The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Luke 15: 3-7
“He Loved Us First”: Rediscovering the Heart of Christ in a world that has lost its own

Today we come together to celebrate one of the most beautiful mysteries of our faith: the Sacred Heart of Jesus — that heart which has so loved the world, and continues to love each one of us with a tenderness that no suffering, no sin, no storm can ever extinguish.

Before his passing away, Pope Francis gifted us with his fourth Encyclical titled Dilexit Nos, “He loved us First.” These words from Saint Paul (Romans 8:37) speak not just of what Christ did, but who He is. He loved us — past, present, and future. And this love is not theoretical, distant, or sentimental. It is divine and human. It is personal. It is His very Heart.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus — pierced, wounded, yet burning with love — is the clearest sign that God never gives up on us. Pope Francis reminds us that the Heart of Jesus is not just a symbol; it’s the very centre of the Gospel. It tells us: You are known. You are seen. You are loved. And nothing — no failure, no loss, no weakness — can separate us from this love.

But in today’s world, as the Pope points out, many hearts have grown cold. We see wars, division, and technology that isolates rather than unites. We are tempted to measure everything by profit or efficiency. The Pope says: the world has lost its heart. And so, now more than ever, we need to return — not just to any heart, but to His Heart. Because only from the Sacred Heart can we learn how to live again: with mercy, compassion, and joy.

We must not allow our faith to become mechanical or dry. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is not an outdated tradition. It is an invitation to rediscover the joy of serving, the fire of mission, and the beauty of tenderness. When we gaze upon His Heart, we remember the Good Shepherd who seeks out the lost, binds the wounds of the broken, and carries the tired on His shoulders.

True love is not always loud or dramatic. It is steady. It endures. And yes, it often carries scars — scars from betrayal, loss, or rejection. But in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we see a love that does not retreat, a love that does not grow cold. He was pierced — not to punish, but to pour out His mercy. And even now, He waits for us — not to accuse, but to console.

Let us come close to this Heart. Let us entrust our wounds to His wounds, our hearts to His Heart. Because from His Heart flows the water of the Spirit, the fire of mission, and the tenderness that the world so desperately needs.

He loved us first. Let us love Him in return. And let us show that love to a world that longs to be loved.
Amen.

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025