Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 19, 2020
At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to little ones; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
“All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Today is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the patronal feast of the priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross. I owe a great deal to this community of men, as they built the university that shaped and changed my life in so many ways. They showed me what it means to be, as Jesus says in today’s gospel, “gentle and humble in heart.”
I remember when I arrived on campus at the start of my first semester and I saw the statue of Jesus on God Quad. I knew at that moment that Notre Dame would draw me closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. His arms were open, showing us his Sacred Heart, and the inscription below declared: “Venite ad me omnes (Come to me all).”
I once came across an excerpt from a homily by Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, which I think exemplifies this inscription. In his homily on “Entering the Heart of Jesus,” Moreau writes:
“Come then let us all hasten into this waiting heart, no matter what the state of our soul. If we are in sin, here is the heart that received the prodigal son, pardoned the penitent Magdalene, made the apostate disciple weep repentantly, and converted a thief on the cross. If we are lukewarm, here is the source of charity in which we can renew our arms, warm our hearts, and draw new strength.”
Moreau reminds us of the broad range of human experiences that Jesus draws into his own heart. Surely, we too can count ourselves among those who “find rest for [our] souls” in him. All that is required is the desire to accept his open arms and his open heart.
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.
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!