Dear Friends,

The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And this year on June 11th, Most of our Bishops, members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), will consecrate the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Heart, as many of us may know or have used and/or read, represents Love. My first tee shirt had the inscription, I ❤ You" on it. I understood it as "I heart you!" until my maternal Aunt Rita corrected my limited childhood knowledge. She told me that the red heart symbolizes Love, and so my T-shirt was an expression of I LOVE YOU.

It is often easy for us to confuse the heart symbol as an expression of our feelings, affections, and our approval of something; yet, the heart means more than that. I would like to go a step further by affirming that the heart represents the person. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is Jesus Himself: God the Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Let us all continue with the Novena prayers provided and keep open our hearts and lives to the merits of true devotion and consecration to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the one who received visions of Jesus revealing his Sacred Heart and the one who is known for spreading the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, left us a powerful statement: "I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the Heart of Jesus."

We need God if we intend to free ourselves from the chaos we are facing today, which resulted from endless, reckless, and fruitless divisions and wars in the world. May the Lord in His Compassionate Heart grant us peace and save our common home, the beautiful Mother Earth, from all harm.

I have selected the following Litanies to the Sacred Heart to illuminate, spark, and provide understanding of the theme of this weekend's bulletin article: "THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS: LOVE WITHOUT MEASURE."

Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, vessel of Justice and Love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts, have mercy on us.

In the Heart of Jesus, everyone finds and receives God's mercy, love, goodness, peace and justice. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is an expression of God, who is Love without measure. "Real love is not measured by what we get, but by what we give." True friendship is not about profit, but presence. And the greatest banquet of all is the one where everyone finds a place.

It is not a coincidence, therefore, that we celebrate this week the Solemnity of "Corpus Christi", "The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.“

When read together, the readings of this feast reveal a coherent mystery: God formed Israel through manna and God forms the Church through the Eucharist. Manna sustained biological life; the Eucharist imparts divine life. Manna taught dependence; the Eucharist produces communion. Manna shaped Israel into God's people; the Eucharist shapes the Church into the Body of Christ. The Eucharist is therefore not simply a ritual but the central act by which God forms, sustains, and unifies His people.

The readings challenge us to consider whether the Eucharist has become a ritual habit or a transformative encounter. The question is not whether we receive the Eucharist but whether the Eucharist is forming us. Does it reorder our desires, detach us from self-sufficiency, correct our pride, deepen our communion, and shape our identity around Christ? Manna demanded daily dependence; the Eucharist demands ongoing transformation. A true Eucharistic life leads us to humility, unity, service, and a renewed capacity to mirror Christ's self-giving love.

There comes a point in life when strength feels like a memory, when prayers feel unanswered, and when the weight of existence presses so heavily on your chest that even breathing feels like labor. In those moments the human instinct is to run, to search, to chase, or to move from place to place, hoping that somewhere, somehow, relief will find you. Some may go from church to church, from ministry to ministry, from one ecclesial Community to another, one prophetic voice to another; all in the hopes that the next word, the next oil, the next hand laid upon him/her will finally break the burden. But peace is not found in restless movement; it is found in sacred stillness. God's word says it: " Be still and know that I am God! I am exalted on the earth" - Psalm 46:11 (NABRE)

When life becomes unbearable, do not scatter your soul in a thousand directions. Return instead to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Heart that burns with unending mercy, the Heart that was pierced yet continues to pour out love without measure. That Heart is not distant nor selective. It is not waiting for perfection before it embraces you. It is open, wounded, and endlessly compassionate. Sacred Heart of Jesus, may your Kingdom come and May your will be done.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for our salvation. Jesus, I trust in you!

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