It seems to be a never-ending circle of hate, violence and war; destruction, division and discrimination. Today, corruption, exclusion and exploitation reign supreme. Politics has reached its nadir, with blackmail, poaching, party-crossing and co-option. Denigration and demonization of the other is the new name of a vicious game. Lies, ‘fekuisms’, and changing one’s tune to suit one’s whims and fancies has become the new normal. Nobody seems to care anymore as long as they get what they want. One certainly does not need too much of intelligence to realise that our world today is broken, battered, bruised and brutalised. Images of bombing and killing, plundering and devastation make front-page news and hog the headlines both in the print and electronic media! We never seem to learn. The soul of humanity is crushed as the powerful vested interests, fascist regimes and the industrial military complex (the arms and ammunition industry) make scandalous profits on the blood and lives of millions of people.
Significantly, given the grim reality of the world, on 24 October 2024, our late Pope Francis gave us his last encyclical ‘Dilexit Nos’ (He loved us), on the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ. ‘Dilexit Nos’ was not only timely but it also underlined the need and importance of love in a world, which has lost heart! The release of the Encyclical, about six months before Pope Francis died, coincided with celebrations commemorating the 350th anniversary of the first appearance of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673. On 27 December of that year, Jesus appeared to the young 26-year-old French Visitation nun, entrusting her with the mission of spreading His love, particularly toward sinners. These apparitions, which took place at the convent of Paray-le-Monial in Burgundy, France continued for 17 years. Christ showed His heart surrounded by flames and encircled by a crown of thorns—symbolizing the wounds inflicted by human sin. St. Margaret Mary was initially misunderstood by many, including her fellow nuns but she remained steadfast in her mission to reveal Christ’s love to the world. The Jesuit Priest Fr. Claude La Colombière (now a Saint) who was appointed to her Convent as Spiritual Director and Confessor was convinced of the visions that Margaret Mary had from the Sacred Heart; he became an ardent supporter of the devotion to the heart of Jesus.
In 1856, Pius IX extended the Feast of the Sacred Heart to the Latin Church under the rite of double major. It was to be celebrated on the Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi. In June 1889, Leo XIII raised the feast to the dignity of the first class with the liturgical changes in 1969, the feast was assigned the highest rank of solemnity. Today, in several non- Catholic countries in the world and in many dioceses in India, the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, is observed on the Sunday after ‘Corpus Christi’; so this year it is on Sunday 14 June.
‘Dilexit Nos’ is an outstanding encyclical because it draws from the richness of Scripture, the Church Fathers, and writings of past popes. It also brings us closer to the saints, such as Thérèse of Lisieux, Francis de Sales, Ignatius Loyola, and Charles de Foucauld. All of this deepens our love for God, especially for His Sacred Heart. Pope Francis, expressed his hope that the encyclical would invite reflection on aspects of the Lord’s love that could illuminate the path of ecclesial renewal and resonate meaningfully with “a world that seems to have lost its heart.” The Encyclical, retraces the tradition and relevance of thought on “the human and divine love of the heart of Jesus Christ,” calling for a renewal of authentic devotion to avoid forgetting the tenderness of faith, the joy of serving, and the fervour of mission.
In the opening chapter of the Encyclical, ‘The Importance of the Heart’, Pope Francis explains why it is necessary to “return to the heart” in a world where we are tempted to become “insatiable consumers and slaves to the mechanisms of the market” It analyses what we mean by “heart”: The Bible speaks of it as a core “that lies hidden beneath all outward appearances” a place where what is shown on the outside or hidden doesn’t matter; there, we are truly ourselves. The heart leads to questions that matter: what meaning do I want for my life, my choices, or my actions? Who am I before God? Pope Francis points out that the current “depreciation” of the heart originated in Hellenic and pre-Christian rationalism, in post-Christian idealism, and in materialism in its various guises” where great philosophical thought prioritized concepts like “reason, will, or freedom.” He states, “The failure to make room for the heart… has resulted in a stunting of the idea of a personal centre, in which love, in the end, is the one reality that can unify all the others” For Pope Francis, it is important to recognize that “I am my heart, for my heart is what sets me apart, shapes my spiritual identity and puts me in communion with other people”
About a year later, on 4 October 2025, Pope Leo XIV gave the world his first Apostolic Exhortation ‘Dilexi Te’(‘I Have Loved You’), addressed “to all Christians on love for the poor” Pope Leo said that actually, this document was begun by Pope Francis),but he added to it and wanted to issue it near the beginning of his papacy “since I share the desire of my beloved predecessor that all Christians come to appreciate the close connection between Christ’s love and his summons to care for the poor. Christians need to go back and re-read the Gospel because they have forgotten that faith and love for the poor go hand in hand…. Love for the poor — whatever the form their poverty may take — is the evangelical hallmark of a Church faithful to the heart of God.”
In one masterstroke, Pope Leo proclaimed unequivocally to the world, several important and much-needed messages; included among them are: that the Church sides with and takes a stand for the poor; that we all must be aware that there are “structures of sin” that keep the poor in poverty and lead those who have sufficient resources to ignore the poor or think they are better than them and that “we need to be increasingly committed to resolving the structural causes of poverty;” and that without doubt, he was going to continue with the legacy Pope Francis left him of transforming the Church from within by responding to the signs of the times!
In the context of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, each one of us is called ‘to have a Heart’ like that of Jesus. This invitation can be encapsulated into five inter-related dimensions:
FIRE: Jesus’ burns with love for us! His heart is aflame! We are called to radiate this love of Jesus to all around us. Just as St Ignatius of Loyola missioned his companions “to set the world on fire!”
FORGIVENESS: God’s love for us, is forgiving! Jesus always forgave the repentant sinner, though he never forgave the sin (both personal and structural). We are called to do likewise!
FEARLESSNESS: To love God and others is to do so without fear! Jesus himself has told us often to “fear no one!” To have a heart means loving all and doing so visibly, vocally and in deed!
FREEDOM: It is love that sets us free! Hate, violence, war ensnares and enslaves us! Love makes us truly human and in many ways divine. We are called to be free men and women and in love!
FRATERNITY: In ‘Fratelli Tutti’ Pope Francis reminds us that we need to transcend our exclusiveness and narrowness to reach out to others. Building a fraternal world is our mandate!
To ‘have a heart’ is to live the Fire, Forgiveness, Fearlessness, Freedom and Fraternity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus! In the concluding para of his exhortation ‘Dilexi Te’ Pope Leo says, “Through your work, your efforts to change unjust social structures or your simple, heartfelt gesture of closeness and support, the poor will come to realize that Jesus’ words are addressed personally to each of them: “I have loved you”. We are all invited to ‘have a heart’!
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Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights, reconciliation and peace activist /writer.
Contact: [email protected]