
Tina Mayeux shares passages from Pope Francis’ recent encyclical and ponders how they can help us reflect on the Advent season.
My bedside table houses two precious treasures: my Bible and the current volume of the Liturgy of the Hours. Both contain a sampling of holy cards featuring sacred images, including one depicting the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This holy card is a reminder to me of the burning love that Jesus has for each of us and the suffering He endured for our salvation.
Pope Francis has recently directed the attention of the Church to this Sacred Heart devotion with his rich and beautiful encyclical, Dilexit Nos: On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ. The encyclical coincides with the 350th anniversary celebrations of the first manifestation to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1673, which will conclude on June 27, 2025.
The title of the encyclical, Dilexit Nos, means “He Loved Us.” As I read the encyclical, I was struck by the wealth of wisdom and insight the Holy Father presents on the Sacred Heart. Though June is the month devoted to the Sacred Heart, there are many truths within the document that I found to be appropriate for the Advent season and which provide rich material for meditation. There is so much to reflect on; however, for this Advent meditation I drew out a few passages I found to be especially meaningful and timely.
Emmanuel: God with us
In Chapter Two, the Holy Father points to examples in Scripture where Jesus demonstrates the great love of His Sacred Heart, beginning with His Incarnation:
Jesus came to meet us, bridging all distances; he became as close to us as the simplest, everyday realities of our lives. Indeed, he has another name, “Emmanuel”, which means “God with us”, God as part of our lives, God as living in our midst. The Son of God became incarnate and “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave (Phil 2:7). (DN 34)
Pope Francis’ words call to mind the miracle of Christmas and the Incarnation. It reminds us that when Jesus was born of Mary in Bethlehem, He came into the world with a human body and a real, fleshly heart like ours. In Chapter Three, Pope Francis elaborates:
We must never forget that the image of the heart speaks to us of the flesh and of earthly realities. In this way, it points us to the God who wished to become one of us, a part of our history, and a companion on our earthly journey. (DN 58)
In the Incarnation, He took on our humanity, demonstrating His boundless love for us. Although divine, He shared in our human nature and so can understand and empathize with us. We remember that His name means “God with us” and we realize that we are not alone in our sufferings.
Littleness and humility
The humility of the heart of Christ points us towards the path of abasement. God chose to come to us in condescension and littleness. (DN 202)
During the Advent season, we focus on Christ as a tiny infant lying in a manger. We especially remember His humility, as He was born not in riches and splendor, but in modest surroundings. In His “gentleness and lowliness,” the Infant Jesus exemplifies the humility of heart that we, too, must have. We do not need to achieve great accomplishments in the eyes of the world; He loves us in our littleness and simplicity.
A remedy for consumerism
Remaining recollected during the Advent season can be challenging when the rest of the world is focused on secularism and materialism. Pope Francis laments this reality in Dilexit Nos:
In a world where everything is bought and sold, people’s sense of their worth appears increasingly to depend on what they can accumulate with the power of money. We are constantly being pushed to keep buying, consuming and distracting ourselves, held captive to a demeaning system that prevents us from looking beyond our immediate and petty needs. (DN 218)
He adds, however, that the solution to this problem can be found in the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus:
Christ’s love can give a heart to our world and revive love wherever we think that the ability to love has been definitively lost. (DN 218)
The role of Our Lady
Although Advent is a time to be focused on Jesus in the Incarnation, we should not forget about Mary’s role in the Christmas miracle and her influence on the heart of her Son. In the Gospels, Jesus is always attentive to the needs of those around Him. His heart is moved with pity for their suffering, and He heals and restores them to health and wholeness. Pope Francis points out that this compassion was largely learned from the heart of Jesus’ Mother Mary:
Our Lady carefully pondered the things she had experienced; she “treasured them… in her heart” (Lk 2:19, 51) and, with Saint Joseph, she taught Jesus from his earliest years to be attentive in this same way. (DN 42)
There is much more to ponder and reflect on regarding the Sacred Heart in Dilexit Nos. For those who can find time to read the document, it is well worth the effort. Simply acquiring a holy card like the one in my Bible and gazing on the image of the Sacred Heart, burning with love for us, can deepen our devotion to the Heart of Jesus.
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Copyright 2024 Tina Mayeux
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About the Author

Tina Mayeux
Tina Mayeux is a wife, mother of three daughters, and lifetime Southerner. When she is not busy with her family, she writes in hopes of helping to share the joy of the gospel and Jesus Christ with others. She has contributed to Catholic Digest, Patheos, and The Real Deal of Parenting, and blogs on Substack. Follow her on Instagram @wayofthewildflowers.
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