In his new encyclical Dilexit Nos, Pope Francis gives the Church a beautiful reflection on the tender love of Christ. Taken from St. Paul’s line “He has loved us” (Romans 8:37), the Holy Father prescribes the devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a worldwide remedy for our times.
Although I would recommend reading the whole document — again, it is beautiful to read — here are a few key themes:
- More reflective: Pope Francis’ teaching is deeply reflective. Using Scripture, history and the writing of the saints, he shows how the Church has always had a devotion to the wounded side of Christ, who in his mercy gave forth blood and water for our salvation (John 19:31-37). This prepared the Church for the devotion of the Sacred Heart.
- First to Jesus, then to the Father: The Holy Father stresses how the Sacred Heart draws us unto Jesus and then to the Father. The Sacred Heart is a “synthesis of the Gospel” message — in Jesus, God has come to save us by becoming one of us: “(God) chose to love each of us with a human heart…in gazing upon the Lord’s heart, we contemplate a physical reality, his human flesh” which then leads us to his divinity: “the Church has chosen the image of the heart to represent the human and divine love of Jesus Christ and the inmost core of his Person.” By drawing us to his merciful heart, the pope teaches, Jesus “wants to bring us to the Father…Jesus’ life among us was a journey of response to the constant call of his human heart to come to the Father.”
- The problem of heartlessness: The pope identifies heartlessness as the core issue of our time. Although humanity has always contended with sin, the modern world’s consumerism, skepticism and overindulgence in technology means “no room is left for the heart.” As such, humanity loses its identity: “We also lose track of history and our own past, since our real personal history is built with the heart.”
What, then, should a Christian do? Pope Francis identifies two ways for us to counteract the problem of heartlessness: “personal spiritual experience and communal missionary commitment.”
- Our own story with Jesus: Quoting St. Justin Martyr, the Holy Father says we must all remember that “we have come forth from the heart of Christ.” Jesus makes us a new creation in him, so we must turn to him in our own daily needs. We cannot do anything without Jesus! “Let us not forget that our hearts are not self-sufficient, but frail and wounded.”
The pope continues that the Sacred Heart “invites us to grow in our encounter with Christ, putting our trust in his love.” Once we grow in this way, we can then — heart to Heart — console Jesus over the world’s indifference to him by making reparation, like prayer and small sacrifices. The Sacred Heart also purifies our hearts through a deeper compunction, or “a beneficial piercing,” which makes us feel how our sins hurt him.
- Bringing Jesus to others: In his hallmark style, Pope Francis concludes the encyclical by emphasizing that we must bring the Lord Jesus to others. This starts by asking for forgiveness from those we have hurt and by seeking to mend wounded relationships. This makes us able to “grow in fraternity and solidarity” with others who need healing or who may be far from Jesus.
By turning to the Sacred Heart, we bring the “flames of the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” to a world that has grown cold toward God’s love and to those who are forgotten: “the poor, the despised and the abandoned members of society.”
What are some ways that you can deepen your devotion to the Sacred Heart? What are some ways that God is calling you to bring his love to those in need?
Father Stephen Hart is pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Morrilton and St. Elizabeth Church in Oppelo.
