Dilexit Nos: Rediscover the Sacred Heart of Jesus

By Jason Scott – Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, left us with his final encyclical, Dilexit Nos, on the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose feast we celebrate this year on June 27.

His last public appearance, on Easter Sunday,  was a testament to his commitment to the Gospel. From St Peter’s Basilica, he called for hope and unity, saying: “On this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas! For all of us are children of God!”. These words resonate with the heart-centred message of Dilexit Nos, which urges us to rediscover the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a path to authenticity in a fragmented world.

Released on October 24, 2024, Dilexit Nos (“He Loved Us”) to mark the 350th anniversary of the apparitions of the Sacred Heart to St Margaret Mary Alacoque in the French town of Paray-le-Monial. Subtitled On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ, it addresses modern challenges like individualism, consumerism, and technology’s impact on humanity. Pope Francis writes: “Living as we do in an age of superficiality, rushing frenetically from one thing to another without really knowing why, and ending up as insatiable consumers and slaves to the mechanisms of a market unconcerned about the deeper meaning of our lives, all of us need to rediscover the importance of the heart.”

The Heart as the Centre of Being

At the core of Dilexit Nos is the conviction that the heart is the locus of our true self, where emotions, intellect, instincts and will converge. Pope Francis warns that in our “liquid, mechanical world”, we risk losing touch with this essential part, leading to a fragmented existence. “The heart is the locus of sincerity, where deceit and disguise have no place. It usually indicates our true intentions, what we really think, believe, and desire, the secrets we tell no one, in a word, the naked truth about ourselves”. This aligns with biblical wisdom, as he cites Jeremiah 17:9 (“The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse — who can understand it?”) and Proverbs 4:23 (“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”).

The Emptiness of Superficiality

Pope Francis critiques the superficiality of modern life with a vivid personal anecdote. He recalls: “For the carnival when we were children, my grandmother would make a pastry using a very thin batter. When she dropped the strips of batter into the oil, they would expand. But then when we bit into them, they were empty inside. In the dialect we spoke, those cookies were called ‘lies’. My grandmother explained why. Like lies, they look big, but are empty inside. They are false, unreal. Instead of running after superficial satisfactions and playing a role for the benefit of others, we would do better to think about the really important questions in life. Who am I really? What am I looking for? What direction do I want to give my life decisions and actions? Why and for what purpose am I in the world? How do I want to look back on my life when it ends? What meaning do I want to give to all my experiences? Who do I want to be for others? Who am I for God?”. This story underscores the hollowness of living for appearances, urging introspection and authenticity.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart

Dilexit Nos calls for a renewed devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, presenting it as a remedy for modern disconnection. Pope Francis writes: “In the Heart of Christ, we find the whole Gospel. It is in His Heart that we truly come at last to know ourselves and we learn to love.” This devotion, rooted in a personal relationship with Christ, fosters trust in his grace, as St Francis de Sales emphasised. By contemplating the Sacred Heart, we open our hearts to love for others and God.

As we reflect on Dilexit Nos, we honour Pope Francis’s legacy as a pontiff who guided the Church towards compassion and spiritual renewal. His final Easter address and Dilexit Nos share a common thread: the call to live with open hearts, trusting in God’s love and extending it to others. The encyclical’s focus on the Sacred Heart offers a path to wholeness in a world that often feels hollow, reminding us that we are loved and called to love in return.