Friday, June 12, 2026

† "Come To ME All Who....."

Daily Feast

The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated on the octave day of the feast of Corpus Christi. In the 17th century Jesus appeared in a vision to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque asking her to request that this feast be celebrated in honor of his Sacred Heart in reparation for the ingratitude of mankind toward the sacrifice of his love on the Cross. Pope Pius IX extended the feast of the Sacred Heart to the universal Church in 1856. The imagery of Christ pointing to his heart, on fire with love, signifies his immense and infinite love for humanity which took Him to the Cross to die for our salvation. The Sacred Heart of Jesus desires that all mankind draw close to Him in love and trust. Today this devotion, given to the faithful by Our Lord himself, is among the most popular of the Catholic Church.

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Quote of the Day

“Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King!” -Blessed Miguel Pro

Today’s Meditation

"All of the Beatitudes are humbling. And this is scarcely a thing to be marveled at. For the Beatitudes are Jesus' personally programmed Christian living. And He has told us the reason that He lived and loved as He did: that is, lived unto death and loved unto the end. "Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end" (John 13:1). It was because He was meek and humble of heart." —Mother Francis, PCC, p. 71
An excerpt from Blessed Are You

Daily Verse

For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? This God is my strong refuge, and has made[a] my way safe. He made my feet like hinds’ feet, and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation, and thy help made me great. Thou didst give a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. -2 Samuel 22:32-37

EWTN Daily Saint

Pope St. Leo III (d. 816 A.D.) was a Roman cardinal who was unanimously elected pope on the same day his predecessor was buried. He lived during a time of tension between the popes and emperors and their respective rights, powers, and responsibilities. Unlike his predecessor, Leo recognized Charlemagne as the protector of the See of Rome, which won him many enemies among the Roman nobility. As a result, Pope St. Leo III was attacked by a mob who cut out his eyes and tongue so that he could no longer serve in his office. He survived the attack, but was imprisoned by his attackers and deposed from his office under false accusations. Leo's eyes and tongue were miraculously restored, and he was able to escape his captivity and flee to Charlemagne for protection. Charlemagne in turn took up the Holy Father's cause, escorted him back to Rome, and put his enemies on trial. A few days later, at the Christmas Mass of 800 A.D., Pope St. Leo III crowned Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Emperor. As the Roman Pontiff, Pope St. Leo III was known for being an effective administrator and for improving the Roman churches. He also paved the way for a more unified Europe, and for greater cooperation across national borders between the Church and the secular European nations to maintain their collective Christian identity. His feast day is June 12.

Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Lectionary: 170

Reading 1

Deuteronomy 7:6-11

Moses said to the people:

"You are a people sacred to the LORD, your God;

he has chosen you from all the nations on the face of the earth

to be a people peculiarly his own.

It was not because you are the largest of all nations

that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you,

for you are really the smallest of all nations.

It was because the LORD loved you

and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn your fathers,

that he brought you out with his strong hand

from the place of slavery,

and ransomed you from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

Understand, then, that the LORD, your God, is God indeed,

the faithful God who keeps his merciful covenant

down to the thousandth generation

toward those who love him and keep his commandments,

but who repays with destruction a person who hates him;

he does not dally with such a one,

but makes them personally pay for it.

You shall therefore carefully observe the commandments,

the statutes and the decrees that I enjoin on you today."

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 10

R. (cf. 17) The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;

all my being, bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;

and forget not all his benefits.

R. The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

He pardons all your iniquities,

heals all your ills.

He redeems your life from destruction,

crowns you with kindness and compassion.

R. The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

Merciful and gracious is the LORD,

slow to anger and abounding in kindness.

Not according to our sins does he deal with us,

nor does he requite us according to our crimes.

R. The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

Reading 2

1 John 4:7-16

Beloved, let us love one another,

because love is of God;

everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.

Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.

In this way the love of God was revealed to us:

God sent his only Son into the world

so that we might have life through him.

In this is love:

not that we have loved God, but that he loved us

and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us,

we also must love one another.

No one has ever seen God.

Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,

and his love is brought to perfection in us.

This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,

that he has given us of his Spirit.

Moreover, we have seen and testify

that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.

Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,

God remains in him and he in God.

We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.

God is love, and whoever remains in love

remains in God and God in him.

Alleluia

Matthew 11:29ab

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord;

and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 11:25-30

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."

Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ!

From Word Among Us WAU.org

Daily Meditation: 1 John 4:7-16

We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. (1 John 4:16)

Have you ever heard about the difference between “head knowledge” and “heart knowledge”? When it comes to our faith, head knowledge is important. We need to understand what the Church teaches. But without heart knowledge, it can get us only so far. Because we also need to understand, from the depths of our being, how precious we are to the Lord and how much he loves us.

That’s what today’s feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is all about. As the incarnate Son of God, Jesus’ heart is aflame with love for each one of us. Before you were even born, Jesus loved you. Even when you were lost in sin, he loved you enough to die for you. And even today, he wants you to “know and to believe”—in your heart as well as in your head—this unquenchable, unending love (1 John 4:16).

Writing about St. John Henry Newman’s devotion to the Sacred Heart, Pope Francis had this to say:

St. John Henry Newman took as his motto the phrase cor ad cor loquitur [heart speaks to heart], since, beyond all our thoughts and ideas, the Lord saves us by speaking to our hearts from his Sacred Heart. This realization led him, the distinguished intellectual, to recognize that his deepest encounter with himself and with the Lord came not from his reading or reflection, but from his prayerful dialogue, heart to heart, with Christ, alive and present. (Dilexit Nos, 26)

We can deepen our knowledge and belief in God’s love as we spend time with Jesus in our own “prayerful dialogue,” as we come “heart to heart” with him in prayer. We can speak to him of our joys and burdens, our dreams and desires. We can express our love for him and our gratitude for all he has done for us. Then we can listen for his word to us, a word that will reassure us that he holds us, now and always, in the depths of his own Sacred Heart.

To honor this great feast, try to set aside some time to speak to the Lord heart to heart—and come to know, ever more deeply, the love Jesus has for you!

“Jesus, help my heart to burn with love for you!”

Deuteronomy 7:6-11

Psalm 103:1-4, 6-10

Matthew 11:25-30

Reflections with Brother Adrian:

Audio of 2 Cents

From today's Holy Gospel:

".... 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.

From Bishop Barron:
"Here’s how it works: If you have two animals yoked together when they’re both pulling, they are doing each other’s work. Jesus is saying that if your life is heavy and burdensome, it’s probably because you are caught up under the weight of your own sense of self-sufficiency. Get rid of that and take the yoke of Christ’s obedience upon your shoulders. Allow yourself to be led." end quote.

From Roberto Juarez:
"Today's liturgy also invites us to contemplate the open Heart of Christ on the Cross. From the pierced side flow blood and water, signs of the sacraments and of the new life that is born of his self-giving. The Heart of Jesus is not a romantic symbol. It is the sign of a love that goes to the extreme. A love that forgives, seeks, hopes, heals and saves.
In the face of such a great love, an inevitable question arises: How to respond? Devotion to the Sacred Heart does not consist only in venerating an image or saying a few prayers. It consists of letting our heart resemble theirs. A heart that is more humble, more patient, more merciful, more trusting, more willing to love.
On this Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Lord addresses a personal invitation to us: "Come to me". It doesn't matter how much weight we carry, or our wounds, or even our weaknesses. Christ opens his heart to us and offers us rest. Let us ask him for the grace to approach him with trust, to learn from his meekness and humility, and to allow ourselves to be transformed by that infinite love that flows from his Heart. As we contemplate the Heart of Jesus, may we discover that we are deeply loved and that nothing can separate us from that love.
end quote."

Our Lord says to us "Come to ME". How can we come to Him?
Go to Him, physically yes. In the Holy Sacraments. Yes.
But, here is a kicker, if you come to Him with a closed heart...you will only get as much as you are open to.
Are you in need? Do you need to alleviated? This word sounds like "healing" in Spanish. Yet, this is exactly tied with what our Lord offers...healing of the soul. That we might be made perfect in Him in this way. Last night we learned that the tassels that they used in the old testament came from a word that also meant wing, the healing of being under His wing.

The bleeding woman touched the tassel of our Lord...and she was healed, under His wing of protection.
Or else, we can try to live outside His protection...meaning...dabbling with sin. And there is the permission and authority we give to spirits in our lives.
So today, "Come to Me" means so much more than we think.
He calls from the Cross "Come my Child".

Do we dare to look at what we have done to Him on that cross? Yet He calls "come to ME". Come under His wing. There you will find Mary, Mother Mary, and the meek and brave souls that dared to approach the font of life...grace and mercy, pouring from HIS SACRED HEART.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, be our Love. Be My Love! Be our everything!