Today is June 25, Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
We read at today’s Mass, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them” (Mt 7:15).
In our time, this warning feels especially urgent. The Church is often battered by competing ideologies, doctrinal confusion and dissent from within. During the months leading up to the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV, many voices called for a renewed unity in the Church because so much seemed to be fraying. There was, and still is, great concern over those who, under the guise of truth, preach false gospels that divide rather than unite.
But the Gospel today reminds us not to be dismayed. There is something far deeper, far more powerful than any error or division.
‘The center of all hearts’
Cardinal Manning put it beautifully when he wrote, “This it is that makes the unity of the Church indissoluble. In all ages, over all the world, all the action and malice of men, all the power of the gates of hell, all the audacities of heresy, all the cleavings of schism, all the seductions of false science, all the powers of the world, and all the persecutions of Satan have never been able to prevail against the indissoluble unity of the one only Church, Catholic and Roman. It is because the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament is the center of all hearts.”
That truth brings tremendous consolation. Heresies will rise. Schisms will tear. Even those within the Church may cause scandal and confusion. But none of it can overcome the unity that is rooted in Christ’s Heart beating in the Eucharist. That’s where our confidence lies.
When you feel discouraged by the state of the Church or the world, remember: the Sacred Heart of Jesus is not only the center of all hearts — it is the unshakable source of our communion. He holds us together.
Let us pray,
Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love. 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.
