There’s something about June that seems to lift the soul. Perhaps it’s the scent of summer in the air, the longer, lazier evenings, or the joyful sound of schoolchildren counting down the final days before vacation or the first days of freedom. But in the Church calendar, June is more than just the gateway to summer — it’s a month positively bursting with beauty, love, and heart.
Quite literally — heart.
That’s because June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, one of the Church’s most tender and profound devotions. In the image of Christ’s heart — pierced, burning, and crowned with thorns —the faithful are invited into a love that is both divine and deeply human. It’s not a cold, distant concept of God. It’s a God who feels. Who aches. Who stays.
And as if that weren’t enough, June also brings the Feast of Corpus Christi, where the Church celebrates Christ present in the Eucharist — not symbolically, but really, truly, astonishingly there. It’s as if the Church wants its followers to know, before everyone scatters to beaches or barbecues, that Jesus doesn’t take a summer break from loving us.
For families, it’s also a season of First Communions, confirmations, weddings, and ordinations — grace upon grace wrapped in celebrations that our are also a feast for our senses.
And then there’s the Immaculate Heart of Mary, celebrated the very day after the Sacred Heart. Because of course, where His heart is, hers follows close behind.
So yes, June is filled with sunshine. But more than that, it’s filled with sacred reminders that we are known, loved, and never alone. And if that's not enough, there are also some pretty impressive saints whose lives are celebrated in June, including John the Baptist, Anthony of Padua, and of course, Peter and Paul.
So before the chaos of summer fully begins, the Church gently encourages us to rest in its heart awhile.
