Saint Josemaría taught that the ordinary circumstances of daily life are not obstacles to drawing near to the Sacred Heart. Work, conversations, and small acts of service can all be paths inward.
In his prayer intention last June, Pope Leo XIV put it simply: “that each of us might find consolation in a personal relationship with Jesus, and from his Heart, learn to have compassion on the world.”
Below you will find texts, homilies, and meditations to help you enter into that relationship this Friday, 12 June, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
How much time do you have?
⏲️ 5-10 minutes
📖 Longer
A brief history of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
In 1670, Father Jean Eudes celebrated the first feast of the Sacred Heart. Its wider spread owes to the mystical revelations received by Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in Paray-le-Monial, France, from 1673 until her death in 1690. Her spiritual director, Saint Claude de la Colombière, was among the first to promote the devotion publicly. Papal approval came in 1765 under Clement XIII. In 1899, Pope Leo XIII — whose name the current Pope has taken — urgently recommended the feast to bishops worldwide and consecrated all of humanity to the Heart of Jesus.
⏲️ 5-10 minutes: quick inspiration
- Commentary on the Gospel of the Mass: a brief reflection on the Gospel for this solemnity
- Pope Leo XIV’s prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: in his first prayer intention video (June 2025), Pope Leo XIV asked the faithful to pray that the world might grow in compassion. The video includes an original prayer people to inspire prayer throughout the month: “Lord, I come to your tender heart today… send us out on mission, a mission of compassion for the world in which you are the source from which all consolation flows.”
- Message from the Prelate (13 November 2025): Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz reflects on how love for God and love for neighbour are inseparable, in a world marked by war, injustice, and poverty, quoting Saint Josemaría’s words on the Sacred Heart: “A person or a society that does not react to suffering and injustice and makes no effort to alleviate them is still distant from the love of Christ’s Heart.”
🎧 20-30 minutes: material for prayer
- Finding Peace in the Heart of Christ: a homily by St. Josemaría on the feast of the Sacred Heart, from Christ is Passing By. Read or listen on YouTube or Spotify.
- Meditation for the solemnity of the Sacred Heart: text to inspire your personal prayer on the feast day.
- Pope Leo XIV’s homily on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart (27 June 2025): On last year’s feast, Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica as part of the Jubilee of Priests, ordaining 32 new priests. His homily calls all Christians to be shaped by the love flowing from the pierced side of Christ: “Reconciled with one another, united and transformed by the love that flows abundantly from the Heart of Christ, let us walk together humbly and resolutely in his footsteps, firm in faith and open to all in charity.”
📖 Longer: deeper reading or listening
- The origin of the devotion to the Sacred Heart: an explanation of the history and liturgy of the feast.
- Dilexit nos: Pope Francis’ encyclical on the Heart of Christ, published in October 2024, is the fourth encyclical dedicated by a pope to the Sacred Heart. It is available as an audiobook, ePub, Mobi, and PDF.
- God’s Tenderness: eight articles on mercy, originally published during the Jubilee of Mercy.
- Magnifica Humanitas: Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical reminds us that the full depth of what it means to be human is revealed in Christ’s Incarnation. “True progress always stems from a heart open to others, an intelligence willing to listen, and a will that seeks what unites rather than what separates.”