Burning with Love

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 Good Shepherd

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

Losing for Love

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the paradox of finding life in the experience of loss and the consolation offered by loving relationships.

Life and Loss

The reading from the Prophet Nahum describes the destruction of the Wicked City with ruin Imminent and inevitable.

* [2:2] One who scatters has come up against you: the enemy is about to crush Nineveh, dispersing and deporting its people (v. 8; 3:18). (Nahum, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

The response from Deuteronomy declares vengeance is mine.

* [32:1–43] The whole song is a poetic sermon, having for its theme the Lord’s benefits to Israel (vv. 1–14) and Israel’s ingratitude and idolatry in turning to the gods of the nations; these sins will be punished by the nations themselves (vv. 15–29); in turn, the foolish pride of the nations will be punished, and the Lord’s honor will be vindicated (vv. 30–43). (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 32 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus connects the Cross and Self-Denial.

* [16:24–28] A readiness to follow Jesus even to giving up one’s life for him is the condition for true discipleship; this will be repaid by him at the final judgment.

* [16:24] Deny himself: to deny someone is to disown him (see Mt 10:33; 26:34–35) and to deny oneself is to disown oneself as the center of one’s existence.

* [16:25] See notes on Mt 10:38, 39.

* [16:27] The parousia and final judgment are described in Mt 25:31 in terms almost identical with these.

* [16:28] Coming in his kingdom: since the kingdom of the Son of Man has been described as “the world” and Jesus’ sovereignty precedes his final coming in glory (Mt 13:38, 41), the coming in this verse is not the parousia as in the preceding but the manifestation of Jesus’ rule after his resurrection; see notes on Mt 13:38, 41. (Matthew, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)

Eileen Wirth comments that her students helped her understand what Jesus meant when he told us to lose our lives for his sake in order to find them.

Or there’s a question of how to use our money to make the world a better place. Ideally this means advocacy as well as writing checks (okay, donating online). I think of covering a group of rich women who made their gifts to United Way contingent on the creation of a domestic violence shelter. They used their money to make a statement, and we can too.

St. Mother Teresa used to say that the poverty of the affluent nations was loneliness. I know people, especially retirees, who tell me how hard it is to make friends at our age. Then I think of the new friends I’ve made at church, and working with refugees and Habitat for Humanity. We find out lives at every stage in life by “losing” them as Jesus taught us.

I’m glad that I helped “ruin” so many former students who are now gaining the only kind of “wealth” that matters long term. (Wirth, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Walk as Christ has walked,” by Caesarius of Arles (470-543 AD).

"When the Lord tells us in the Gospel that anyone who wants to be his follower must renounce himself, the injunction seems harsh; we think he is imposing a burden on us. But an order is no burden when it is given by one who helps in carrying it out. To what place are we to follow Christ if not where he has already gone? We know that he has risen and ascended into heaven; there, then, we must follow him. There is no cause for despair - by ourselves we can do nothing, but we have Christ's promise... One who claims to abide in Christ ought to walk as he walked. Would you follow Christ? Then be humble as he was humble. Do not scorn his lowliness if you want to reach his exaltation. Human sin made the road rough. Christ's resurrection leveled it. By passing over it himself, he transformed the narrowest of tracks into a royal highway. Two feet are needed to run along this highway; they are humility and charity. Everyone wants to get to the top - well, the first step to take is humility. Why take strides that are too big for you - do you want to fall instead of going up? Begin with the first step, humility, and you will already be climbing." (excerpt from SERMONS 159, 1.4-6) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7 asks “We know that God could stop evil in its tracks. So why doesn’t he?”

It’s because we live in an age of “already” and “not yet.” In one sense, God has already conquered evil. On the cross, Jesus took on all the sins of the world—past, present, and future. He became the sacrificial lamb, bearing everyone’s guilt and offering mercy and redemption in its place. Then he rose from the dead to offer new life to all who turn to him. But evil has not yet been fully destroyed. That great and final victory will happen when Jesus comes again. Then, there will be no more crying, mourning, or pain. Every tear will be wiped from our eyes, and we will rejoice forever (Revelation 21:4).

We all experience the pain of living in a fallen world. But unlike the people of Judah, we already know the end of the story. Whatever suffering we may have to endure in the meantime, we can trust that evil will not have the final word.

As Nahum prophesied, the Lord did restore the vine of Jacob. He did it by sending his Son into the world. In the face of every evil, may we place all our hope in him.

“Jesus, I believe that you will do what you promise, in your time and in your way.” (Meditation on Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the minor prophet, Nathum, declared the destruction of Assyria as a consequence of the punishment of Israel going overboard. The privilege expected by Peter is contradicted by Jesus' image of the Cross, the ultimate punishment used by Rome, as the destiny for Him and many of his followers. Friar Jude reminds us that in Matthew’s Gospel, we encounter the dawning of the Kingdom at the parousia and now in the Death and Resurrection of Christ.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, has learned from alcoholics and the Twelve Steps that it’s when we hit rock bottom that we realize how our suffering and God’s suffering are connected.

Those who have passed over to healing and sobriety eventually find a much bigger world of endurance, meaning, hope, self-esteem, deeper and true desire, and, most especially, a bottomless pool of love, both within and without. The Eastern fathers of the church called this transformation theosis, or the process of the divinization of the human person. This deep transformation is not achieved by magic, miracles, or priestcraft, but by a “vital spiritual experience” that is available to all human beings. It leads to an emotional sobriety, an immense freedom, a natural compassion, and a sense of divine union that is the deepest and most universal meaning of that much-used word salvation. Only those who have passed over know the real meaning of that word—and that it is not just a word at all. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are grateful, in retrospect, for the times of loss and surrender that have brought consolation through a deeper experience of love and community, human and Divine.

References

Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 32 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/32? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/16? 

Meditation on Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/08/09/1044299/ 

Nahum, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/nahum/2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. The God of All Who Suffer. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-god-of-all-who-suffer/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=aug9 

Wirth, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/080924.html