I have always had difficulty with devotion to the various images of the Sacred Heart, although I don’t have any problem with loving Christ himself. How am I to understand the use of the images, some of which I don’t find particularly appealing?
Pope Francis deals with this question in his encyclical Dilexit nos, undoubtedly because he knows some people may have the wrong idea about how to relate to the various images.
It may be helpful from the outset to clarify what we mean when we speak of devotion to Christ’s heart. We are obviously not referring to the organ that pumps the blood. Important though the heart is, it would not be an object of devotion in itself.
Pope Francis elaborates on the meaning of the word “heart” in the first chapter of his encyclical; “The Bible tells us that, ‘the Word of God is living and active… it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart’ (Heb 4:12). In this way, it speaks to us of the heart as a core that lies hidden beneath all outward appearances, even beneath the superficial thoughts that can lead us astray” (n. 4).
“The heart is also the locus of sincerity, where deceit and disguise have no place. It usually indicates our true intentions, what we really think, believe and desire, the ‘secrets’ that we tell no one; in a word, the naked truth about ourselves. It is the part of us that is neither appearance nor illusion, but is instead authentic, real, entirely ‘who we are’” (n. 5).
The Catechism speaks of the heart in a similar vein; “The heart is our hidden centre, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death” (CCC 2563). In this sense, Jesus says: “This people honours me with their lips but their heart is far from me” (Mt 15:8).
The heart is thus the seat of our real intentions, our motives, our desires and loves. So, when we speak of Christ’s heart, we are referring to the deepest core of his divine and human being, where he truly knows us and loves us.
Pope Francis goes on to develop this idea in the third chapter of his encyclical. He writes: “Devotion to the heart of Christ is not the veneration of a single organ apart from the Person of Jesus. What we contemplate and adore is the whole Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, represented by an image that accentuates his heart. That heart of flesh is seen as the privileged sign of the inmost being of the incarnate Son and his love, both divine and human. More than any other part of his body, the heart of Jesus is the natural sign and symbol of his boundless love” (n. 48).
As regards images of the Sacred Heart, “It is essential to realise that our relationship to the Person of Jesus Christ is one of friendship and adoration, drawn by the love represented under the image of his heart. We venerate that image, yet our worship is directed solely to the living Christ, in his divinity and his plenary humanity, so that we may be embraced by his human and divine love” (n. 49).
“Whatever the image employed, it is clear that the living heart of Christ—not its representation—is the object of our worship, for it is part of his holy risen body, which is inseparable from the Son of God who assumed that body forever. We worship it because it is the heart of the Person of the Word, to whom it is inseparably united. Nor do we worship it for its own sake, but because with this heart the incarnate Son is alive, loves us and receives our love in return. Any act of love or worship of his heart is thus really and truly given to Christ himself, since it spontaneously refers back to him and is a symbol and a tender image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ” (n. 50).
In summary, “While the image of Christ and his heart is not in itself an object of worship, neither is it simply one among many other possible images. It was not devised at a desk or designed by an artist; it is no imaginary symbol, but a real symbol which represents the centre, the source from which salvation flowed for all humanity” (n. 52).