11/06/2026
12 June (Friday)
10th Week in Ordinary Time (II)
THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS
Dt 7:6-11; Ps 102 (103):1-4, 6-8, 10;
1 Jn 4:7-16; Mt 11:25-30 (Ps Prop)
Today is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and
the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priestly Life.
The boundless love of the Sacred Heart is freely given by God,
humbly received by humans and, hopefully, it is faithfully
shared among humans. This is the very heartbeat of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus – a love not earned, but paid out; not imposed,
but offered; not contained, but poured out for others.
In the first reading, we read that the Lord has chosen and
set His heart upon Israel not because of their greatness, in
fact, they were the least of all peoples, but because of God’s
immense love for them. This divine love is not based on any
merit of theirs, but on faithfulness on the part of God. God
simply loves and remains faithful. The heartbeat of the Sacred
Heart reveals this same mystery: Christ loves us not because
we are worthy, but because He is love. His Heart burns with a
covenant that does not break, even when we break it.
Yet this love must flow outward. In the second reading,
St John deepens this call by summoning everyone to love one
another, because this love comes from God. To encounter the
heartbeat of the Sacred Heart is to be drawn into this divine
exchange of love between God and us, and between each of us.
The authenticity of our relationship with God is seen in how
we love others. If God abides in us, His love must take flesh
in our actions, our words, our patience, our forgiveness, and in
all aspects of our lives.
From the Gospel, the heartbeat of the Sacred Heart is
gentleness and humbleness. It is a love that stoops down to meet us in our burdens. This humility is key – it shows us how
divine love is both received and given. Only the humble can
truly receive love as a gift, and only the humble can share it
without condition with others.
Therefore, we are chosen and consecrated to love. From
the covenant in Deuteronomy, to the commandment in John,
to the invitation in Matthew, the heartbeat of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus vibrates with one purpose for us – that the love with
which we are loved would become the love with which we
serve others. The mission for us is to make visible the Sacred
Heart through compassion, service, and faithful presence.
Let us also pray for priests to dwell deeply in the Heart
of Christ and to faithfully mirror that Heart so that they are
consecrated and sent to do God’s work. And may we, as the
Body of Christ, allow that same Heart to sanctify us, drawing
us into the covenant where to be chosen is to love wholly with
our hearts.