Cardinal Tagle: Placing the heart at the center of the Jubilee

By Alessandro Gisotti

“You could say that I am my heart, because my heart is what sets me apart, shapes my spiritual identity, and puts me in communion with others.”

This is one of the powerful passages of Dilexit nosthe encyclical of Pope Francis published on October 24, a masterful document which has not received as much attention as the two social encyclicals, Laudato si’ And Fratelli tuttibut which nevertheless represents a key to interpretation for the entire Pontificate.

Dilexit nos can also be useful to better understand events such as the Synod on Synodality which has just concluded and the Jubilee 2025 which will begin in a few weeks.

Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, spoke to Vatican News about this new encyclical and reflected on the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, very widespread in the Philippines and which he learned in his youth.

Q: The publication of “Dilexit nos” caused some surprise. After his encyclicals of social doctrine “Laudato si’” and “Fratelli tutti”, Pope Francis published this spiritual encyclical. How did you receive this document?

Pope Francis is a pope of surprises. Although the announcement of the encyclical and its eventual publication was somewhat unexpected due to the focus on the Synod of Bishops, I was not entirely surprised that the Holy Father would issue an encyclical on the love of Jesus for us, symbolized in his Sacred Heart. For me, it was a way for the Holy Father to make more explicit the Christological foundation of the social encyclicals “Laudato si” and “Fratelli tutti”.

When we receive the love of Jesus, it allows us to see a brother and sister in other human beings (Fratelli tutti) and to be caring, humble and responsible stewards of our common home (Laudato si’). I must say that the writings and speeches of Pope Francis are consistently grounded in our faith in the person and mission of Jesus Christ. I suggest rereading these two social encyclicals to find traces or seeds of Dilexit nos already present in them.

Q: In the Philippines, devotion to the Sacred Heart is very popular and mainly involves ordinary people, the people of God. What has been your experience of this devotion in your country?

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is very widespread in the Philippines. We are grateful to the many religious orders bearing the name “Sacred Heart,” the Society of Jesus, and the Apostleship of Prayer who promote devotion in dioceses, parishes, schools, and families. In addition to vigils and prayers every first Friday of the month, it is customary to have the image of the crowned Sacred Heart at home. We implore the Heart of Jesus to lead and govern our families and our nation with His mercy and love. This prayer comes from a people whose hearts have been wounded when injustice, greed, corruption and indifference reign.

The devotion also reminds us that we must constantly beg Jesus to transform our hearts to be like His. Even today, on certain occasions we still sing the official anthem of the International Eucharistic Congress held in Manila (1937). It is a hymn to the Sacred Heart in Spanish where the nation offers its heart to Jesus: “no more Amor que el tuyo, O Corazón Divino. El Pueblo Filipino te da su corazón.” The song never fails to bring consolation to the heart and tears to the eyes.

Q: In “Dilexit nos”, the Pope notes that humanity today seems to be losing its heart and invites us, we Christians, to rediscover how much the heart of Jesus loves us. What can we do to revitalize the awareness that everything springs from our hearts?

In Dilexit nosPope Francis describes the phenomenon and causes of superficiality that is spreading as a culture, preventing us from getting in touch with the heart, from which love, truth and compassion emanate.

I suggest that we read the description of superficiality provided by the Holy Father as a guide to self-examination. Becoming aware of how I am slowly losing contact with my inner self and my truest self is the first step in awakening our hearts.

I also love Pope Francis’ enumeration of saints or what I call the “parade” or “procession” of saints who testify to us of their unfathomable love for the Heart of Jesus and the way it transformed their life and their mission. I suggest we watch the “parade” and join in the “parade”. We can revitalize the consciousness of the heart not through concepts or abstractions but by listening to hearts that have found true life in the loving Heart of Jesus.

Q: The heart evokes the individual person and relationships. During the recent Synod on Synodality, in which you participated, there were many discussions – also in the final document – ​​about the conversion of relationships. Can this encyclical serve as a compass to guide the path of a synodal Church, as Pope Francis encourages?

Dilexit nos has much to teach the Church which aims to be synodal and missionary. During the recently concluded session of the Synod of Bishops, it was repeatedly stated that synodality is ultimately a matter of relationships: with God, with all the baptized who make up the Church, with all humanity. whole and with creation.

The renewal of the Church in missionary synodality can only be achieved if we relate with trust, obedience and humility to the Triune God who is love. Missionary synodality requires a heart-to-heart relationship between pastors and faithful, between local churches, etc. where one’s heart is purified of prejudice against others and pride of self-promotion and is therefore able to listen with empathy.

Without human relationships purified by divine grace, missionary synodality could be reduced to simple bureaucratic and legalistic proposals, without a heart burning with the Holy Spirit, the flame of divine love.

Q: The Jubilee is approaching – a year of grace, reconciliation and liberation – a Holy Year that the Pope has centered on the theme of hope. What is the relationship between the encyclical on the heart of Jesus and this next Jubilee?

I see the link between Dilexit nos and the next Jubilee is centered on the pilgrimage in hope, in the missionary dimension of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To begin with, the Heart of Jesus is a missionary heart that brings overflowing divine love through a human heart to all people, to all human situations and to creation.

The merciful love of the Heart of Jesus offers hope to a broken world, especially to those who see no possibility of redemption in their lives. Pope Francis invites us to receive the love of Jesus in our hearts and to let it flow and not to prevent the love of Jesus from spreading to others and to society.

Dilexit nos is a valuable spiritual and missionary resource for this Jubilee to prepare each of us to be a pilgrim who shares the love of Jesus towards others, the love that frees all hearts from fear, pride, selfishness, indifference, revenge and despair. He loves us, so we have hope.