Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 16, 2023
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.”
I am surprised that Jesus thanks the Father for the hiddenness of his most Sacred Heart. My gratitude rarely begins with hiddenness. I wonder if I really want to be one of the “little ones” to whom Jesus reveals his heart.
Perhaps I would like to hear Jesus declare that I might journey into his Sacred Heart by acquiring wisdom, knowledge, expertise, prestige—anything that I might claim as my own achievement, anything that will confirm my progress towards him. Instead, he says, “I am gentle and lowly in heart.”
This heart gives me pause. And when, even for a moment, I stop attempting to corral the bits and pieces of my own heart into a self-created plan, I begin to notice his lowly and gentle heart beckoning me close.
This heart surprises me. I find it hidden, yet never unavailable. I find it hidden in my own littleness and lowliness. I find it hidden in the labors and burdens that are too great for me to bear alone. His “Come to me,” I realize, is his gentle reverberating declaration: I am here.
St. Augustine learned that confessing the truth means trusting that the Lord is “closer to me than I am to myself.” Closeness is his hiddenness. Today, Lord, may we learn to thank you for your hiddenness as we trust in your ever-present Sacred Heart.
Prayer
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we offer thanks for the great gift of your love, a love to transform our hearts and bring us closer to you. Give us vision to see our shortcomings, grace to do your will, and love to make our hearts like yours. In your sacred name, we pray. 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.
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!