By Dan Russo
Editorial
Next week, two unprecedented spiritual efforts are coinciding which will hopefully lead to an increase in unity and charity in the United States.
First, on June 11-12, U.S. bishops will consecrate the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland, Oregon, who chairs the USCCB committee on religious liberty, recently told OSV news the three reasons for the consecration. The first is so that the country can “place ourselves under God’s providence and care.”
“In the history of our nation, it’s undoubtable and it’s irrefutable that the faith — and our reliance on God — really was the foundation that our Founding Fathers placed this nation on.”
Second, Archbishop Sample cited the need for reparation. “We are a great and blessed nation — but there are mistakes that we have made as a people over these 250 years. And so this is a good time,” the archbishop added, “to also make reparation to the heart of Christ for those offenses against his love, and his mercy, and his justice — for all peoples.”
Finally, the archbishop explained that “there’s this desire, through this consecration, to also call us to have a greater heart for the poor and the suffering … as we honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we can’t just honor it as a private devotion. It has to move us, and move our hearts.’”
The second event which ties into the consecration is a National Eucharistic Pilgrimage which began May 24 in Florida. The route will go through the original 13 colonies, reach Maine, and then end on July 4 in Philadelphia. Nine young adults from around the U.S. will be “perpetual pilgrims” making the journey primarily on foot.
Mary Carmen Zakrajsek, 26, of Indiana is among those chosen. In an interview with The Criterion, she said: “Gratitude is what carries a nation forward … Like every nation, we are dependent upon grace, upon God. This spiritual pilgrimage is a reminder of our dependence upon him. He desires to renew us, refresh us and bless us with his presence in the Eucharist.”
The first amendment to the Constitution protects individual religious freedom and also prohibits the establishment of a national religion or church. At various points over the decades, courts and other powerful forces have misinterpreted Thomas Jefferson’s line in an 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association about “a wall of separation between Church & State” to justify the exclusion of religious expression from the public square.
The purpose of the first amendment, however, was to create an environment where free expression of religion could thrive and influence public life for the better. At the same time, no one religion could have a government sponsored monopoly. A founding principal of our nation is that our individual rights come from God, so it makes sense to thank our creator publicly and ask for divine assistance at this special time. This principal aligns with Catholic teaching about natural law.
Natural law is the idea that God has written his law on every human heart. The basic summary of this innate morality, often described as our conscience, is that “Good is to be done and pursued and evil is to be avoided,” according to St. Thomas Aquinas.
The upcoming prayers and ongoing pilgrimage will foster good actions and changed hearts.
Bishop Dennis Walsh has invited every Catholic in the Davenport Diocese to join a novena in preparation for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus June 3-11. Father Nicholas Akindele, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Davenport is livestreaming this novena at TheyHaveNoWine.com and on social media. St. Mary Parish in Grinnell will host a eucharistic procession and consecration prayers June 7 at 11:30 a.m. Bishop Walsh will preside at Mass beforehand. (More details are on Page 4)
The national Sacred Heart Consecration prayer can be found at: https://www.usccb.org/consecration-united-states-sacred-heart-jesus. Information on the Eucharistic Pilgrimage is at: https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/
Dan Russo, editor
