Heart to Heart Communication

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, invite us to contemplate our connection to the Heart, the seat of Wisdom, in Jesus time, and our communion with Divine Love.

The Heart Connects

The Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy presents the Destruction of the Nations in the Land.

f. [7:6] Dt 14:2, 21; 26:18–19; 32:8–14; Ex 19:5–6; Ps 135:4; Mal 3:17.

g. [7:7] Dt 10:15.

h. [7:8] Dt 5:6; 9:26; 13:5; 15:15; 21:8; 24:18; Ps 78:42.

i. [7:9–10] Dt 4:31; 5:9–10; 24:16; Ex 20:5–6; 34:6–7; Nm 14:18; Jer 31:29–30; 32:18–19; Ez 18:1–24; Jn 9:1–3. (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 103 praises God’s mercy towards all people.

* [Psalm 103] The speaker in this hymn begins by praising God for personal benefits (Ps 103:1–5), then moves on to God’s mercy toward all the people (Ps 103:6–18). Even sin cannot destroy that mercy (Ps 103:11–13), for the eternal God is well aware of the people’s human fragility (Ps 103:14–18). The psalmist invites the heavenly beings to join in praise (Ps 103:19–22). (Psalms, CHAPTER 103 | USCCB, n.d.)

The reading from the First Letter of John proclaims God’s Love and Christian Life.

* [4:7–12] Love as we share in it testifies to the nature of God and to his presence in our lives. One who loves shows that one is a child of God and knows God, for God’s very being is love; one without love is without God. The revelation of the nature of God’s love is found in the free gift of his Son to us, so that we may share life with God and be delivered from our sins. The love we have for one another must be of the same sort: authentic, merciful; this unique Christian love is our proof that we know God and can “see” the invisible God.

* [4:13–21] The testimony of the Spirit and that of faith join the testimony of love to confirm our knowledge of God. Our love is grounded in the confession of Jesus as the Son of God and the example of God’s love for us. Christian life is founded on the knowledge of God as love and on his continuing presence that relieves us from fear of judgment (1 Jn 4:16–18). What Christ is gives us confidence, even as we live and love in this world. Yet Christian love is not abstract but lived in the concrete manner of love for one another. (1 John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew proclaims Praise of the Father and The Gentle Mastery of Christ.

* [11:25–27] This Q saying, identical with Lk 10:21–22 except for minor variations, introduces a joyous note into this section, so dominated by the theme of unbelief. While the wise and the learned, the scribes and Pharisees, have rejected Jesus’ preaching and the significance of his mighty deeds, the childlike have accepted them. Acceptance depends upon the Father’s revelation, but this is granted to those who are open to receive it and refused to the arrogant. Jesus can speak of all mysteries because he is the Son and there is perfect reciprocity of knowledge between him and the Father; what has been handed over to him is revealed only to those whom he wishes.

* [11:28–29] These verses are peculiar to Matthew and are similar to Ben Sirach’s invitation to learn wisdom and submit to her yoke (Sir 51:23, 26).

* [11:28] Who labor and are burdened: burdened by the law as expounded by the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 23:4).

* [11:29] In place of the yoke of the law, complicated by scribal interpretation, Jesus invites the burdened to take the yoke of obedience to his word, under which they will find rest; cf. Jer 6:16. (Matthew CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Andy Alexander, SJ, comments on why the first part of the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius is so liberating. In that early part of the retreat, we discover that we are loved, sinners. We discover love without condition. We experience tender mercy. We’re not loved when we get our act together. Even when we struggle, even when we wander, we are loved passionately. This is the breakthrough, the grace, that each of us can ask for on this feast – to know how deeply we are loved and to receive it.

In his last encyclical, Dilexit Nos [He loves us], on the Sacred Heart, Pope Francis wrote:

The Second Vatican Council points out that “the ferment of the Gospel has aroused and continues to arouse in human hearts an unquenchable thirst for human dignity”. [24] Yet to live in accordance with this dignity, it is not enough to know the Gospel or to carry out mechanically its demands. We need the help of God’s love. Let us turn, then, to the heart of Christ, that core of his being, which is a blazing furnace of divine and human love and the most sublime fulfilment to which humanity can aspire. There, in that heart, we truly come at last to know ourselves and we learn how to love. #30

In the presence of the heart of Christ, I once more ask the Lord to have mercy on this suffering world in which he chose to dwell as one of us. May he pour out the treasures of his light and love, so that our world, which presses forward despite wars, socio-economic disparities and uses of technology that threaten our humanity, may regain the most important and necessary thing of all: its heart. #31 (Alexander, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The grace of Christ bears us up,” from an anonymous early Christian teacher

"'My yoke is easy and my burden light'... The prophet says this about the burden of sinners: 'Because my iniquities lie on top of my head, so they have also placed a heavy burden on me' (Psalm 38:4)... 'Place my yoke upon you, and learn from me that I am gentle and humble of heart.' Oh, what a very pleasing weight that strengthens even more those who carry it! For the weight of earthly masters gradually destroys the strength of their servants, but the weight of Christ rather helps the one who bears it, because we do not bear grace; grace bears us. It is not for us to help grace, but rather grace has been given to aid us." (excerpt from the INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 29: PG 56:780) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 John 4:7-16 comments that 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!” (Meditation on 1 John 4:7-16, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Moses is trying to teach the people how God has chosen them. They should respond by being faithful and carefully observing their commitments. In 1 John, God is defined as Love. Jesus taught what Love is in His death for us. He willingly took this on himself. In the Gospel of John, the crucifixion is the hour of glory as the outpouring of love for us. In Matthew, Jesus praises the childlike revelation to those who surrender to the mystery we cannot figure out. We can learn from the wonder of the child discovering new things. Friar Jude reminds us that the yoke of two oxen presents the truth that we need to have the help of Jesus in a custom fit yoke to make the furrows and assist in the burdens we carry that are our personal path to trust in God.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, speaks of Jesus’s desire for us to remain connected. Yet we keep condemning ourselves and others for not being perfect, for not being right, or for not being correct.

Everybody seems to be trying to prove that they are right. We have almost a collective incapacity to admit failure, to ever admit that we are wrong, which makes us liars most of the time. Jesus is calling forth a very different kind of human being.

Jesus says people who live a vulnerable life of connection and relationship will bear much fruit. These are the people we trust, like, and admire, so why are so many of us afraid to be the very thing that we admire the most? How foolish human beings are! But again, Jesus has told us the way: He is the vine; we are the branches. None of us can be or need to be correct, but we can always be connected. (Rohr, n.d.)

We attend to the wisdom of the Spirit that affirms that we grow in faith, hope and charity in our action to yoke ourselves with Christ as we live our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader.

References

Alexander, A. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton On line Ministries. Retrieved June 12, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-12-2026 

Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 12, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/7?6 

Matthew CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Retrieved June 12, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11?25 

Meditation on 1 John 4:7-16. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 12, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/12/1590299/ 

1 John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Retrieved June 12, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/4?7 

Psalms, CHAPTER 103 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved June 12, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/103?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Remain in Me as I Remain in You. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 12, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/remain-in-me-as-i-remain-in-you/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Heavenly Things Revealed to Infants. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 12, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Behold Love in Action

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to react to the events of our life with a desire and action for good even as we aspire to perfect love.

Act in Love

The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents Paul before King Agrippa.

* [25:13] King Agrippa and Bernice: brother and sister, children of Herod Agrippa I whose activities against the Jerusalem community are mentioned in Acts 12:1–19. Agrippa II was a petty ruler over small areas in northern Palestine and some villages in Perea. His influence on the Jewish population of Palestine was insignificant. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 25 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 103 proclaims even sin cannot destroy God’s mercy.

* [Psalm 103] The speaker in this hymn begins by praising God for personal benefits (Ps 103:1–5), then moves on to God’s mercy toward all the people (Ps 103:6–18). Even sin cannot destroy that mercy (Ps 103:11–13), for the eternal God is well aware of the people’s human fragility (Ps 103:14–18). The psalmist invites the heavenly beings to join in praise (Ps 103:19–22). (Psalms, PSALM 103 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents the relationship between Jesus and Peter.

* [21:15–23] This section constitutes Peter’s rehabilitation and emphasizes his role in the church.

* [21:15–17] In these three verses there is a remarkable variety of synonyms: two different Greek verbs for love (see note on Jn 15:13); two verbs for feed/tend; two nouns for sheep; two verbs for know. But apparently there is no difference of meaning. The threefold confession of Peter is meant to counteract his earlier threefold denial (Jn 18:17, 25, 27). The First Vatican Council cited these verses in defining that Jesus after his resurrection gave Peter the jurisdiction of supreme shepherd and ruler over the whole flock.

* [21:15] More than these: probably “more than these disciples do” rather than “more than you love them” or “more than you love these things [fishing, etc.].”

* [21:18] Originally probably a proverb about old age, now used as a figurative reference to the crucifixion of Peter. (John, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB, n.d.)

Cindy Murphy McMahon imagines Luke, like any good journalist or historian, went back to sources to get more details and to confirm facts or correct misinformation. The details he captured are rich and lively, and we owe him a great debt of gratitude.

Let us thank God for St. Luke and all the writers of the New Testament, and pray for their intercession.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thank you for the gifts you endowed upon St. Luke and all those who did their best to write testimonies concerning Jesus and his teachings. Thank you for their dedication and courage. St. Luke, and all writers of what became the New Testament, please pray for our writers, editors, historians, and theologians today, that they may seek, find, and share what is true and divinely inspired. (Murphy McMahon, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Do you love me? Feed my sheep,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Christ rose again in the flesh, and Peter rose in the spirit because, when Christ died in his passion, Peter died by his denial. Christ the Lord was raised from the dead, and out of his love he raised Peter. He questioned him about the love he was confessing and entrusted him with his sheep. After all, what benefit could Peter confer on Christ by the mere fact of his loving Christ? If Christ loves you, it is to your advantage, not Christ's. And if you love Christ, it is to your advantage, not Christ's. And yet Christ the Lord wanted to indicate how people ought to show that they love Christ. And he made it plain enough by entrusting him with his sheep. 'Do you love me?' 'I do.' 'Feed my sheep.' All this once, all this a second time, all this a third time. Peter made no other reply than that he loved him. The Lord asked no other question but whether he loved him. When Peter answered, our Lord did nothing else but entrust his sheep to him." (excerpt from SERMON 229n.1.4)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 21:15-19 comments that we tend to love mostly good things: our families, the beauty of this created world, the work we do, the ways we have contributed to our communities. But as good as these loves may be, they will not satisfy us. We will always be looking for more. The truth is, we are created to be in a relationship with Jesus. Only he can fill our deepest longing, and loving him puts everything else in its rightful order.

Do you love Jesus more than “these”? He is worthy of your full yes! So let him do for you what he did for Peter. Let him gently reveal your attachments and invite you to surrender them to him. Right now, imagine Jesus standing before you with his loving searching gaze fixed on your heart. How can you reprioritize your other “loves”? What comes to mind? Look into his eyes and surrender it to him.

“Jesus, you know everything. You know that I love you.” (Meditation on John 21:15-19, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments in the Acts of the Apostles we hear royalty discussing with Festus, the Governor, about Paul who had been arrested by Felix, a ruler who sought bribes, a few years prior. The crimes of Paul are expressed as simply religious disagreements about the life and death of Jesus. Paul, a Roman citizen, appealed to go to Rome avoiding likely assassination on the way to Jerusalem. In the Gospel of John, the disciples encounter Jesus after a miracle catch of fish. There are three words for love in Greek. Jesus asks if Peter loves Him twice using “agape” or sacrificial love. Peter responds twice using “phileo”: “You are my buddy”. The third time, Jesus asks using “phileo”, “Are you my buddy?”  Peter responds “I am” In the dialogue Jesus asks Peter to ”feed my lambs and sheep”. Friar Jude comments on the need for authority, an unusual part of the Gospel of John, where we encounter the Beloved Disciple and the ability of Peter to exercise the authority needed to guide the community. Peter would glorify God by martyrdom in Rome. 

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, views each moment as an opportunity to practice contemplation, to see things as they are, and to receive the gift of divine presence. He introduces spiritual writer Amy Frykholm who acknowledges that while contemplation may sound simple, the practice of “beholding” anything takes desire and discipline.

If we are able to get ourselves situated for beholding, we will notice the next difficulty arising: We are constantly being taken out of presence by our own thoughts…. Any act of attention is not a sustained experiencing. It’s a series of successive efforts to bring attention back to the same thing, considering it again and again. This kind of encounter is a series of repeated acts of will. We gradually train our attention to encounter, discovering its fruits in slow and subtle movements over time. Whatever you behold, you eventually become beholden to. You enter into a love relation. You recognize your own dependence on the created world, the way that you are held, even as you are holding.

And sometimes grace carries us away, and we glimpse, maybe even for several seconds at a time, the whole interconnected, openhearted world … welcomes us. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the guidance of the Spirit to seize the opportunity to contemplate our responses to events and avoid sacrificing the “good” in search of “the perfect”.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 25 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 22, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/25? 

John, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 22, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/21? 

Meditation on John 21:15-19. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved May 22, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/05/22/1574152/ 

Murphy McMahon, C. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved May 22, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-may-22-2026 

Psalms, PSALM 103 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Retrieved May 22, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/103?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Beholding God Everywhere. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 22, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/beholding-god-everywhere/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Do You Love Jesus More Than These? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 22, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Grace and Mercy

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to assess the limits we place in our response with mercy to the people and situations that bring us an opportunity to extend grace to others. 

"While still a long way off"

The Reading from the Prophet Micah is a prayer that God will care for the people as in ancient days.

* [7:14–17] A prayer that God will care for the people as in ancient days (v. 14) is answered (vv. 15–17) when the Lord promises to do marvelous things. The nations shall be afraid and turn to the Lord.

* [7:18–20] The final lines of the book contain a hymn of praise for the incomparable God, who pardons sin and delights in mercy. Thus the remnant, those left after the exile, is confident in God’s compassion and in the ancient promises sworn to the ancestors. (Micah, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 103 praises God for personal benefits and mercy toward all the people.

* [Psalm 103] The speaker in this hymn begins by praising God for personal benefits (Ps 103:1–5), then moves on to God’s mercy toward all the people (Ps 103:6–18). Even sin cannot destroy that mercy (Ps 103:11–13), for the eternal God is well aware of the people’s human fragility (Ps 103:14–18). The psalmist invites the heavenly beings to join in praise (Ps 103:19–22). (Psalms, PSALM 103 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke presents The Parable of the Lost Son.

* [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.)

Carol Zuegner comments that too often, she judges herself and others by making comparisons and ranking who is best and who needs work. Who is deserving and who is not. God loves each of us for the person we are right now, with our warts, our sins, our challenges. The road to forgiveness is always there, as it was for the prodigal son. Even if we get lost along the way, we can still find our way back. The door is open.

I often feel that I don’t measure up, that I am broken, but I am reminded that God wants me to come as I am. The door is open, and love is always there. I know God wants me to feel that love and then pass that along. To be the older brother and celebrate the return of the prodigal son. I know I will still struggle with the what-about-me, but I can work on letting go of those comparisons and rankings. I pray that my heart can be open and loving, to celebrate others as I know God the Father celebrates me. (Zuegner, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Life through death,” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Did you make it possible for yourselves to merit God's mercy because you turned back to him? If you hadn't been called by God, what could you have done to turn back? Didn't the very One Who called you when you were opposed to Him make it possible for you to turn back? Don't claim your conversion as your own doing. Unless He had called you when you were running away from Him, you would not have been able to turn back." (Commentary on Psalm 84, 8) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in Micah the idea is presented that Israel will be able to shepherd flocks in the lands of the pagans as a restoration. The strength of God is measured in forgiveness and compassion. These are not weak virtues but require strength especially when undeserved. The idea of sin as contagion is held among the religious leaders of Israel and Jesus tells of the “Prodigal”, meaning generous, father who has compassion as one who undeservedly forgives. Consider the rudeness of seeking inheritance before the father dies. Friar Jude wonders when the son goes to father to ask for forgiveness, is he really sorry or is he seeking food from the father? Jewish custom would have allowed the father to be less forgiving but the father is waiting to forgive in true mercy without evidence of true contrition. The elder brother is upset and maybe self-interested in his diminishing inheritance. Friar Jude reminds us that God rejoices when sinners return. He is just waiting like the Prodigal Father.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 invites us to look again at the father. Yes, he embraces his long-lost son and throws a party for him. But right away he notices his other son’s absence and goes looking for him. He pleads with him to join the celebration. He listens patiently as the son expresses his anger and disgust. But then he urges him to soften his heart. He assures him, “You are here with me always; everything I have is yours” (Luke 15:31). He insists on speaking of his younger son as “your brother” (15:32), urging his older son to seize the good and join the joy.

Whether you identify with the older son or the younger son, God is inviting you to come to him and join the feast at his table. Whether you’ve wandered far from your heavenly Father and are returning or you have served him for years, he is inviting you to join him in the rejoicing.

“Father, thank you for your grace and mercy. Where would I be without it?” (Meditation on Luke 15:1-3, 11-32, n.d.)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces writer and activist adrienne maree brown who connects our ability to practice restorative justice to our individual capacity for resilience in the face of harm. We cannot practice collectively what we have not practiced in our own lives and personal relationships.

Your work is to break the cycle of punishment in any room you hold….

Restoration can be a transformative, healing act in a community…. Transformative justice is a way of moving into accountability, deepening relationship, clarifying boundaries, and opening the way for more collective possibilities….

Practice transformative justice in your closest relationships. Choose patience, communication, mediation, curiosity, boundaries, and uprooting harm over cancellation, public humiliation, ghosting people, or other methods of disposing of people. The more you practice it personally, the more you will be able to support others through it politically and collectively. (Rohr, 2026)

We seek the understanding of the Spirit to process the frequent response that contradicts Jesus' Way, demonstrated by the father of the sons, with an attitude that we get what we deserve in our wandering away from acceptable behaviour.

References

Luke, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 7, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/15?1 

Meditation on Luke 15:1-3, 11-32. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved March 7, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/03/07/1513881/ 

Micah, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 7, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/micah/7?14 

Psalms, PSALM 103 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 7, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/103? 

Rohr, R. (2026, March 6). An All-Embracing Love — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved March 7, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/an-all-embracing-love/  

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Father, I Have Sinned against Heaven and You. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 7, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Zuegner, C. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved March 7, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-march-7-2026