✝️ Homily – Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Year C)

📖 Readings: Ezekiel 34:11–16 | Psalm 23 | Romans 5:5b–11 | Luke 15:3–7
Theme: “He Carries Us Home with His Heart”

😂 Heaven’s Lost and Found

A young child once prayed, “Dear Jesus, thank You for loving me—even when I hide and don’t want to be found.”
That’s the mystery of today’s Gospel: God never stops searching, even when we’ve given up on being found.

❤️ 1. Introduction – What Is This Feast About?

Today, we honour not an idea, but the Heart of Jesus—the deepest sign of God’s love, mercy, and longing for each person.

This isn’t sentimental devotion. The Sacred Heart is about a divine love that chases after the lost, carries the broken, and rejoices over the found.

🐑 2. Gospel – Luke 15:3–7: The Lost Sheep and the Shepherd’s Heart

Jesus tells the story of the lost sheep—not to shame the lost, but to reveal the heart of the Shepherd.
He asks, “Which of you would not leave the 99 to go after the one?”
But let’s be honest: most of us would say, “Ninety-nine is a good average.”

But not Jesus.
He doesn’t calculate—He loves.
He leaves the 99 to search for one soul.
And when He finds it, He doesn’t scold or shame—it says:

“He lays it on His shoulders with joy.”

That’s the Sacred Heart: love that lifts, love that carries, love that celebrates.

🕊️ 3. The Word of God – Ezekiel 34: God Seeks the Scattered

God, through Ezekiel, says:

“I myself will search for My sheep… I will rescue them… I will bind up the injured.”

The image of God is not of a judge in the sky but a shepherd in the dirt, going after the forgotten, the strayed, the limping.

This is the Old Testament foreshadowing of Jesus—the Good Shepherd whose heart beats for the broken.

💧 4. Second Reading – Romans 5: God Loved Us While We Were Still Sinners

St Paul tells us something radical:

“God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

We don’t earn the Sacred Heart.
We don’t qualify for His mercy.
It is freely given, especially when we feel least worthy.

🇿🇦 5. A Message for Today’s World

Here in South Africa, and across the globe, people are hurting—feeling abandoned, anxious, and unworthy.

This solemnity is a divine reminder:
You are not forgotten.
You are not unloved.
You are carried—on the shoulders of the Shepherd and in the heart of the Saviour.

Jesus sees not only our sin but our wounds, not only our failures but our longing.

✋ 6. What the Sacred Heart Desires from Us

• Return to Him – Let yourself be found.

• Trust His mercy – Even when you feel furthest away.

• Carry others – As Christ carries you.

This feast is not just about feeling His love—it's about becoming His love in the world.

✅ 7. Practical Response to the Sacred Heart

• Start each day: “Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.”

• Let go of resentment and self-condemnation—He already carried it.

• Do one act of mercy today in His name—seek out the “lost sheep” in your home or community.

💬 Quote for Reflection

“Jesus has a heart, and that heart is on fire with love—for you.”
– St. John Eudes

🧭 Conclusion – Let Yourself Be Found

The Sacred Heart is not about perfection.
It’s about persistence—God’s persistence in loving us.

Let Him find you today.
Let Him carry you.
And once you’ve felt the weight of His mercy—go and do the same.

🙏 Closing Prayer

Sacred Heart of Jesus,
gentle Shepherd, merciful Friend,
I give You my heart today—
wounded, tired, and in need of Your love.
Find me when I stray, carry me when I fall,
and teach me to love as You love:
without fear, without condition, without end.
Make my heart like Yours.
Amen.