In the Heart of God: a fire that never goes out

"I have loved you as the Father has loved me." - (John 15:9)

The Heart that lingers in eternity

Christianity is not a philosophy, nor a moral code, nor a religion of precepts: it is an encounter with a living Heart . That Heart has a name, has wounds, has tenderness, has the memory of each one of us: it is the Heart of Christ . The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 27th and that of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on June 28th are a twofold celebration of love: the love of God who gives himself, and the love of humankind who receives, responds, is transformed, and loves.

In his moving document Dilexit nos, Pope Francis reminds us that “God does not have a symbolic heart, but a true heart, full of mercy, capable of being moved, of suffering, of loving without measure.” This divine Heart is not a theological idea: it is the inner face of the Gospel. From the Incarnation to the Cross, passing through the table of sinners, the dusty roads of Galilee, and the silences of Gethsemane, Jesus has shown us the style of the Father’s Heart.

Wounded by love, healed by tenderness

When we speak of the Heart of Jesus, we are not speaking merely of a human organ, but of the very center of his divine and human identity. Therein dwells the source of all consolation, all peace, and reconciliation. It is a wounded Heart, pierced, open forever. The evangelist Saint John says that: "one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water flowed out" (Jn 19:34) . In that final act, Jesus not only dies: he gives himself completely.

The Heart of Jesus dwells in the Tabernacle, in the Eucharist, in the poor, in those who suffer, in those who weep, in those who love, and in those who seek meaning. His Heart continues to pour forth light and warmth, like a burning ember that never goes out.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary, celebrated the following day, is the perfect echo of that divine love. She, full of grace, the woman of the Magnificat, the mother who treasured all things in her heart, is also the mother of the Heart. Her Immaculate Heart is not a parallel to that of her Son, but a fruitful extension , a maternal resonance that leads us to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

A missionary, compassionate, Eucharistic heart

The Sacred Heart of Jesus invites us not only to contemplation, but also to transformation. Saint Paul VI said that devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus "is the synthesis of the whole Christian religion." And Pope Francis insisted that this devotion is not mere sentimentality, but a concrete pedagogy of love.

"Let us look upon the pierced Heart of the Lord and be moved by it. Let our hearts become like His" (Dilexit nos, 3). This is the great invitation for all: to imitate the Heart of Jesus in His compassionate, missionary, and Eucharistic style.

A compassionate heart, that welcomes without judging, that touches the wounds of the world with tenderness and not with distance.

A missionary heart, which goes out of itself, which burns to communicate the Kingdom, which cares for every soul.

A Eucharistic heart, which is broken and shared, which becomes bread, gesture, word, presence.

Called to live with a heart of flesh

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is not a relic of the past. It is a spirituality urgently needed today. In a world of hardened, fragmented hearts, broken by noise or indifference, we need to return to a Heart that knows how to love, wait, forgive, and offer itself.

Therefore, we invite you, this June, and especially during these two festivities, to renew your love for the Heart of Jesus and Mary with concrete actions:

Take a moment each day to pray before the Sacred Heart of Jesus, even if it's just for a few minutes. Look at his image and say to him: "Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like yours."

Consecrate your day and your family to His Heart, trusting that everything is transformed under His love.
Read and meditate on passages from the Gospel where His merciful Heart is revealed: the Good Shepherd (Lk 15), the Samaritan (Lk 10), the washing of the feet (Jn 13), the cross (Jn 19).
Perform some concrete act of comfort for those who are suffering. To be the heart of Jesus for others is the highest devotion.
Accompany your days with simple devotionals that will help you keep your love for the Heart of Jesus alive: prayers, novenas, meditations.

With Mary, we keep in our hearts

She, who silently conceived God and offered Him up at the foot of the cross, continues to form apostles of the Heart today. The Immaculate Heart of Mary is not only a model, it is a home. Let us turn to her, and place our lives, our wounds, our battles, and our hopes in her maternal embrace.

The Heart of Jesus is the fire. The Heart of Mary is the furnace where it is kept burning. May these two solemnities not simply pass by as dates on the liturgical calendar, but become transformative experiences. And may we, through our actions, our prayers, and our apostolic commitment, continue to ignite the world with the embers of that love which transforms all things.

Prayer

Jesus, divine Teacher, I thank you and bless your heart
full of mercy for having given us Mary Most Holy as our mother,
Teacher and Queen. From the cross she has placed us all in her hands,
giving him a great heart, wisdom, and power.
May all of humanity know her, love her,
invoke her and let yourself be guided by her towards you, Savior of humanity.
Following your example, I place myself in your hands.
I want to be with this mother now,
at the hour of my death and for all eternity.
Amen