The new papal encyclical reminds us: “He loved us”

True devotion to the Sacred Heart, Divine Mercy Incarnate, is Catholicism alive, practiced, and eventually perfected, by the grace of God. True devotion is the best response to our times, a lived response and an echo of the wise counsel of Scripture and the Marian Renovator Blessed George Matulaitis: “Overcome evil with good.”

By Chris Sparks

“He loved us.”

In a year with many, many temptations to distraction coming in the form of world historic tragedy, incredibly destructive natural disasters, war, disease – and, oh yes, next Tuesday’s election – it’s worth appreciating how important those simple words are.

“He loved us.”

Jesus loved us enough to lay down His life for us, St. Paul points out. Pope Francis makes that the opening of his newest (and fourth) encyclical, Dilexit Nos, and so the title of it as well.

If you take away nothing else from this pontificate, or this encyclical, know this: Jesus has loved, is loving, and will always love you. Pope Francis writes:

“He loved us”, Saint Paul says of Christ (cf. Rom 8:37), in order to make us realize that nothing can ever “separate us” from that love (Rom 8:39). Paul could say this with certainty because Jesus himself had told his disciples, “I have loved you” (Jn 15:9, 12). Even now, the Lord says to us, “I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15). His open heart has gone before us and waits for us, unconditionally, asking only to offer us his love and friendship. For “he loved us first” (cf. 1 Jn 4:10). Because of Jesus, “we have come to know and believe in the love that God has for us” (1 Jn 4:16) (1).

Console the Heart of Jesus
In perhaps the best single document of his entire pontificate, Pope Francis teaches with the weight of the Magisterium that we still need to turn to the Sacred Heart of Jesus; that the devotion has not lost its relevance or transformative power today; that the heritage of our Catholic faith, including the devotions, is a treasure, not a burden.

Pope Francis shares many truths of our faith and much rich spiritual insight that will be familiar to many long-time Marian Helpers. After all, Marian Press has been publishing crucial pieces of Sacred Heart theology for decades, drawing out the connections to the Divine Mercy, since of course there is only one Jesus Christ, whose Sacred Heart is the same as His Merciful Heart. It’s the pierced Sacred Heart that pours forth the Blood and Water, the graces of which are symbolized in the Divine Mercy Image by the red and pale rays of light shining.

Dr. Robert Stackpole has dedicated much time and ink to the study of the Sacred Heart and the Divine Mercy. Some of the fruits of that can be found in his “More Brilliant Than the Sun” series, especially his consideration of consoling the Heart of Jesus in articles 11 and 20.

Mercy received, so give mercy
Both the Holy Father and Dr. Stackpole spotlight the incredible reciprocity of the Sacred Heart devotion. “We love because he first loved us,” after all (1 Jn 4:19). In all things, God precedes us. So our devotion isn’t some initiative that we are beginning. Rather, it’s a matter of becoming aware of the love and mercy coming to us from God already, ongoingly, every single day of our lives, and making some return to Him of love, thanksgiving, and friendship.

Pope Francis links the devotion to the Sacred Heart with Divine Mercy, citing the words of the Great Mercy Pope, St. John Paul II:

Here I would also mention the experiences of Saint Faustina Kowalska, which re-propose devotion to the heart of Christ by greatly emphasizing the glorious life of the risen Lord and his divine mercy. Inspired by her experiences and the spiritual legacy of Saint Józef Sebastian Pelczar (1842-1924), Saint John Paul II intimately linked his reflections on divine mercy with devotion to the heart of Christ: “The Church seems in a singular way to profess the mercy of God and to venerate it when she directs herself to the heart of Christ. In fact, it is precisely this drawing close to Christ in the mystery of his heart which enables us to dwell on this point of the revelation of the merciful love of the Father, a revelation that constituted the central content of the messianic mission of the Son of Man”. Saint John Paul also spoke of the Sacred Heart in very personal terms, acknowledging that, “it has spoken to me ever since my youth”. (149)

True devotion to the Sacred Heart, Divine Mercy Incarnate, is Catholicism alive, practiced, and eventually perfected, by the grace of God. True devotion is the best response to our times, a lived response and an echo of the wise counsel of Scripture and the Marian Renovator Blessed George Matulaitis: “Overcome evil with good.”

It’s an imitation of Sts. Margaret Mary Alacoque and Claude de la Colombiere, of Bl. Michael Sopócko and St. Faustina. It’s an imitation of St. Francis of Assisi, who loved the poor because in them he saw Jesus, and those whom Jesus loves. It’s an imitation of every saint in whom love of God and neighbor truly lived, truly worked out of living faith, truly manifested grace building on nature.

The path ahead
So I urge you: Read this new encyclical. Pray as you read it. Maybe bring it with you to Adoration, or bring it in front of the Divine Mercy Image, and pray before and after you read. Ask our Lord to give you light to hear and understand what the Holy Father is telling you. After all, “faith comes from what is heard” (Rom 10:17). 

Listen to the successor to St. Peter, and respond to this summons to the Sacred Heart. He holds the office of one to whom Jesus said, “Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me” (Lk 10:16). And then persist in your love of God and neighbor in the practice of your faith, in how you live your daily life.

Persist in allowing God to make your heart sacred, especially by loving and honoring His Sacred Heart.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us, and on the whole world!
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