June: A month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of the most profound and enduring expressions of Catholic spirituality. Rooted in Scripture and deepened through centuries of theological reflection and mystical experience, the Sacred Heart symbolizes the boundless love of Christ for humanity. It is a devotion that speaks to the heart of Christian faith: the mystery of divine love made visible and vulnerable.

In his 2024 encyclical “Dilexit Nos” ("He Loved Us"), the late Pope Francis offered a fresh and deeply pastoral reflection on this devotion, calling the Church to rediscover the transformative power of Christ’s heart in a fragmented and restless world.

In this encyclical, Pope Francis began by anchoring devotion to the Sacred Heart in the words of St. Paul: “He loved us” (Romans 8:37). This simple yet profound affirmation becomes the lens through which the Pope invited the faithful to contemplate the Sacred Heart -- not as a sentimental relic of the past, but as a living symbol of Christ’s enduring presence and friendship.  Pope Francis wrote, “His open heart has gone before us and waits for us, unconditionally, asking only to offer us his love and friendship.”

The image of the Sacred Heart finds its foundation in the Gospel of John, where the pierced side of Christ becomes a fountain of sacramental life (John 19:34). Over time, saints such as Margaret Mary Alacoque and theologians like St. John Eudes helped shape this devotion into a central element of Catholic piety. The heart of Jesus came to represent not only his physical suffering but also his emotional and spiritual love—a love that is both divine and human.

The Sacred Heart is not a sentimental relic of the past, but a living symbol of Christ’s enduring presence and friendship. His open heart invites all people into a relationship of trust, healing, and transformation. It is a heart that waits for us unconditionally, offering love and mercy without measure.

This invitation to intimacy with Christ is especially urgent in a world marked by superficiality, consumerism and emotional detachment. The heart, both as a physical and spiritual symbol, remains essential for understanding the unity of body and soul, reason and emotion, faith and action.

The heart is the locus of sincerity and transformation. As the disciples on the road to Emmaus exclaimed, “Were not our hearts burning within us?” (Luke 24:32), so too does the encounter with Christ ignite a fire within the soul. This burning heart becomes a metaphor for the inner awakening that occurs when one experiences the presence of the risen Lord.

Classical philosophy and biblical anthropology both affirm that the heart is not merely a metaphor but a real center of human experience. It is where decisions are made, desires are formed and truth is discerned. In this way, devotion to the Sacred Heart becomes a call to interior renewal and authenticity.

Moreover, the Sacred Heart is not limited to personal piety. It is a source of ecclesial and social renewal. In that Sacred Heart all hopes may be placed, and from it, the salvation of humanity is to be confidently sought. The heart of Jesus becomes a model for the Church’s mission: to love unconditionally, to serve joyfully and to remain close to the wounds of the world.

In a time of global crises -- ecological, social, ethical and spiritual -- the Sacred Heart offers a remedy for indifference and division. It is a heart that listens, suffers and acts. It is a heart that calls each believer to become a vessel of mercy and a witness to love.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is more than a devotional image; it is a theological and spiritual compass for the Church today. It invites all to rediscover the heart of Christ as the source of healing, unity and mission. To follow Jesus is to be drawn into the depths of his love -- a love that forever beats in the heart of the world.