From Father Bryan: "The Heartbeat of America"

On this 4th of July weekend, here is the requested homily that I gave on June 11, 2026 when the USCCB consecrated the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The United States bishops are consecrating the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus today and as this is taking place in the year of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. This celebration is an act by the Church – that's you and me – that entrusts the United States to Christ's love to bring unity, healing, and a deeper reliance on God's providence to this country. As our nation gathers in July for its 250th anniversary, we gather now to set apart our country and entrust it to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. While we celebrate our history – the highs and lows, our liberties and freedom to choose our own destiny, and our blessings, we also recognize the profound challenges of our time: division, polarization, and an epidemic of loneliness that has grown with technology. Today, the Church offers a remedy not found in politics or human power or in artificial intelligence, but in the sacred, wounded, living, and burning love of the Heart of Jesus.

To consecrate means to "set apart" and to offer for God. By consecrating the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are publicly declaring that this nation, its culture, and it people belong to Christ's Kingship and not to any other ruler or idol or false god. It is our humble acknowledgement that Human flourishing relies entirely upon God's grace and providence. The experiment that is the United States, a governing system by the people and for the people, was something never tried before in the history of humanity. It was built on the acknowledgement of God's will for "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" for God's finest creation: you and me. Human ingenuity and greatness created in the likeness of God was and is tempered by the seven deadly sins that have flowed into poverty of spirit as well as pocket book, depression resulting from false or inflated goals and ideals, slavery to possessions and money at the expense of human dignity and worth, overindulgence of vice relying on the pleasures of the flesh and/or alcohol and drugs, dependence on repressive government resulting in sloth, and societal decay that honours the absurd and shames the holy and true. But the Consecration that we put forward today is a signal to the world that God's goodness is not forgotten and that we place our trust in God the Almighty's unfailing love for us.

So, why the Sacred Heart of Jesus? The Heart of Jesus is the ultimate symbol of God's boundless love for humanity. It is a heart that beats with justice, truth, and charity. When we consecrate ourselves to it, we commit to living like Christ in all we say and do and in what we don't say and don't do. We are called to love as He loves, to forgive as He forgives, and to show mercy to our neighbours, especially those most in need, just as He shows mercy to you and me in our fallen condition.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart demands that we foster truth, justice, and charity in American life. We can settle for nothing less, brothers and sisters in Christ, in our daily lives and interactions with others, in our families, schools, work, and Church. The consecration that we undertake today urges us toward a constructive, forward-looking patriotism and pushes back against divisive behaviour. It calls every citizen to serve our country by improving the temporal order – that which is secular and civil – and do so with the spirit of the Gospel flowing from our own hearts.

As we conclude this liturgy, let us carry the peace and love of the Sacred Heart into our communities. Let us pray for healing, for unity, and for the grace to make our own hearts reflections of His Sacred Heart for all the world to see.