The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart, challenge us to be receptive to acts of love, mercy and compassion through which we experience the Love in the Heart of Christ.
The reading from the Prophet Ezekiel proclaims the Parable of the Shepherds.
* [34:2] Shepherds: the leaders of the people. A frequent title for kings and deities in the ancient Near East; the ideal ruler took care of his subjects and anticipated their needs. Ezekiel’s oracle broadens the reference to include the whole class of Jerusalem’s leaders (v. 17). The prophet assures his audience, the exiles in Babylon, that God holds these leaders responsible for what has happened to Jerusalem and will give Israel a new shepherd worthy of the title. (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 34 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 23 declares The LORD is my shepherd.
* [Psalm 23] God’s loving care for the psalmist is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Ps 23:1–4) and a host’s generosity toward a guest (Ps 23:5–6). The imagery of both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Is 40:11; 49:10; Jer 31:10). (Psalms, PSALM 23 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans proclaims Faith, Hope, and Love.
* [5:1–11] Popular piety frequently construed reverses and troubles as punishment for sin; cf. Jn 9:2. Paul therefore assures believers that God’s justifying action in Jesus Christ is a declaration of peace. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ displays God’s initiative in certifying humanity for unimpeded access into the divine presence. Reconciliation is God’s gift of pardon to the entire human race. Through faith one benefits personally from this pardon or, in Paul’s term, is justified. The ultimate aim of God is to liberate believers from the pre-Christian self as described in Rom 1–3. Since this liberation will first find completion in the believer’s resurrection, salvation is described as future in Rom 5:10. Because this fullness of salvation belongs to the future it is called the Christian hope. Paul’s Greek term for hope does not, however, suggest a note of uncertainty, to the effect: “I wonder whether God really means it.” Rather, God’s promise in the gospel fills believers with expectation and anticipation for the climactic gift of unalloyed commitment in the holy Spirit to the performance of the will of God. The persecutions that attend Christian commitment are to teach believers patience and to strengthen this hope, which will not disappoint them because the holy Spirit dwells in their hearts and imbues them with God’s love (Rom 5:5).
* [5:1] We have peace: a number of manuscripts, versions, and church Fathers read “Let us have peace”; cf. Rom 14:19.
* [5:7] In the world of Paul’s time the good person is especially one who is magnanimous to others. (Romans, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke proclaims The Parable of the Lost Sheep.
* [15:1–32] To the parable of the lost sheep (Lk 15:1–7) that Luke shares with Matthew (Mt 18:12–14), Luke adds two parables (the lost coin, Lk 15:8–10; the prodigal son, Lk 15:11–32) from his own special tradition to illustrate Jesus’ particular concern for the lost and God’s love for the repentant sinner. (Luke, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)
Rev. Jim Caime, SJ wonders about having the kind of love of the Sacred Heart inside himself.
But maybe that’s exactly where the Sacred Heart meets us—not in our strength, but in our poverty. This feast isn’t a moral challenge to love perfectly. It’s an invitation to be loved first. To be met by the mercy of Christ right where we’re empty. To let ourselves be loved like that—in all our weakness, resentment, confusion, and pain. To be held by a heart that never hardens against us, no matter how long we wander.
And if we let that love in—just a crack—something begins to soften. Maybe our hearts ache in the same direction—bruised by grief, cracked open by compassion, stretched by the longing for peace. Maybe just a single moment when we don’t lash out. When we choose silence over spite. When we weep instead of retaliate. Maybe the cycle breaks. Even just once.
So don’t try to have that kind of love.
Let it have you.
And maybe that is enough. (Caime, 2025)
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus is Son of David and Son of God,” by Cyril of Alexandria, 375-444 A.D.
"We also will ask the Pharisees of today a similar question. They deny that he who was born of the holy Virgin is very Son of God the Father and himself also God. They also divide the one Christ into two sons. Let these people explain to us how David's Son is his Lord, not so much as to human lordship as divine. To sit at the right hand of the Father is the assurance and pledge of supreme glory. Those who share the same throne are equal also in dignity, and those who are crowned with equal honors are understood of course to be equal in nature. To sit by God can signify nothing else than sovereign authority. The throne declares to us that Christ possesses power over everything and supremacy by right of his substance. How is the Son of David David's Lord, seated at the right hand of God the Father and on the throne of Deity? Is it not altogether according to the unerring word of the mystery that the Word as God sprung from the very substance of God the Father? Being in his likeness and equal with him, he became flesh. He became man, perfectly and yet without departing from the incomparable excellence of the divine dignities. He continued in that state in which he had always been. He still was God, although he became flesh and in form like us. He is David's Lord therefore according to that which belongs to his divine glory, nature and sovereignty. He is his son according to the flesh." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 137.52) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Romans 5:5-11 comments on the fiery uncontainable love that Jesus shows throughout the Gospels.
Every day Jesus seeks you out. He wants to heal your sorrow over losing a loved one, your anxiety over finances, your desire to reconcile with an estranged friend, or the pain you experience because of sin. As you offer him your wounds and worries, the love that flows from his Sacred Heart will fill your heart. That heart, “so inflamed with love” for you, will bestow on you his infinite treasures: his peace, healing, mercy, and comfort.
Jesus is waiting for you with open arms! Come and let him embrace you.
“O Jesus, let me know the fire of your love today!” (Meditation on Romans 5:5-11, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the Ezekiel 34 passage that declares the shepherds to guide the people had failed and God himself would now lead them. This prophecy is fulfilled in the person of Jesus. Romans declares that God has poured the Spirit into our hearts. As sinners we did not deserve mercy and compassion but Love has reconciled us. The Shepherd who finds the one may have us ask “what about the 99?” God reaches out to those who need His Love. He does like the parent who rejoices at the transformation of a wayward child.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces authors Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom reflect on the Alcoholics Anonymous community and the powerful lessons we can learn from them. The organization models how to be responsible for self and others.
At Alcoholics Anonymous, no one’s in charge. And yet, at the same time, everyone’s in charge…. The organization functions just like a starfish. You automatically become part of the leadership—an arm of the starfish, if you will—the moment you join. Thus, AA is constantly changing form as new members come in and others leave. The one thing that does remain constant is the recovery principle—the famous twelve steps. Because there is no one in charge, everyone is responsible for keeping themselves—and everyone else—on track.… There’s no application form, and nobody owns AA.
Nobody owns AA. Bill realized this when the group became a huge success and people from all over the world wanted to start their own chapters. Bill had a crucial decision to make. He could go with the spider option and control what the chapters could and couldn’t do. Under this scenario, he’d have had to manage the brand and train applicants in the AA methodology. Or he could go with the starfish approach and get out of the way. Bill chose the latter. He let go. (Rohr, n.d.)
We ponder the experiences of burning love when the hymn of Leonard Cohen “there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in” resonates with our journey.
References
Caime, J. (2025, June 27). Daily Reflection June 27, 2025 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-27-2025
Ezekiel, CHAPTER 34 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/34?11
Luke, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/15?3
Meditation on Romans 5:5-11. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/06/27/1317323/
Psalms, PSALM 23 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/23?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Individual and Collective Responsibility. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/individual-and-collective-responsibility/
Romans, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/5?5
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Rejoice, I Have Found My Sheep Which Was Lost. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jun27a
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