250 years of ‘One nation under God’
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Bishop Douglas J. Lucia consecrates the Diocese of Syracuse to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
By Elizabeth Landry
Staff writer
“Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto yours.”
These were the words spoken by Bishop Douglas J. Lucia at the beginning of his homily during the noon Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse on June 12, in which he consecrated the Diocese of Syracuse to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Bishop had recently returned to Central New York after attending the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting, which culminated in a beautiful Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando, Florida, on June 11. There, Bishop Lucia and his fellow bishops from around the country consecrated the United States of America to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, as part of the celebration of our country’s 250th anniversary of Independence Day.
As he continued his homily at the Cathedral, Bishop discussed the two models often associated with our nation, “In God we trust” and “One nation under God.”
“What we’re saying is we are trusting in the God who is Love. … More than ever, today on this feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we call to mind God’s love for us as individuals, but also as a nation. We’re being invited to connect with that love once again,” Bishop said.
Focusing specifically on the consecration itself, Bishop asked, what does consecration mean?
“To dedicate,” he answered. “To ask God to once again make our hearts like His so that in turn we can let God’s love be seen through our own hearts, through the way we let our hearts beat with His love. So let us just remember the simple words today, ‘Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto yours.’ May that be our prayer today and for the next 250 years. Amen.”
To watch the entire recording of the June 12 Mass, visit the Diocese of Syracuse YouTube channel at youtube.com/@syrdio.
