Welcome His Heart for me to see it and experience it. And I think under your leadership and under your direction, perhaps as we approach these upcoming feasts, maybe not this year necessarily, but well
Speaker 2 00:30:00 Maybe, or maybe just even as part of Eucharistic Revival, one of the things I, I said this at the Prison Mass, the Pew Study talks about the crisis of faith in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed sacrament. But I raised the question, how do you believe in the real presence of a person whom you just look about as a memory from the past, not so much as a person with whom you have an encounter. We need to have that encounter with Jesus Christ personally and in our homes if we're really going then to believe in his presence in the blessed sacrament. So they do go to together, this devotion of the Sacred Heart is a part of Eucharistic revival. Yeah,
Speaker 1 00:30:38 That's a great point. Well, father Daley, thank you for joining us today in this Daon podcast, big City Catholics. I really appreciate hearing your stories and growing in the knowledge of the mercy of the sacred heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope and pray for your continued successful ministry there and in Ohio, and good luck in the seminary now that you're vice rector of the Josephinum, and we pray for the seminarians there and for your continued work in this field. I'm gonna ask, uh, Bishop, if he would end with a prayer.
Speaker 2 00:31:07 I will. And as I mentioned early on in our conversation, the Solemn Feast of the Sacred Heart is also a day of prayer for sanctification of priests. And so I ask your prayers for all of us priest as we try to serve you. And if I, and to ask your prayers for me that I too may serve you faithfully, joyfully with that heart of Jesus, the good shepherd, the sacred heart of Jesus who loves us more than we can imagine. Let us pray, grant, we pray Almighty God, that we who glory in the heart of your beloved son and recall the wonders of His love for us may be made worthy to receive and overflowing measure of grace from that foun of heavenly gifts through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen. Amen. The Lord be with you
Speaker 1 00:32:03 And with your spirit.
Speaker 2 00:32:04 Amen. Mighty God bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you Father Daley for joining us, uh, for this edition of Big City Catholics. You led us into a great discussion and I appreciate your fervor, your generous service, but I thank you for sharing with us all the way over here in Brooklyn and Queens
Speaker 3 00:32:23 <laugh>. You're very welcome, Bishop, and thank you father for having me. It was a true privilege and an opportunity to just kind of propagate that devotion as the Lord has asked us to do.
Speaker 1 00:32:32 Amen. Amen. Thank you again Father, and thanks to all who listen to this podcast. We hope that you'll continue, continue to share it among your friends and family and on your social media networks, and we'll hope that you join us again next week for another edition. God bless.
