Jesus Left, But He Left Us His Heart

Today is the day of the Ascension of Jesus, when he left us and went into heaven, where he is seated in glory at the right hand of the Father. But today is also the first day of June, which is the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. So today we can reflect on the fact that Jesus left, but he left us his heart so that we will always know that he loves us. Many Catholic saints have had mystical experiences in which they saw the Heart of Jesus. St. Margaret Mary is the most famous. She was a nun in a convent in Paray-le-Monial, France. In 1673, Jesus appeared to her and showed her his Sacred Heart aflame with love. He told her: “My Divine Heart is so inflamed with love for men, and for you in particular that, being unable any longer to contain within itself the flames of its burning charity, it must spread them abroad by your means…” She described what happened next: “After this, he asked me for my heart, which I begged him to take. He did so and placed it in his own adorable heart where he showed it to me as a little atom, which was being consumed in this great furnace, and withdrawing it thence as a burning flame in the form of a heart, he restored it to the place whence he had taken it saying to me: ‘My well-beloved, I give you a precious token of my love, having enclosed within your side a little spark of its glowing flames, that it may serve you for a heart and consume you to the last moment of your life; its ardor will never be exhausted…’” Just like a lover who gives a heart-shaped Valentine to his beloved, Jesus has appeared this way to numerous saints and mystics. 

St. Catherine of Siena had a similar experience. One day, she was praying “Create a clean heart within me” (Psalm 51) and asking Jesus to take her heart and her will, and Jesus comforted her with a mystical vision. Jesus “appeared to her that her Heavenly Bridegroom came to her as usual, opened her left side, took out her heart, and then went away…” A few days later Jesus appeared again and showed his Sacred Heart to her and said: “Dearest daughter, as I took your heart away from you the other day, now, you see, I am giving you mine, so that you can go on living with it forever.” (From the writings of her spiritual director Bl. Raymond of Capua). Jesus wants to steal our hearts and give us his! 

Of course, we know that Jesus remains with us on Earth in the Blessed Sacrament, which is the everlasting token of his love, and which is his very self. Jesus left us his precious Body and Blood as “a memorial of his death and Resurrection.” At every Mass, Jesus gives us the love of his Heart, which has suffered so greatly for us! This month, we will prepare for the great Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord (June 21) by having an entire week of events related to the Eucharist here at Presentation BVM Parish. We will once again host the “Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit” in our Community Center (June 13-19). There will be “Forty Hours” of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance day and night in our church (June 15-17). All this will prepare us for a grand “Corpus Christi Procession” through the streets of our neighborhood. We will publicly show our love for Jesus with this solemn parade and will honor him with songs, prayers, and flower petals in the street! (Saturday, June 20). The following Friday is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which we will celebrate with a bilingual Mass (June 27). 

The holy teenager Carlos Acutis (1991-2006), who will be canonized a saint later this year, was the one who created the Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit, which now tours the world. This young man understood the significance of the amazing miracles that have happened throughout the centuries. Eucharistic Hosts have caused healings, extinguished fires, levitated, and flown through the air. These miracles have caused instantaneous conversions of sinners, Satanists, skeptics, and scientists. Even brute animals have miraculously recognized the Real Presence of Jesus. In recent years, there have been famous cases in which Sacred Hosts have been transformed in appearance. Using microscopes and scientific analysis, scientists recognize living human heart tissue, which seems to be that of a suffering, dying man. These extraordinary miracles point to the truth of the ordinary miracle that happens at every Mass: Jesus has left us his heart!

Do we sometimes think that Jesus is given only to the highly qualified, special religious people? In the Gospel of Luke today we hear about the presentation of the Lord in the temple. The newborn son of God is passed around like a baton in a relay race, not guarded like a precious jewel or a breakable china dish. We can see him going from the arms of Mary to Joseph, then to the priest performing the ceremony, then to Simeon the old man, and then to Anna the old widow. Each one receives him and then hands him to the next. A tidal wave of joy and thanksgiving follows wherever he is placed. Believe me, you are qualified to hold Jesus in your arms. How can I say that with such confidence? Because the mother decides who is qualified. The Blessed Virgin, embodied in the Church, holds him out to you and me. She rejoices to place him in our arms to hold and to hand him on, too.

— Father John Muir

Many people are suffering from ailments of some form or another. Please join us as we pray for the sick, their families, and caregivers. ​

Alejandra Hernandez

Angelina Munar 

Antonio Vivian 

Ashraf Ghangosar

Barbara Gini

Bob Weber 

Carlos Felipe Ruiz

Carmen Parrish

Celine Hoban

Connie Heim

Connie Tracy

Debbie Brockney

Deborah Balisteri

Derk Hoban

Edith Contreras Ochoa

Elsa Valdez

Enos Gomes

Evelyn Gesell

Frank Gomez Jr 

Galdina Guzmán

George Reyes

Gilbert Ramirez

Gloria Fernandez 

Gloria Rangel Ortiz

Graciela Alegria Vargas

Guadalupe Deleon 

Guadalupe Santibañez-Luna

Jack Avery

Janet Kavanaugh

Jeanette Toloy

Joan Reyes

Joann Shannon

Jocelyn Gonzalez

Kenneth McKellar

Kim Bach

Kimberly Ginsberg

Lillian Martinez

Luz Maria Camarillo

Maria Eugenia Garcia 

María Guadalupe Barajas

Maria Ochoa

Matt Johnston

Mayra A. Castillo

Michael A. Mallare

Michael James Miller

Paloma Ochoa

Paulette Vetter

Rachel Stafford

Scott Johnson

Sheila Bacus

Star Cunanan

Susan Klass

Tammie Parrino

Terri Lomeli

Terry Cabauatan

Tomas Larios Ortiz

Yazlene Aceves

​To add or remove names, please contact the Communications Coordinator at comms@presentationchurch.net.

To see additional 'Prayers for the Sick', please click here. 

SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2025

7:00 AM: Parish Families

8:45 AM: Parish Families 

10:30 AM: Lulu Menor and Family 

 — thanksgiving

12:15 PM: † All Souls in Purgatory 

2:15 PM: † Alejandro Ruiz

5:00 PM: Parish Families

MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2025

7:00 AM: † Johnny Lapid

12:15 PM: † Beato Alfonso

TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2025

7:00 AM: Mr. and Mrs. Efren Paez Jr.

   — wedding anniversary 

12:15 PM: Terry Marshall  

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2025

7:00 AM: † Louis T. and † Dolores F. Arbios 

12:15 PM: † Beatriz Kabigting

THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2025

7:00 AM: Urquico Family — thanksgiving

12:15 PM: Allen Vasques — birthday

FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2025

7:00 AM: † Joseph D. McGuire

12:15 PM: † Erasmo B. Lara 

7:00 PM: † All Souls in Purgatory

SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2025

8:00 AM: Karina Tafolla 

5:00 PM: Jeanette Toloy — birthday 

In remembrance of those who have gone before us.

Shirley Spadafore

MaryLou Knisley

Alejandro Ramirez

Carmel Breakfield

Beverly Limbaugh

Marlene Neri

Marietta Quizana

Mel Pagala

Andrea Weesner

Olga Mendoza

Thelma Adams

Pushpamma Manda

Thelma Perdue

Ruth Segarini

Jose Salud Garcia Jasso

Norma Jean Luder

James R Fenelon

Vernon Franzi 

Henrietta Melinda Gietzen

Donna Mae Monaco

Estela Cortes

Salvador De Leon Samson

Marina Cueva

Nasser Y. Saleh

Myrna Garces

Fr. Joe Maghinay

Lolita Hilario

Benjamin Morelos

Nancy Bertilacchi

JoAnn Campigli

Romulo Gonzales

Antonio D. Alamo, Sr.

Pierce Lawrence (Chris) Brothers

Shirley Benecke

Arnold Arnulfo Rangel

Mario Gines

Yvonne G. Mariani

Frank Ramalho

Patricia Rut

Angelina R. Agpawa

Jack Jerome Vernon

Agnes Sombra

David Wagner

Ramon Espiritu

Marlo Eduardo Gesell, Jr.

Anne Marie Saiers Fowler

Christopher Thomas

Manuel J. Angel

Christofer Gores

Judith Gores

Mario Sepulveda

Armando Fernandez

Marilyn McLean

Gwen Lagesse

Ronald Ramirez

David Perez

Teresita Perez

Jeanette Cuthbert 

Loretta Castro

Genevieve Johnson

Rosalie Mello

John Mendonca 

Joann Phillips

 Maria Trinidad Espinosa Montiel

Jeremiah Bersola

Lorraine Coburn

Ben Munar Cables

David Rodahaffer

Helen Medina

Elvin Tyler

Norah Bennington

Bernice Nickols

Jose Manuel Gutierrez

Gail-Victoria Galela

Dina DeMartini

Bertha Gonzales

Felicidad Albinto

Bernarda Maldonado Camargo

Rita Sepulveda

Victoria Mgbanwa

Perla Rosal Crisologo

Ange Mouttapa

Herminia Espiritu 

Eldina Tronco

Antonio Elopre

Mildred Aquino 

Rosa Montoya

Dan Lucchesi 

Mildred Quitoriano

Dan Lucchesi 

Mildred Quitoriano

David Trummer

Olimpio Sisante

Julie Low

Eberhard Schwertzke

Lucy Valverde 

Ramon Mendez

Ernie Medina

Alfred Del Prato

David Rodahaffer

Alberto Barican

Babette Zafra

Roger Roman

Annie Zavala Hernandez

Susan Wolford

Andy Tancioco

We pray that we let our lives reflect God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness. 

Rezamos que permitamos que nuestras vidas reflejen el amor, la misericordia y el perdón de Dios. 

Even if one cannot sacramentally receive the Eucharist, everyone should be aware of the practice of making a spiritual communion. The following is a daily prayer for Spiritual Communion:

O my Jesus, I believe that You are in the Blessed Sacrament.

I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there and

unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

Amen.

-St. Alphonsus Liguori

For more resources on Spiritual Communion, click here.

From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

To view full readings, click here.

SUNDAY, JUNE 1 

Acts 7:55–60/Rv 22:12–14, 16–17, 20/

Jn 17:20–26 Ascension: Acts 1:1–11/

Eph 1:17–23 or Heb 9:24–28; 10:19–23/

Lk 24:46-53

MONDAY, JUNE 2

Acts 19:1–8/Jn 16:29–33

TUESDAY, JUNE 3

Acts 20:17–27/Jn 17:1–11a

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4

Acts 20:28–38/Jn 17:11b–19

THURSDAY, JUNE 5

Acts 22:30; 23:6–11/Jn 17:20–26

FRIDAY, JUNE 6

Acts 25:13b–21/Jn 21:15–19

SATURDAY, JUNE 7

Acts 28:16–20, 30–31/Jn 21:20–25 

NEXT SUNDAY, JUNE 8

Acts 2:1–11/1 Cor 12:3b–7, 12-13 or 

Rom 8:8–17/Jn 20:19–23 or Jn 14:15–16, 

23b–26 

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” — Revelations 22:13

This is a reminder of how we should live our lives 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – putting God first in all that we do. Not only when I am at Mass and parish activities, but when I am in the world, at work, or at school. Living gratefully and generously is an intentional lifestyle. Every decision you make either moves you closer to God or farther away. Choose wisely! 

“Yo soy el Alfa y la Omega, el primero y el último, el principio y el fin.” — Apocalipsis 22:13

Eso es un recordatorio de cómo debemos vivir nuestras vidas las 24 horas del dia, 7 días a la semana - poniendo a Dios en primer lugar en todo lo que hacemos. No solo cuando estamos en Misa y en las actividades parroquiales, sino cuando estoy en el mundo, en el trabajo o en la escuela. Vivir una vida agradecida y generosa es un estilo de vida intencional. Cada decisión que usted toma lo acerca más a Dios o lo aparta de Él. ¡Escoja sabiamente! 

Sharing the Gospel

If pieces are missing from a jigsaw puzzle, you cannot see the whole picture. If keys are missing from a piano, you cannot hear a whole song. When Christians do not work well together, the world cannot see how great and loving God is. Jesus prayed that all of us would stay close to God and to one another. Do your part. Encourage other Christians. 

​Prayer

God, I want the world to see how good you are. Help me to be good and loving to all Christians. 

Something to Draw

Draw a picture of you and other children from your church collecting food for the poor.  

Mission for the Week

Bake Resurrection cookies with your family tonight. You can find the recipe online by scanning the QR code.  

© 2008 LPi • PO Box 510817, New Berlin, WI 53151-0817 • 1-800-950-9952 x2469 • LPiResourceCenter.com 

ST. BONIFACE | C. 675 AD–754 AD | FEAST DAY: 5 JUNE

St. Boniface, known as the apostle of the Germans, was an English Benedictine monk who gave up being elected abbot to devote his life to the conversion of the Germanic tribes. Two characteristics stand out: his Christian orthodoxy and his fidelity to the Pope of Rome. How absolutely necessary this orthodoxy and fidelity were is borne out by the conditions Boniface found on his first missionary journey in 719 at the request of Pope Gregory II. Paganism was a way of life. What Christianity he did find had either lapsed into paganism or was mixed with error. The clergy were mainly responsible for these latter conditions since they were, in many instances, uneducated, lax, and questionably obedient to their bishops. In particular instances, their very ordinations were questionable. These are the conditions that Boniface was to report in 722 on his first return visit to Rome. The Holy Father instructed him to reform the German Church. The pope sent letters of recommendation to religious and civil leaders. Boniface later admitted that his work would have been unsuccessful, from a human viewpoint, without a letter of safe-conduct from Charles Martel, the powerful Frankish ruler, grandfather of Charlemagne. Boniface was finally made a regional bishop and authorized to organize the whole German Church. He was eminently successful. In the Frankish kingdom, he met great problems because of lay interference in bishops’ elections, the worldliness of the clergy, and a lack of papal control. During a final mission to the Frisians, Boniface and 53 companions were massacred while he was preparing converts for confirmation. In order to restore the Germanic Church to its fidelity to Rome and to convert the pagans, Boniface had been guided by two principles. The first was to restore the obedience of the clergy to their bishops in union with the Pope of Rome. The second was the establishment of many houses of prayer, which took the form of Benedictine monasteries. A great number of Anglo-Saxon monks and nuns followed him to the continent, where he introduced the Benedictine nuns to the active apostolate of education.

SAN BONIFACIO | C. 675 d. C.–754 d. C. | FESTIVIDAD: 5 DE JUNIO

San Bonifacio, conocido como el apóstol de los alemanes, fue un monje benedictino inglés que renunció a su elección como abad para dedicar su vida a la conversión de las tribus germánicas. Dos características sobresalen: su ortodoxia cristiana y su fidelidad al papa de Roma. La absoluta necesidad de esta ortodoxia y fidelidad queda demostrada por las condiciones que Bonifacio encontró en su primer viaje misionero en 719, a petición del papa Gregorio II. El paganismo era una forma de vida. El cristianismo que encontró había caído en el paganismo o estaba mezclado con errores. El clero fue el principal responsable de estas últimas condiciones, ya que en muchos casos eran incultos, laxos y de dudosa obediencia a sus obispos. En casos particulares, sus mismas ordenaciones eran cuestionables. Estas son las condiciones que Bonifacio reportaría en 722 en su primera visita de regreso a Roma. El Santo Padre le encargó reformar la Iglesia alemana. El papa envió cartas de recomendación a líderes religiosos y civiles. Bonifacio admitió posteriormente que su labor habría sido infructuosa, desde un punto de vista humano, sin un salvoconducto de Carlos Martel, el poderoso gobernante franco, abuelo de Carlomagno. Bonifacio fue finalmente nombrado obispo regional y autorizado para organizar toda la Iglesia alemana. Tuvo un éxito eminente. En el reino franco, se enfrentó a grandes problemas debido a la interferencia de los laicos en las elecciones episcopales, la mundanidad del clero y la falta de control papal. Durante una última misión a los frisones, Bonifacio y 53 compañeros fueron masacrados mientras preparaba a los conversos para la confirmación. Para restaurar la fidelidad de la Iglesia germánica a Roma y convertir a los paganos, Bonifacio se guió por dos principios. El primero fue restaurar la obediencia del clero a sus obispos en unión con el papa de Roma. El segundo fue el establecimiento de numerosas casas de oración que adoptaron la forma de monasterios benedictinos. Un gran número de monjes y monjas anglosajones le siguieron al continente, donde introdujo a las monjas benedictinas en el apostolado activo de la educación.