How You Can Find Rest in the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus // June 12th, 2026 // Matthew 11:25-30
Today’s Gospel begins by telling us of the beauty of childlike faith. Jesus thanks the Father, the Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries and wonders of the faith to infants (Matthew 11:25). The wise do not understand, but infants do. It is too often that we get caught up in practicing the faith by doing what we have to do; we become focused on checking boxes rather than genuinely cultivating a relationship with God. When this happens, it is almost as if we can become prideful of how good we are at being Christians, and we end up considering ourselves wise in regard to the faith. However, Jesus here is explicitly stating that that very mindset can cloud our vision of Him. Of course, we are called to practice our faith and follow the rules that the Catholic Church says we ought to, but we are not to do that in a way that makes us forget what we are working towards: love of God and love of neighbor. There are many who do not fully embrace faith in Christ, but we are being called to trust him with the simplicity of childlike trust. It is the Father’s will for us to do so (Matthew 11:26). And, as the Church teaches, when we direct what we do towards the goodness God wants, we become increasingly more free; we become increasingly more fulfilled as we adhere to the one we are made in the image of (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1733).
In verse 27, Jesus explains that He and the Father are greatly intertwined: “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” First of all, we can understand that this relationship between the Father and the Son signals their oneness within the Blessed Trinity. Jesus truly is God among us, and every time we receive Him in the Eucharist at Mass, we are receiving our Lord. Second, we can understand that He desires to reveal the Father to us. If we exist, it is no accident; it is because God has willed that we may know Him. The fact that we are made in His image and likeness, thereby reflecting Him, means that we are made to know His heart.
Jesus tells us, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). We are truly made to rest in God’s love. As we have seen, that comes from faithfully following His will to love Him and the other people around us. St. John Chrysostom commented on this verse in his “Homilies on Matthew,” saying that Christ is calling us not to reprimand us, but to do away with our sins so that we may have salvation in Him. When we fall into sin, Jesus wants us to repent, but He does not point the finger to accuse us and make us feel bad. He calls us so that we may experience His immense mercy and love. When we follow Him and learn from Him, we will find rest (Matthew 11:29). If we place full trust in Christ to show us what obedience to the Father looks like, we will experience freedom and joy. Christ Himself modeled perfect obedience as He knew He was about to be unjustly crucified yet still submitted fully to the Father’s will (Matthew 26:39). If He can trust the Father so much as to willingly die a brutal death out of love for us, surely we can trust Him to show us that love. Jesus tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). That yoke is never one of burden; it is always one of love and mercy. On this Solemnity of His Most Sacred Heart, give yourself up to Him so that He can envelop you in the yoke of His loving heart.
