Divine Love in a Human Heart

Dated 24 October 2024, Pope Francis has released a new encyclical, entitled in Latin, Dilexit Nos. The English subtitle reads, “On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ”.

The encyclical focuses on one of the very important devotions in Catholic tradition, that of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This devotion is ancient in the Church with many references to the heart of Jesus found in the writings of the Fathers of the Church, great mystics and saints. It rose to particular prominence due to the apparitions to St Margaret Mary Alacoque in Paray-le-Monial in 1673.

We are very familiar with the images of the Sacred Heart found in statues in our churches and in paintings and holy pictures. Many older Catholics will remember seeking to complete the Five First Fridays by attending the weekday Mass and receiving Holy Communion. In earlier times many families were consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Pope begins his letter by reminding us of the centrality of the human heart. He speaks of the age in which we live being that of superficiality, driven as it is by consumerism and the market economy. He says that we need to give more attention to the heart, which can be seen as the deepest core of our being. “A man can enter into himself only with the heart”, he says.

In a quite beautiful part of the letter the Pope refers to many instances in the Gospels which speak of Jesus’ deeply personal attention to people and their needs. Here is clear evidence of the depth of love that lies in the heart of Jesus. He mentions the depiction of the heart of Jesus with a fire above it as “as eloquent symbol of the burning love of Jesus Christ”.

The Pope reminds us that devotions like Stations of the Cross, devotion to Christ’s wounds, his Precious Blood and a variety of Eucharistic devotions all coalesce in devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He encourages this devotion as an antidote, among other things, to a cold rigidity that can grow within us. In this regard he points to the fact that devotion to the Sacred Heart was a response to the Jansenist rigor that was emerging in the seventeenth century. 

Prayer fostered by the devotion also helps us avoid the dangers of being “excessively caught up in external activities”.

The letter explores the rich spiritual heritage to this devotion, referring to some of the great saints, like St Ambrose, St Augustine, St Bernard, St Bonaventure and many others. The devotion is deeply embedded in Catholic spiritual teaching. He gives particular prominence to the spirituality of St Francis de Sales, St Claude de la Colombiere (spiritual director of St Margaret Mary), St Therese of the Child Jesus, St Charles de Foucauld.

Pope Francis sees that devotion to the Heart of Jesus cannot but lead to a desire to give love in return – love to God and love to others. Contemplating the love of God will encourage us to be instruments of love in the world, he says.

This letter of Pope Francis expresses a rich theme in Catholic spirituality and is a timely reminder of the value of devotions in Catholic life. Our spiritual life is much enhanced when our love of the Mass is complemented by various forms of popular piety. It is clear that this is a significant feature of the faith of Pope Francis.

The catchcry of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart can be ours as we rediscover the rich spiritual tradition of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “May the heart of Jesus be everywhere loved”.