Declaration of FaithSitting on the curb along the parade route, kids scramble

whenever a handful of candy gets tossed their way. Watchful parents shepherd little ones back to the sidelines as the next float, classic car, color guard, or other July 4 entertainment approaches.

In Old Testament times, when the head of a household owned livestock, the youngest son tended the flock, while his older siblings worked in the fields. David, son of Jesse, was a shepherd before becoming king.

As David’s family tree grew, the Lord God fulfilled His promise of a king in David’s lineage who would govern with wisdom and justice. Enter Jesus, Son of God, Good Shepherd, and King.

When Jesus invited the Apostles to head by boat to a deserted place for a bit of a holiday, people saw them leaving. Word got around so that a crowd awaited them by the time they reached a new shore. Jesus regarded the crowd as a flock in need of a shepherd.

Independence Day parades feature marching bands with their shining horns and woodwinds and drums, all in step as they play. In biblical times, shepherds would play a flute to get a parade of sheep moving toward new ground for grazing. Crowds flocked to hear Jesus, drawn to the sound of words that led people to ask as He taught in the synagogue, “Where did this man get all this?” (Mark 6.)

The Declaration of Independence includes reliance on divine protection. Children dressed in red, white, and blue enjoy the parade and the sweet taste of their candy as we celebrate ideals of our nation. At Mass, we come together as God’s children. We come—not because we have tasted the bread, but because we believe in Jesus, the Bread of Life.

Heart of the Nation’s ministry depends on gifts and prayers that come our way. Especially during the summer, we scramble for donations. During the Summer Fund Drive, your gift or monthly pledge will be a wonderful declaration of your faith.

Faith As Close As Your TV

Monthly Bulletin July 2018

Fr. Mark PayneChaplain

Praying the Rosary With Heart of the Nation

Do you wish that you had someone to lead you in praying the rosary?

Click on Prayer Videos at www.HeartoftheNation.org for rosaries prayed while reflecting on the Joyful, Glorious, Sorrowful, or Luminous Mysteries, depending on the day of the week.

TV Mass shares “the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8). Please donate today!

Becoming lost sends people into a panic. On our life’s journey, sometimes we seem to wander or go around in frantic circles. Spiritually hungry and thirsty, we need direction.

A lost hiker in our hemisphere can point the hour hand of a wristwatch toward the sun and follow an imaginary line leading from halfway between the hour hand and 12 to head due south. Jesus, our Light and source of spiritual help, gives us all that we need to head straight toward Him.

Scripture recounts a synagogue official named Jairus, who begged Jesus to come and heal his gravely ill daughter. They set off, but then a messenger came to say that it was too late.

We can easily imagine the distraught parent giving up hope then and there.

The Lord told him to have faith. All was not lost! Like Jairus, we have the Lord with us. On our own, we would lose our bearings, but we don’t travel alone.

At times, we might also feel like the bedraggled disciples who finally arrived in town to minister in Jesus’ name. Knocking on doors in search of

a place to stay, they might discover that the accommodations lacked just about everything but a warm welcome.

Even if we have gotten delayed, whether by carrying unnecessary burdens or detouring off track for a while, the Lord wholeheartedly welcomes us. When He sends us forth again, the advice to travel light still applies. What more could we ask?

Sometimes, we stray from the way God intends for us because our spiritual compass has gotten a little off. The magnetism of things in this world can do that.

Turning to the Lord is always a step in the right direction.

Fr. Tony ScannellChaplain

On July 4, we celebrate the ideals of freedom and equality set forth by our nation’s Founding Fathers. In his letters to the early Church, Saint Paul expressed “the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8) and the need to support one another “as a matter of equality” (2 Corinthians 8).

“Illness or frailty can take away the freedom to go to Mass at a parish. Your gift during the Summer Fund Drive will bring the glory of holy Mass to viewers across the country,” said Fr. Mark Payne, chaplain for Heart of the Nation.

Not everyone can afford to make a donation or pledge. Please give what you can in support of all who depend on Heart of the Nation’s Sunday Mass and free Catholic publications. Your gift in any amount will bless many who come together, united as one in Christ.

Faith Gives Us DirectionWhen Jesus sent the Twelve in pairs to preach and heal in His

name, He instructed them not to take a change of clothes, money, or food for the journey. They had to trust that the Lord, better than a compass, would point them toward what they needed.

“I love your TV Sunday Masses. Thank you for bringing us joy and excitement.”

~Susan

“My aunt so enjoyed watching the Mass on TV and encouraged everyone at the nursing home to do the same.”

~Corinne

“Your Mass broadcast every Sunday is a Big Help.”

~Mary Jane

“Please send a prayer booklet to my brother Frank. He would really love to get it.”

~R.D.

Sounding the Call to Holiness Rejoice and Be Glad: On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World offers Pope

Francis’ practical teaching on living a holy life. As an apostolic exhortation, the teachings provide formal instruction.

The Holy Father described holiness as experiencing the mysteries of Jesus’ life in union with Him. In short, people can show in their own lives aspects of the Lord’s earthly life. Holiness requires charity—not just giving, but doing so with love, and not just money, but charitable responses to other people’s actions.

In what the exhortation described as “an often overlooked Church teaching,” he added that nothing we do can merit the gift of God’s grace. Our heavenly Father “always takes the initiative” to give us the grace we need.

Prayer and worship both have a place in holiness. Prayer nourishes the commitment to love and expresses our concern for other people. Worship helps us grow in our devoted relationship with God and in our willingness to make sacrifices for the well-being of others.

Persevering with patience, exhibiting joy (including a sense of humor!), and leaving a mark on the world all point to holiness. The Holy Father encouraged parents and grandparents to be holy by teaching children how to follow Jesus. We should turn to God in every circumstance. Echoing Saint Augustine, the apostolic exhortation explains that God expects us to do what we can and ask for the rest.

Because Christ identified with people, especially the poor and suffering, the way that we treat others serves as “the great criterion” on which we will be judged. Holiness, Pope Francis explained, depends on a “lively recognition of the dignity of each human being,” whether we are helping one person or working toward societal change.

Pope Francis invites the faithful to realize that we dwell in God—in the temple of His light and love. We should listen with openness to the Lord, to others, and to what the realities we face say to us. God speaks to us in various ways and is “full of surprises,” Pope Francis said.

July 4th PrayerLord Jesus,

You came to Earth for all people,Filled with compassion for humankind.Thank you for the gift of freedomTo serve You with heart and soul and mind.

May I never take for grantedLiberty to pursue happiness.I pray to find my greatest joyIn gratitude for ways I am blessed.

I come to You in hope for peaceFounded on Your truths made evident.Please mend the rifts and bring onenessThat declares Your loving Providence.

SaiNtS DoN’t StRiveFoR StaRDom

Jesus loves people, whether doubtful, drowsy, or enduring in faith. On July 3, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Thomas, who had to see the risen Lord to believe. On the other hand, when Jesus had announced His plan to go to Judea, Thomas realized the danger but said the Apostles might as well go along and die with Him. Saint James, whose feast day is July 25, saw the Transfiguration of the Lord but fell asleep during Jesus’ agony in the garden. On July 14, we remember a seventeenth-century convert and the first canonized Native American, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. Orphaned during a smallpox epidemic at about age four, her adult Baptism led to persecution and a trek through the wilderness to find sanctuary in a Jesuit mission settlement.

Pope Praised the First PresidentAs commander in chief of the Continental Army, George Washington

issued an order condemning an annual tradition carried over to the colonies from Britain of burning effigies of the Pope. The order called insults to the Catholic religion “so monstrous, as not to be suffered, or excused.” Instead, Washington stated a “duty to address public thanks to these our Brethren.” Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical on Catholicism in the United States called President Washington great and recognized his auspicious friendship with the new nation’s first bishop (later archbishop). Catholics seek to shine with the light of faith. Archbishop John Carroll’s eulogy for Washington described him as “luminous proof of that truth which was so rooted in his soul.”

With gratitude, Heart of the Nation welcomes new members to the Circle of the Heart monthly giving club. As a member, you will be included in prayers placed before the altar for every Sunday TV Mass. To join, please mark the box on your donation envelope, and indicate the amount of your pledge. (If you need to change or cancel your pledge, just call, e-mail, or send a note to Heart of the Nation.) Thank you!

Contact Us:Heart of the Nation

1126 S. 70th Street, N601Milwaukee, WI 53214

Toll-Free: (855) 855-6277 Email:

Mail@HeartoftheNation.org Web:

www.HeartoftheNation.org

Gbenga AdeniyiHomero Arce

Rose Mary AtzhornLina AugustineYvonne Aviles

Albert B. BalayanRobert P. Bansbach

Judy BanvilleLeo N. BentulanCathy Berneking

Marlene T. BinningerRobert BisknerElaine Bobzin

Ruel D. BonghanoyAngela Boyle

Rita BrzozowskiStanley Cach

Wanda L. CasarottoDondra Coniglio

Mary DaileyAva Davis

Harry Dehaven Jr.Laura DobroszczykSocorro Dominguez

Carlos J. DonDesmond Duarte

Roland & Lupe DumontierKitty Falgout

Kathy FernandesPatricia Flick

Jacqueline A. FlohrRoseanne Forlini

Rose ForshayBro. Brian Frankovich, TFO

Sally FreyMarybeth Gaine

Troy GannLarry Geier

Gene Giuliani, Jr.Leticia GomezAmy Gruenloh

Gracie GutierrezLubie HaydenJay HernandezBeatrice Herr

Maria HuffmanAnne HurleyDennis IrvingVeda Jenkins

Reggie JohnsonJo Johnston

Sheila C. KingCarol Ann Kraeuter

Dorothy KuzmaEstelle LandiBetty Leahan

Dorothy LeBeauEileen Littrell

Larry LockwoodRaquel Lopez McDonald

Chris Majoue

David MarloweHelena MartinezIrene MartoranaJanice Maubach

Mary McCulloughKim McDonald

Jay & Peggy McIntyreRose Meister

Mr. & Mrs. John MoralesSherry Moy

Kim MurphyVictor Natividad

Lumen P. NerJames NewtonFrancis Norton

Peter M. O’BrienThomas O’ConnorJoseph W. Oliver

Dot OlivierOttilie PatakyNatalie PentaHazel Picou

Mr. & Mrs. Elmer F. PireNora Pothier

Lori ReedMichael Regalado

Catherine R. ReichertLeo Sabelino

Ramon SalazarJudith A. Scholler

Josephine F. Sevilla

Prayer & Worship Guide: Order for YourselfOr As a Gift for Someone You Love ❏ Please start a free annual subscription to the large-print Prayer & Worship Guide, published 7 times per year by Heart of the Nation. Send it to the person listed below:

Name (please print):______________________________________________________________________

Address:_______________________________________________________________________________

City:____________________________________________ State:_________ Zip Code:________________

Please return this form to Heart of the Nation, 1126 S. 70th Street, Suite N601, Milwaukee, WI 53214. Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Thank You!

Josephine A. ShenalAlphonse SistinoLorren W. SmithPeter R. Smith

Nancy K. SpagnoliBrian Spencer

Christine StechAna Steward

James L. StolbaMr. & Mrs. Gene Stull

Vaitupu TaufaasauAnna M. TempleAnthony TomasiJoan WaggamanTheresa WilsonGayle Wonzo