July 5, 2026
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Matthew 11:25–30

Today is the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The passage from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew presents to us the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Indeed, we have already proclaimed this text on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus this year. Yet, re-reading it within the context of the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time may offer us a different spiritual resonance.

In the Daily Reflection for this year’s Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, I cited the teaching of Pope Saint John Paul II, who instructed us: To venerate the Sacred Heart of Christ is to enter into the contemplation of the innermost core of the Savior’s Heart; Scripture indicates that this Heart is the very center of His Person and the abode of that love which has saved the world.If the human heart is already a fathomless mystery known only to God, how much more sublime and exalted is the Heart of Jesus—for within it beats the pulse of the life of the Word. As revealed in Scripture and celebrated in the Litany of the Sacred Heart, we discover in the Heart of Jesus all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and the fullness of divinity. To save humanity lost through disobedience, God wills to grant us a “new heart” conformed to His merciful will; this Heart is the Sacred Heart of Jesus, it is the masterpiece of the Holy Spirit—which began to beat within the virginal womb of Mary and was pierced by the lance upon the Cross, thereby becoming an inexhaustible fountain of life for all. This Heart has now become a powerful testament of hope for all men and women throughout the world. (Cf. Pope Saint John Paul II, Angelus, June 23, 2002.)

Today, we are invited once again to gaze upon the Heart of Jesus. It is this Heart—which, out of love for us, bore our burdens, reveals to us in meekness the Face of the Merciful Father, and invites us to come to Him to lay down our heavy loads so as to receive peace and joy—that calls us to embody its spirit in our daily lives. As I noted in my reflection during the 2022 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: We often find ourselves constrained by our habitual ways of acting and perceiving the world. When these ways or “paths” are closed, we begin to seek how to move forward and continue our journey. There, the will of God frequently manifests itself, revealing another way prepared for us. When we encounter obstacles, God is there to renew the covenant and raise us up from our discouragement. We need only to trust in God, who gives us light and endures forever, that when our paths are blocked, we may always find a way forward. When we are willing and open to the working of the Holy Spirit, a new beginning is always possible. As the Church, let us constantly look to the past to seek the true Light, and look to the future to discern new paths, so that we may continue to shine with the light of the Gospel through new graces. As Christians, may we glorify God by mutually accepting one another. (Cf. Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Reflection for the Eighth Day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, 2022.)

To achieve genuine mutual acceptance, we must identify the factors that hinder it. Here, I wish to name a few: money, power, social status. When our hearts are captivated by these things, we cease to be children of God and become children of the world. Then, we no longer accept one another sincerely; any occasional acceptance is born of temporary common interest, and once that interest fades, we turn against one another.

Therefore, on this Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, let us become like little children in purity: viewing God with the eyes of faith, listening to the Divine Word with the ears of faith, and proclaiming the Word with the mouth of an infant at the breast. Let us seek God alone, long for Heaven alone, and thirst for the will of God alone. Thus, the Word of God will reveal to us ever more profound mysteries of the Kingdom, drawing us closer to Heaven, even allowing us to dwell therein, and to remain in God’s presence at every moment.

O God, who in the abasement of your Son have raised up a fallen world, fill your faithful with holy joy, for on those you have rescued from slavery to sin you bestow eternal gladness. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica