Sacred Heart Catholic Church Emerson, Nebraska

05/19/2026

Seven Things To Tell God Every Morning

- Thank You for another day to live.
- Guide my mind and my words today.
- Teach me to love like You love.
- Watch over my family and my home.
- Give me peace when life feels heavy.
- Remind me: You are in control.
- Today, I surrender all to You.

05/18/2026

Let us join together this June to pray for our nation as we prepare to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United States.

05/14/2026

Celebrate Fr. Malloy and Fr. Joyce on May 31st at St. Joseph Church in Lyons. Everyone is Welcome

05/13/2026

“Be a Catholic: When you kneel before an altar, do it in such a way that others may be able to recognize that you know before whom you kneel.”
— St. Maximilian Kolbe

We don’t kneel before a symbol.

We kneel before Jesus Christ.

In a world that rushes, distracts, and treats church casually… Catholics kneel because we believe God is truly present in the Eucharist.

Every genuflection.
Every bowed head.
Every moment of silence before Mass.

It all matters.

Reverence isn’t about “looking holy.”
It’s about recognizing WHO is in front of us.

The Eucharist is not ordinary.
The Mass is not ordinary.
Jesus is not ordinary.

Maybe the world has forgotten how sacred God is…

but Catholics shouldn’t.

🙏 Lord, give us greater reverence for Your Presence.

05/12/2026

Each year, from Early March through mid-December, Silver Roses are stewarded by councils from Canada to Mexico. Every stop the Silver Rose makes throughout the pilgrimage is a rosary-centered occasion for Knights, parishioners and community members to pray for respect for life, for the spiritual renewal of each nation, and for the advancement of the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

All members of the community are encouraged to join Knights of Columbus Council 1309 Archbishop Daniel E. Sheehan of Emerson at 6:30pm tomorrow evening (Tuesday, May 12th).

We hope you can join us for this special service in Honor of Life and Our Lady of Guadalupe.

05/09/2026

Did you know you can gain a plenary indulgence every single day?

A plenary indulgence is the complete remission of all temporal punishment due to sin, an incredible gift from God through the Church that we can apply to ourselves or to the souls in Purgatory!

All you need are these 3 conditions:

🔸 Sacramental Confession (can be done within ~20 days)
🔸Holy Communion
🔸Prayer for the Pope’s intentions (one Our Father + Hail Mary is enough)

And then choose one of these 4 simple practices:

▶ Adore the Blessed Sacrament for at least 30 minutes
▶ Pray the Rosary in a group, with family, or even following the Holy Father live
▶ Read the Bible (or listen to it) for at least 30 minutes with reverence
▶ Pray the Stations of the Cross (or meditate on the Passion for 15+ minutes if you can’t physically move between stations)

These are all things we can realistically do in our daily lives!
Which one will you try this week?

04/29/2026

THIS WEEKEND: Sunday, May 3rd, there will be a potluck celebration following the 11:00 am Mass to honor Fr. Mark Beran for his NCEA award and dedicate the remodeled St. Augustine Parish Hall. Everyone is welcome. Please join us if you are able.

04/17/2026

Congratulations Father Kevin and Father Malloy! And congratulations to all of the rest, Thank You for serving and answering God’s call!

I gathered with Archbishops Emeriti George Lucas and Elden Curtiss and many of our priests Thursday to celebrate our annual Jubilee Mass for Priests. Father Timothy Lannon of the Society of Jesus is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his ordination. Fathers Vincent Sunguti, Kevin Joyce, Dan Andrews and Jim Keiter each are celebrating their 25th anniversary. Father Michael Malloy is celebrating 50 years as a priest, and Archbishop Curtiss is celebrating 50 years since his ordination as a bishop. Please join me in thanking these men and all our priests who have given their lives to the Lord Jesus in service of His Church.

04/03/2026

✝️ WHY IS IT CALLED “GOOD” FRIDAY, WHEN JESUS DIED? 😳
__________________
On this day, the sky darkened.
The earth trembled.
The Son of God was nailed to a Cross and died.

And yet… we call it Good Friday.

Why?

What could possibly be “good” about this day?

✝️ 1. BECAUSE EVIL DID NOT WIN, LOVE DID

To human eyes, this was tragedy.

An innocent man condemned

Truth silenced

Justice crushed

But in reality:

👉 This was the greatest victory in history

What looked like defeat was actually:

Sin being destroyed

Satan being overthrown

Death being conquered

The Cross is not the end of Jesus.

👉 It is the end of sin’s dominion.

✝️ 2. BECAUSE THIS WAS NOT TAKEN, IT WAS GIVEN

Jesus was not overpowered.

👉 He chose the Cross.

“No one takes my life from me, I lay it down of my own accord.” (John 10:18)

This changes everything.

👉 This is not murder alone.
👉 This is sacrifice.

Good Friday is “good” because:

👉 God gave Himself for us.

✝️ 3. BECAUSE JUSTICE AND MERCY MET

On the Cross:

God did not ignore sin

God did not destroy sinners

Instead:

👉 He took sin upon Himself.

Justice was fulfilled

Mercy was released

As Isaiah foretold:

👉 “He was pierced for our transgressions…” (Isaiah 53:5)

This is why it is “good”:

👉 We deserved the Cross. He took it.

✝️ 4. BECAUSE THE CURSE BECAME A BLESSING

The Cross was once a curse:

A sign of shame

A place of death

But Christ transformed it.

👉 “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree…” (Galatians 3:13)

And yet:

👉 He became that curse… to break it.

So now:

The Cross is no longer shame

The Cross is glory

✝️ 5. BECAUSE WITHOUT THIS DAY, YOU HAVE NO SALVATION

No Good Friday…

👉 No forgiveness
👉 No redemption
👉 No hope of Heaven

This is the day:

👉 Your sins were paid for
👉 Your debt was canceled
👉 Your eternity was opened

✝️ 6. THE PARADOX THAT SHOCKS THE WORLD

The world sees pain and calls it bad.

God sees sacrifice and calls it good.

The world sees death

Heaven sees salvation

This is the mystery:

👉 The worst day in human history
became the best day for humanity.

✝️ FINAL MESSAGE

It is called Good Friday…

Not because Jesus suffered.

👉 But because His suffering saved you.

Not because He died.

👉 But because His death gave you life.

So today, we do not celebrate pain.

👉 We celebrate love that refused to walk away.

Because on this day:

Nails did not hold Him

Love did

And that is why…

👉 It will forever be called GOOD Friday.

✝️

04/02/2026

✝️ Why Is the Tabernacle Empty After Holy Thursday Mass?

Have you ever walked into a church after Holy Thursday Mass and noticed something different?

The tabernacle is empty.
The sanctuary feels quiet.
The atmosphere is almost… unsettling.

This powerful moment is not accidental—it is deeply intentional.

It helps us enter into the mystery of what happened to Jesus on the night He was arrested.

📖 The Gospel tells us:
“Then the soldiers, led by Judas, arrested Jesus and tied him up.”
— John 18:12 (GNB)

So why is the tabernacle left empty?

✝️ 1. It Symbolizes That Jesus Was Taken Away

After the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist is removed from the tabernacle to signify that Jesus is entering His Passion.

When the tabernacle is emptied, it reflects that moment: 👉 Christ is no longer present in His usual place.

The Church enters a time of solemn remembrance—Christ is no longer publicly present as before, reflecting the moment He was taken away to suffer and die.

🙏 2. It Invites Us to Keep Watch with Him

The Eucharist is moved to a special place called the Altar of Repose.

This invites us to stay and pray—just as Jesus asked His disciples in Gethsemane:

“Stay here and keep watch with me.”
— Matthew 26:38 (GNB)

It is a moment to accompany Him in His sorrow, not to leave Him alone.

🕯️ 3.The Altar Is Stripped in Mourning

From this point until the Easter Vigil:

The altar is stripped
Bells fall silent
The church becomes solemn

This represents:

The humiliation of Christ
His abandonment by His disciples
The desolation of His Passion

The empty tabernacle becomes a sign of grief—like the absence of someone dearly loved.

We begin to feel the weight of the Passion.

✝️4. To Prepare for Good Friday’s Solemn Liturgy

On Good Friday, no Mass is celebrated. Instead, the Church holds a solemn liturgy focused on Christ’s sacrifice.

The empty tabernacle reminds us that:

The Church is in mourning
Christ has given His life
We are waiting in silence for the hope of the Resurrection

🌅 5. It Prepares Us for the Joy of Easter

The emptiness is not the end.

Just as the tomb will one day be empty in victory, this silence creates a longing that will be fulfilled at Easter.

Without the silence…
we would not feel the joy.

Without the absence…
we would not recognize the return.

✨ Final Reflection

The empty tabernacle is not just symbolic—it is an invitation.

An invitation to:

Sit in silence
Reflect on Christ’s suffering
Stay with Him in His agony

Just as the disciples were asked to watch and pray, we too are called to remain with Him during these sacred days.

The empty tabernacle also reminds us:

👉 God is preparing something greater.
Sometimes, silence…
Sometimes, emptiness…
is where faith grows the deepest.

🙏 Stay with Him. Watch with Him.
Because Easter is coming.