Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church
Hot Springs Village, Arkansas
After at least one instance in which Jesus' disciples had returned from doing God's work, he told them to come away and rest for awhile.  In another place Jesus said, "Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest."  Resting in the Lord and being one with Him in prayer brings a peace like no other.  Once a month on First Fridays throughout the day and every hour before daily Mass, we have the opportunity to rest with and in the Lord as He is present in the monstrance.  If you have not received the blessings of this valuable time with the Lord, consider doing it at least once a month.  Perhaps you will be inspired to do it once a week or even more often.  Beginning this Tuesday, we will start having our daily holy hour in the chapel.  This will include the rosary being prayed at 9:15 a.m. and morning prayer at 9:45 a.m.

Recently some of our parishioners have inquired about the possibility of perpetual adoration in our chapel for our parish.  Please pray that if this is to be God's will for us, that it will happen.  This will obviously take a great deal of effort and commitment by a great many in our parish.  The blessings for individuals and parishers who have perpetual adoration, I can testify, are many.
Last year's fireworks on the Fourth of July were cancelled here at Hot Springs Village and in other places in the area due to extremely dry conditions.  It was unfortunate and it seemed to make the end of Independence Day less than complete. Fortunately, every Independence Day can start out wonderfully (and spiritually) by participating in Mass (9:00 a.m.) AND the Patriotic Rosary (around 9:40 a.m.) with a reception of food and drink afterward in the parish hall.  We have many blessings in our country, and we have much to ask God for to "mend our every flaw" ("America the Beautiful", second verse).

While we pray the Patriotic Rosary at least once every month of the year at our church, there is something special about doing it on Independence Day as we pray and sing five beautiful patriotic songs ending with "God Bless America". Won't you join us in making your Fourth of July prayerful, as well as (hopefully) playful?  You may start a tradition that you will observe for years to come.
Until I came to this parish, I had never participated in a November Memorial Mass for deceased parishioners or one for deceased Knights of Columbus.  Until I came to this parish, I had never participated in activities commemorating Flag Day (June 14).  Now I have attended twice, and will look forward to Flag Day next year.

In Mass, in the recitation of the Patriotic Rosary and in the ceremonies we had downstairs, we gave attention to the greatest symbol of our country, the American Flag.  In the songs we sang in church and in the parish hall, we recognized the vital place of God in our country's growth and successes.  We also called out to God in the song "America" to "mend thine every flaw", which reminds us that we always have room to grow and need God's guidance and help to be what we can be, and should be, for ourselves and the world.  In our "Flag" trivia, I also learned some interesting facts, such as that there are 13 folds in a flag folding ceremony, each one representing one of the 13 colonies in America.

I pray that more of our parishioners and other residents of the Village will take time to focus attention on the American Flag and what it means for this great nation of ours, especially on Flag Day, June 14.  I do thank Mike Kerwin and our local Knights of Columbus Council (10208) for doing so much to sponsor the Flag Day activities here at Sacred Heart Church.