From Live and Lead, my monthly newsletter to my readers
Dear friends,
Tomorrow, we celebrate the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, a feast that invites us to return to the very center of our faith… the Heart of Christ.
And this year, there is something even more communal unfolding. The bishops of the United States are consecrating the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus today, a day ahead of the liturgical celebration of this feast day. It is a powerful moment of entrustment. There is a collective invitation to turn our hearts towards Christ’s heart.
As I held both the feast day and the consecration, I found myself returning to a quieter, more personal invitation: Where do I go to rest my heart? Jesus answers us so simply: “Come to me… and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
The Sacred Heart is not just a devotion we honor—it is a place we are invited to live from. It is the place we can surrender all we see and hold. To the heart that receives us, offers rest, and helps us lead differently.
A Heart That Receives Us
Jesus’s Sacred Heart reminds us first that we are loved. Before we lead, before we discern, before we respond—we receive. We receive Jesus’s love for us.
The love given to us is a love that is steady, expansive, and faithful. It is a love that knows us fully and remains with us. Jesus’s heart always receives us, just as we are.
A Heart That Offers Rests
Jesus invites us to come to him and rest (Matthew 11:28). This is where I constantly have to remind myself to pause and savor this promise. I bet you do too! Because if we are honest, leadership and life often lead us away from rest. We carry responsibilities, decisions, and the needs of others—and over time, our hearts can grow tired and weary.
I am eagerly awaiting my upcoming 8-day retreat that begins next week. My body is longing for the rest that only Christ can give which always renews me in ways I do not even know I need. I know that Jesus’s Sacred Heart is a welcome home for me and for you. We can come and lay down what we are carrying. We can come without having to perform, fix, or figure everything out. We can simply lean on the Sacred Heart and rest.
A Heart That Leads Differently
When we allow ourselves to rest in the Sacred Heart, something begins to shift. The way we love and lead changes. We begin to live:
- not from urgency, but from trust.
- not from striving, but from rootedness.
- not from our own strength, but from Jesus’s love for us.
We begin to carry others differently because we are no longer carrying everything alone. We are carrying all we hold with him. Our heart is held in his heart. He holds who and what we hold. We do so together.
A Simple Invitation
As we celebrate this feast—and as our Church entrusts our nation to the Sacred Heart—I want to offer you a simple invitation for your own prayer. Sit with Jesus and ask:
- Where are you inviting me to rest on your heart?
- What am I carrying that you are asking me to surrender to you?
And then, gently, honestly… place it all there. You do not have to hold it alone. Jesus is offering you and me his Sacred Heart as our home.
Peace,
Becky
Becky Eldredge
June 13, 2026