Pope Francis’ New Encyclical Invites the Faithful to Open Their Hearts to the Love of Christ

WASHINGTON – Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus can open our hearts to the discovery of “the immense love of the heart of Christ,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), quoting Pope Francis’ encyclical letter released today. 

Archbishop Broglio’s reflection on Dilexit Nos follows:

“The ills of modern society can read like a litany of uncurable diseases: consumerism, secularism, partisanism. Today, Pope Francis offers a simple and powerful cure: the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In his latest encyclical Dilexit Nos, the Holy Father teaches us that devotion to the heart of Jesus can open our own hearts to renewed ways we can love and be loved. We need this timely counsel. 

“Within this devotion, we encounter the living heart of Jesus and the power to bring us together as children of God. Pope Francis writes, ‘love, in the end, is the one reality that can unify.’ This is why he says, ‘all of us need to rediscover the importance of the heart.’ Our Holy Father’s message affirms a message of our own National Eucharistic Revival that in the Eucharist we discover ‘the immense love of the heart of Christ.’

“I invite you to spend time in prayer with this moving letter from the Holy Father. As he writes, ‘Jesus is now waiting for you to give him the chance to bring light to your life.’ Then, share that light in service to others. ‘Speak of Christ, by witness or by word, in such a way that others seek to love him,’ Pope Francis encourages us.”

Read Catholic News Service’s story on Dilexit Nos here.

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