Today is June 2, Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter.
At today’s Mass we read, “I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (Jn 16:32-33).
These are fitting words for us as we continue our journey through the month of the Sacred Heart. Yesterday we reflected on how this devotion is not just sentimental — it’s deeply theological. It’s about who Jesus is.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus isn’t just an artistic image or an emotional comfort. It’s a profound teaching about the mystery of the Incarnation. Jesus Christ is true God and true man. And that means he has a heart like ours. When we gaze upon the Sacred Heart, we remember that the eternal Son of God took on human flesh, lived among us and experienced the full range of human love.
But here’s the wonder of it all: Jesus doesn’t only love with human affection. He also loves with divine charity. The Sacred Heart reveals a triple mystery: the tenderness of Christ’s human love, the transforming grace that is an offering to us through the life of the Church and the divine love that surpasses all understanding.
Loving with your whole heart
When we receive the sacraments, when we strive to live the virtues, when we root our daily lives in prayer, we are not simply being “nice” or “good” — we are being drawn into that love. Into his love. Into the very Heart of Christ.
And ultimately, the Sacred Heart points us beyond even our most noble human loves. It calls us to divine love — a love that is merciful, patient, enduring, and eternal. A love that we’re invited to live now and to experience fully in heaven.
So today, friends, as you look upon an image of the Sacred Heart — or even just call it to mind — remember this: Jesus had a pulse. His heart beat in time with ours. And he invites you to love with your whole heart, just as he has loved you with his.
Let us pray,
May the power of the Holy Spirit come to us, we pray, O Lord, that we may keep your will faithfully in mind and express it in a devout way of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
