By Cardinal Robert W. McElroy
In his recent encyclical letter, “Delixit Nos,” Pope Francis reveals to us that in understanding the Church’s continuing devotion to the Sacred Heart, we find the key to knowing firsthand the heart of God.
How can we know the heart of God? We know it because God entered into human history to live, and die, and rise for our redemption. In this divine act of love, Jesus Christ suffered physically, spiritually and emotionally, and did so freely in order to teach us the depth of God’s tender care for each and every one of us.
How can we know the heart of God? We see it revealed in the teachings of Jesus, who calls us to embody His compassion, His mercy, His integrity, His forgiveness, His prayerfulness and His willingness to sacrifice for others.
How can we know the heart of God? We see it in the love that Jesus has for the Father and the Holy Spirit in the three-fold divine community that has given to us every blessing that we know on this earth: the beauty of Creation, the knowledge of our salvation, and the ongoing sanctifying presence of God in the world.
How can we know the heart of God? We look once again as this Christmas season dawns into the face of a little child born in a manger, and understand that in that face of innocence and hope we encounter the greatest mystery and the greatest grace which has ever touched the earth — God walking among us and beckoning to discipleship and glory.
