A blazing inferno
An encyclical!
Last June, at the time of the feast of the Sacred Heart, Pope Francis announced a document bringing together the reflections of the magisterium, but also a biblical, spiritual and pastoral journey retracing the history of devotion to the Sacred Heart. But no one expected such a document, astonishing in its breadth and depth, to which the Pope insisted on giving the most important degree of a papal text. It is the fourth encyclical by a pope on the Sacred Heart, after Leo XIII’s Annum sacrum in 1899, Pius XI’s Miserentissimus Redemptor in 1928 and Pius XII’s Haurietis aquas in 1956. It is also Pope Francis’ fourth encyclical, after those on faith (Lumen fidei in 2013), care for common home (Laudato Si’ in 2015) and fraternity and social friendship (Fratelli tutti in 2020). This shows the importance of Dilexit nos. Without prejudging the continuation of the pontificate of the Argentine pope, this encyclical can be considered a true spiritual testament in which he gives us the heart of his spiritual discernment on the calls that the Spirit addresses to the Church in our time, which seems to have lost its heart.
An eminently personal text
The pope presents the heart as the intimate and unifying center of the human being. The first part of the encyclical explores the anthropological and philosophical dimensions of the word “heart”, which is one of the “original” words of human experience (15). He then explains how “the cult of the Sacred Heart expresses in an excellent way, in a sublime synthesis, our worship of Jesus Christ” (79). Reading it, we also understand that this document plays this role within the rich magisterium of Francis. It is like the keystone, which unifies it, gives it its coherence and clarity. It is a safe bet that Catholics who usually have some difficulty with the magisterium of Pope Francis will be more comfortable with this encyclical. From this point of view too, Dilexis nos also plays the role of unifying and synthesis center.
It is also a Jesuit pope who expresses himself when he evokes, for example, the long chain of Jesuits who refer to the Heart of Jesus, or the acceptance by the Society of Jesus of the “most sweet burden of practicing, promoting and propagating devotion to his divine Heart” (146). He refers several times to St Ignatius and echoes the conviction of Father Pedro Arrupe, Superior General of the Jesuits from 1965 to 1983, who saw in the Heart of Jesus “a symbolic expression from the depths of the Ignatian spirit” of extraordinary effectiveness for the spiritual life and missionary fruitfulness of the whole Society (146).
In many places, we find the typical Bergoglian way of addressing crowds in simple and tasty language, as when he describes the making of cookies as “lies” during his childhood. Bergoglian accents are also found in his insistence that “the key to our response to the love of the Heart of Christ is love of neighbour” (178). In this sense, could we not hear, in his solemn address to all, no. 200, the expression of what he has been intimately carrying since his election to the See of Peter and which he has proclaimed in so many ways throughout his papal magisterium? In the face of wars, growing tensions, the resurgence of violence and poverty, the Pope reiterates to us that he believes that “our hearts, united to that of Christ, are capable of this social miracle”(28): we are capable of healthy and happy relationships in order to establish around us the civilization of love that Pope John Paul II called for (80). This is to say that the message of the Heart of Jesus as it resounded in Paray-le-Monial, in particular, is current and fruitful for today!
The importance given to the spiritual experience of Paray-le-Monial
Francis indicated that Dilexit nos was prepared on the occasion of the commemoration of the 350th anniversary of the manifestations of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in Paray. Of course, previous popes had already recognized the special place of the parodian saint in the history of this devotion. But Pope Francis goes further: he quotes at length from the manuscript in which Margaret Mary relates what she experienced. He speaks extensively of his confessor, St. Claude La Colombière, who authenticated and encouraged the young Visitandine, as well as of St. Francis de Sales, founder of this religious order with St. Jeanne de Chantal. As a good Jesuit, Francis takes up the letter that Saint John Paul II delivered in Paray-le-Monial on October 5, 1896 to the Superior General of the Society, Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach. In May 2024, the Pope received the participants in the symposium on spiritual reparation organized by the Shrine of Paray. His speech on that occasion is quoted twice in this text. Finally, it is the very structure of the encyclical that takes up the internal dynamics of the apparitions, in particular the third part entitled “This Heart that loved so much” in explicit reference to the great apparition of June 1675. The fourth part, “Love for Love”, is nothing more and nothing less than the theme of the 350th anniversary jubilee. This encyclical is therefore truly a birthday present!
A gift for everyone
Dilexit nos is for everyone, both those who are comfortable with devotion to the Heart of Jesus and those who are not completely so. To those who are attached to the Sacred Heart, Francis offers a marvellous scriptural and spiritual anthology, summoning countless saints from all ages. In the second part, the Pope shares with us his long evangelical contemplation of the languages of love of the Heart of Jesus, especially his gestures, his looks and his words, all imbued with his gentleness, humility and compassion. In this way, he illustrates the announced theme of Dilexit nos: the human and divine love of the Heart of Jesus. Then, he makes available to the believer magnificent texts, little known or difficult to access. He thus reproduces the prayer of Saint John Henry Newman (26), the spiritual advice of Saint Francis de Sales (115-117), the act of trust of Claude La Colombière (126) or a poem by Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus (135).
A gift for those who struggle with the Sacred Heart
It is also a real gift for those who maintain a certain reserve, even mistrust, towards devotion to the Sacred Heart. Pope Francis takes the time to answer them point by point in order to reconcile them with the Heart of Jesus. In their time, Popes Pius XI and Pius XII clarified theological issues and responded to objections that were already not lacking. But since the Second Vatican Council, much reluctance has been expressed, especially in Western Europe, and has led to a true eclipse of the Heart of Jesus in the life of the Church. Appealing to the major intuitions of his pontificate, the Argentine pope corrects the imbalances in the way of living devotion and responds in turn to objections. To those for whom the Sacred Heart is like a reality that comes between them and Jesus, Francis reminds us that this devotion does not separate us or distance us from Jesus Christ and his love, since it guides us and puts us in contact with him in his interiority.
He also explains how feelings are part of Jesus’ humanity, because “his holiness does not eliminate feelings” (44) and even that “his human feelings become the sacrament of an infinite and definitive love” (60), and must therefore be integrated into the believer’s devotion (63). Similarly, the pope dwells at length on the question of the images of the Sacred Heart, which he readily admits are not all attractive or conducive to interiority and prayer. He invites us all to follow in the footsteps of the humble Christian people, who know that “by looking at the image we place ourselves before Christ, and before him love is fixed, contemplates the mystery and enjoys it in silence” (57).
Elsewhere, one can feel the vibrant soul of the Latin American pope when he asks that “no one mock the expressions of believing fervor of the holy and faithful people of God who, in their popular piety, seek to console Christ” (160). The long development of Trinitarian perspectives (70-77), the incessant recourse to Scripture, the valorization of the social and missionary dimension of the spirituality of the Heart of Jesus are all responses to those who reproach it for being too Christoccentric, without real scriptural support, or even intimate. Francis is not unaware that the very figure of Saint Margaret Mary is often misunderstood. Drawing on the recent document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for the discernment of presumed supernatural phenomena, he invites us to carefully preserve the authentic core of the message, without dwelling on certain details that we are not obliged to accept (121).
In this way, Pope Francis uncorks the sandy well of devotion to the Heart of Jesus to invite the whole Church to come and drink from its living spring.
France, what have you done with the Heart of Jesus?
It is striking to see the place given to French saints in this encyclical. Rarely has a papal document so highlighted the beauty of the French school of spirituality. Thus Saint John Eudes, Saint Francis de Sales, Saint Margaret Mary, Saint Claude, Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and Saint Charles de Foucauld follow one another to bear witness to true devotion to the Heart of Jesus (113-142). It is not a question of drawing national glory from it, but rather of letting ourselves be challenged: are we not sitting on a pile of gold that we do not know? If France has received such a grace, what have we done with it? It is a gift, of course, but it is also a responsibility! I therefore express the hope that this encyclical will provoke in all French Catholics – whatever their ecclesial affiliation or spiritual sensitivity – a new awareness of the treasure of which we are the custodians. And may all come to warm themselves in the burning brazier of the Heart of Jesus to let themselves be set ablaze and set the world on fire!
Étienne Kern
October 22, 2024, the Feast of St. John Paul II
Source: Encyclical “Dilexit nos” – Shrine of the Sacred Heart Paray-Le-Monial