Pope Francis’ new encyclical is a window into his love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus

“We all need to rediscover the importance of the heart,” Pope Francis said. fourth circularReleased on October 24, it speaks of “the human and divine love in the heart of Jesus Christ.” In it he calls believers to rediscover devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and through it to love our brothers and sisters in the church and around the world.

“dilexit No” (“He loved us”) is the title of this 28,000-word letter that describes the depths of Francis’ relationship with Jesus.

“This was born out of the spiritual experience of Pope Francis, who felt the drama of the tremendous suffering caused by wars and the many (forms) of violence that are happening now,” said Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, Italy. The prominent theologian said while presenting the text at a press conference at the Vatican. “He wants to be close to those who suffer by offering the message of divine love that comes to save us.”

(Top 5 takeaways from “Dilexit Nos,” Pope Francis’ new encyclical on the Sacred Heart)

Archbishop Forte said the encyclical offers the “key” to reading Francis’ two social encyclicals. The Pope confirms this when he writes in “Dilexit Nos”: “This document can help us see what it means to teach the social encyclical.Thank you‘ And ‘Fratelli Tutti‘ is not unrelated to our encounter with the love of Jesus Christ. Because only by imbibing the same love can we establish bonds of brotherhood, recognize the dignity of every human being, and work together to care for our common home.”

Francesco continues:

In a world where everything is bought and sold, people’s perception of their own value is increasingly dependent on what they can accumulate through the power of money. We are constantly forced to buy, consume and distract ourselves; We become captives of a degrading system that prevents us from looking beyond our immediate and unimportant needs. The love of Christ has no place in this perverted mechanism, but only this love can save us from a mad quest in which there is no longer room for unrequited love. Christ’s love can give a heart to our world and revive love wherever we thought the ability to love had surely been lost.

Francis surprised Vatican observers by issuing the encyclical on the eve of the conclusion of the Synod on Synodality. This was perhaps no coincidence, as it contained an important message for synod delegates and bishops worldwide.

He reminds them: “The Church also needs this love, so that the love of Christ is not replaced by outdated structures and concerns, excessive attachment to our own ideas and views, and fanaticism of all kinds. The unconditional love of God that liberates, enlivens, brings joy to the heart, and builds communities.” ”

rediscovering the heart

In the first of five parts of this spiritual work, Francis says that in this “age of superficiality” there is a need to “rediscover the importance of the heart.” He recalls that the Bible refers to the heart as “a place of sincerity, where there is no room for deception or disguise.” It usually indicates our true intentions, what we really think, believe and desire, the ‘secrets’ we don’t tell anyone, in one word, the naked truth about ourselves.

The Jesuit pope, often described as having the charisma of cardiognosis or “knowledge of the heart,” writes:

It can be said that it is my heart, because my heart is what distinguishes me from others, shapes my spiritual identity and brings me together with other people. Algorithms working in the digital world show that our thoughts and will are much more “uniform” than we think. They can be easily predicted and therefore manipulated. This is not the case with the heart.”

Pope Francis, ever mindful of the real world, says: “When we witness the outbreak of new wars with the complicity, tolerance or indifference of other countries, or petty power struggles for the sake of partisan interests, we may be tempted to conclude that our world is a world.” He’s losing his heart.”

However, he adds:

We just need to see and listen to older women from both sides who are at the mercy of these devastating conflicts. It is heartbreaking to see them mourning their murdered grandchildren or longing to die themselves after losing the home where they spent their entire lives…. Seeing these old women crying and not feeling that it is unbearable is a sign that the world has become heartless.

Pope Francis reminds people: “The only way our communities will succeed in uniting and reconciling different minds and wills is to start from the heart, so that the Spirit can guide us in unity as brothers and sisters.”

heart in history

In Chapter 2, the pope affirms: “The heart of Christ is the essence of the first sermon of the Gospel, as a symbol of the deepest and most personal source of his love for us.”

“Christ demonstrated the depth of his love for us not with long explanations, but with concrete actions,” he recalls.

In Chapter 3, Francis explains: “In devotion to the heart of Christ…(what)we think and worship is the whole Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the creator of man, represented by an image that emphasizes his heart.”

He recalls: “Universal human experience has made the image of the heart unique. Indeed, throughout history and in different parts of the world it has become a symbol of personal intimacy, affection, emotional commitment, and the capacity to love…. When two people fall in love and become close to each other, their hearts beat faster; when someone we love Our hearts sink when we are abandoned or betrayed by others.”

(Give Sacred Heart devotion a second chance)

“We must never forget that the image of the heart speaks to us of the body and earthly realities,” Francis writes. “It thus points us to God, who wants to be one of us, a part of our history, and a companion on our journey through the world.”

However, he also notes: “Love and the human heart may not always go together, as hatred, indifference, and selfishness can also reign in our hearts.” But, he writes, “We cannot be fulfilled as human beings unless we open our hearts to others; Only through love can we be fully ourselves.

Even in today’s world, he writes, “because the heart continues to be viewed in the popular mind as the emotional center of every human being, it remains the best means of expressing the divine love of Christ, eternally and inseparably united.” his purely human love.”

“The heart of Christ has always been present in many aspects in the history of Christian spirituality,” Francis recalls. He outlines how this devotion is grounded in Scripture and how it has developed over the centuries in the life of the church, including the writings of numerous saints and recent popes.

John Paul II described the growth of this devotion in recent centuries as “in response to the rise of rigid and disembodied forms of spirituality that neglect the riches of the Lord’s mercy” and “as a response to the rise of forms of spirituality that neglect the riches of the Lord’s mercy” “as a timely call to resist attempts to Create a world that leaves no room for God.”

Pope Francis said today a trial could be filed “instead” JansenismWe find ourselves before a powerful wave of secularization aimed at building a world free of God. We also see the proliferation of various forms of religiosity in our societies that have nothing to do with a personal relationship with the God of love, but are new manifestations of a disembodied spirituality.

The pope calls for “a renewed reflection of the love of Christ represented in his Sacred Heart.” For there we find the whole of the Gospel, a synthesis of the truths of our faith, everything we worship and seek in faith, everything that answers our deepest needs.

In Chapter 4, Francis explains that this devotion “reappears in the spiritual journey of many saints, all quite different from each other; In each case, devotion takes on new colors.” St. Bonaventure, St. He mentions Francis de Sales and several “holy women”; Julian of Norwich And Saint Margaret Mary AlacoqueIt is currently celebrating its 350th anniversary.

Francis, the first Jesuit pope, St. It is not surprising that the Society of Jesus, from Ignatius Loyola to Pedro Arrupe, devoted an entire chapter in its history to the place of the Sacred Heart.

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius encourages people to “enter the heart of Christ” to “expand our own hearts” and train them to “feel and taste” the Gospel message and “talk about it with the Lord,” the pope said.

remembers how Saint Charles de Foucauld And Saint Thérèse of Lisieux– to whom Francis was particularly devoted – “without any intention of doing so he reshaped certain aspects of devotion to the heart of Christ and thus helped us understand it in a more evangelical spirit.”

A missionary heart

In the encyclical, Francis speaks of various aspects of the spirituality that accompany devotion to the Sacred Heart, including “the inner desire to offer consolation to that heart” and “the practice of ‘reparations’.”

In the final chapter, Francis emphasizes the communal, social, and missionary dimension of any true devotion to the Heart of Christ, which, while “leading us to the Father,” also “sends us to our brothers and sisters.”

In a key passage, Pope Francis writes:

The Christian message is compelling when experienced and expressed in its entirety: not just as a refuge for pious thoughts or an opportunity for impressive rituals. What kind of worship would we offer to Christ if we were content with an individual relationship with Christ and showed no interest in relieving the suffering of others or helping them live better lives? Would we please the heart that loves us so much if we enjoyed a private religious experience without considering its effects on the society in which we live?

He then emphasizes “the missionary dimension of our love for the heart of Christ” and says, “It is Jesus’ greatest desire to be able to speak about Christ, either by witness or in words, in such a way that others will seek to love him.” every missionary.”

“If we are interested in helping others, this in no way means that we have moved away from Jesus,” the pope writes. “On the contrary, we encounter it in a different way.”