Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 12, 2026
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
Today’s Gospel brings to mind a memory from quite a few years ago. It was 9/11/01. For those not old enough to remember, the weight of that particular day hung in the air like an ominous gloom. Here at Notre Dame, we were planning a Mass on the South Quad of the campus for a group that, in the end, became about 10,000 strong.
In preparation, I was walking around the two lakes contemplating my homily on that tragic day. It just so happened that the Gospel text from Matthew for today was also the Gospel for that day as well. I will never forget it, because it turned out to capture perfectly the tone and message that I wanted to offer.
Despite our immense confusion, fear, and uncertainty on that day about what would happen next, Jesus promised us that he would give us rest. We should yoke ourselves to him in order to find comfort and rest. With him as our companion and guide, we would find his “yoke” easy and his burden light.
Today, you may find yourself faced with confusion, fear, or uncertainty about the future. My prayer for you is to yoke to the only one who can give you rest. His sacred heart is, indeed, full of love and reliable support.
Prayer
Loving God, your Son holds out to us his heart. It is wounded by hatred and suffering, but his desire for us is not diminished. Help us to know the depth of his longing for our salvation and to grow in imitation of his love. We make this prayer in his name, for he is Lord forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Today’s feast, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is a moveable feast, which means that it depends on the date of Easter Sunday. It is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost Sunday, which falls on the 50th day of Easter.
Jesus’ Sacred Heart is a special image for the brothers and priests of Holy Cross, who founded the University of Notre Dame. Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of Holy Cross, saw the heart as an image of God’s love for humanity and of humanity’s love for God. In the Sacred Heart, he saw the encounter between these two loves, so he consecrated the priests and seminarians of Holy Cross to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1841.
“One of the principal goals of this devotion,” preached Moreau in one of his sermons, “is to present us a model for imitation. The sight of the Savior’s adorable heart should say to each one of us … ‘Look at this example and make a faithful copy.’ This is the heart of the One given to you as master; your duty is to conform your heart to his.”
For Moreau, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was intimately and essentially tied to the Eucharist, which he saw as both the principal gift to flow out of Jesus’ heart as well as the greatest manifestation of that heart’s love for us:
“It is at the altar that … Jesus offers us a manna more appealing than that of the desert; there that he gives us his flesh to eat and his blood to drink; there that he becomes present in such a way within our soul, his heart speaking to us with all of its affection and bringing our own hearts to beat with his.”
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is depicted in several places on campus and in the Basilica, but perhaps nowhere on campus more prominently than in the famous Sacred Heart of Jesus statue that stands in front of the Dome (pictured above). Several relics of Jesus rest in the reliquary chapel, including a part of his scarlet robe, a portion of his crown of thorns, and a sliver from the true cross. Learn more about the priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross here. To read a devotional poem on the Sacred Heart, written by Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, click here.
On this feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, let us look upon this image of Jesus’ love and make a faithful copy of it in our own lives!