(OSV News) — The best strategy for restoring hearts ravaged by violence, loss and anxiety is “to look to Jesus and his heart,” said Bishop David J. Bonnar of Youngstown, Ohio.
On June 13, Bishop Bonnar released his third pastoral letter, “Take Heart! Do Not Lose Heart! Behold the Sacred Heart!”, available in both English and Spanish on the diocese’s website at https://doy.org/pastoral-letter-behold-the-sacred-heart/.
The church dedicates the month of June to the Sacred Heart, with the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus this year being celebrated June 27.
The bishop’s pastoral letter begins by examining the foundations for the centuries-long devotion to the Sacred Heart, including biblical texts, papal reflections, the work of St. Augustine and the private revelations imparted to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a 17th-century French mystic and Visitation sister.
Bishop Bonnar observed that Moses and the ancient Israelites had struggled with “a discouraged heart” amid their long journey from slavery in Egypt, while Jesus exhorted his followers not to lose heart while praying.
“In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus invites those who are weary to come to him, for he has much to teach them, particularly when it comes to the heart,” wrote the bishop. “He says, ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves’ (Matthew 11:29).”
Offering oneself to Christ
Following the crucifixion, “the heart of Jesus,” risen from the dead, “brings comfort and peace to the hearts of the saddened disciples” en route to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35), Bishop Bonnar said.
St. Paul’s epistles and the Letter to the Hebrews also address weary hearts, and St. Augustine’s awareness of the human heart’s restless need for God also laid a foundation for devotion to the Sacred Heart, he added.
The private revelations and visions received from 1673 to 1675 by St. Margaret Mary enkindled that devotion broadly, with the saint beholding Christ extending his heart to humankind.
Bishop Bonnar quoted passages from the saint’s meditations on the Sacred Heart, from which flow streams of mercy, charity, love and light — and which is so inflamed with love that it could “no longer contain within itself the flames of its burning charity.”
Several popes have written about the heart of Christ and its spiritual significance, Bishop Bonnar said.
“Pope Leo XIII, in 1899, pointed to the way of Jesus in the Sacred Heart with his encyclical letter, Annum Sacrum, in which he consecrated humanity to this fount of divine love,” he noted.
The bishop quoted a passage from the encyclical: “And since there is in the Sacred Heart a symbol and sensible image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love one another, therefore is it fit and proper that we should consecrate ourselves to His most Sacred Heart — an act which is nothing else than an offering and a binding of oneself to Jesus Christ, seeing that whatever honor, veneration and love is given to this Divine Heart is really and truly given to Christ Himself.”
Emphasizing human dignity
“Other succeeding popes echo this teaching,” said Bishop Bonnar, citing in particular Pope Francis’ final encyclical, Dilexit Nos (“He loved us”), which also focuses on Jesus’ Sacred Heart and inspired the bishop’s own pastoral letter.
“Pope Leo XIV demonstrates continuity with his predecessors, most notably Pope Leo XIII and Pope Francis, calling the world to embrace and be embraced by the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” Bishop Bonnar wrote.
The present moment has underscored the need for renewed devotion to the Sacred Heart, wrote Bishop Bonnar.
“When we look at the current state of our world marked by war, terrorism, famine, loneliness, prejudice, racism, and many other social realities, it may be tempting to lose heart,” he said, pointing as well to “the battles we are facing in our country alone regarding human dignity and the treatment of refugees and immigrants.”
Artificial intelligence has intensified “the call to rediscover the heart,” since the technology poses “an emerging threat to the loss of heart,” wrote Bishop Bonnar. “While we can certainly celebrate the accomplishments of technology, we can never allow these innovations to rob us of our hearts and the emotions and dreams that flow from it.”
Even within theChurch, the heart can find itself battered, he said, given “the struggles that manifest themselves in the Church around ideology, ecclesiology, liturgy, and outreach.”
In addition, Bishop Bonnar said, “there is the reality of parish mergers, closing of church buildings, and fewer priests, not to mention fewer people worshiping on Sundays. All these realities impinge upon the heart.”
‘Take heart!’
Describing the heart as “the place in which we encounter ourselves and others,” he cautioned that “when we lose our hearts, we face the prospect of losing our faith.”
Yet Christ’s unfathomable love restores the heart, and devotion to the Sacred Heart begins with a simple step, said Bishop Bonnar.
“Are you familiar with where the Sacred Heart image is in your parish church? I encourage you to intentionally turn to it,” he wrote.
Bishop Bonnar encouraged intentional, focused prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the parish and in the home.
He announced that on Sept. 28 the diocese will celebrate the enthronement of the Sacred Heart in each of its churches.
The bishop also exhorted the faithful to share their faith and devotion with others, and to take Mary as an example of cherishing the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“Mary embodies what it means to ‘Take Heart! Do Not Lose Heart! Behold the Sacred Heart!’,” he wrote. “In this moment, we seek her grace and intercession to do the same.”
