I do not know how I missed the news that Pope Francis issued an encyclical at the end of the Synod. I try to keep up to date on what is happening in the Church, but somehow, I missed the news about the encyclical, which has the wonderful title “He Loved Us” (“Dilexit Nos”). As soon as I discovered that the encyclical had been published, I obtained a copy. I have found Francis’ insights in all his statements and writings both informative and inspiring.
Early in this awesome encyclical, Francis, reflecting on the mystery of the human person, writes the following: “This profound core, present in every man and woman, is not that of the soul, but of the entire person in his or her unique psychosomatic identity. Everything finds its unity in the heart, which can be the dwelling place of love in all its spiritual, psychic, and even physical dimensions. In a word, if love reigns in our heart, we become, in a complete and luminous way, the per- sons we are meant to be, for every human being is created above all else for love.
In the deepest fiber of our being, we were made to love and to be loved.” When I read those words, I was hooked. At St. John’s University, I teach a course titled “Introduction to the Philosophy of Person. At the beginning of the course, I tell the students that there are two questions that I want them to focus on during the course. The first is “Who am I?” The second question, perhaps even more important than the first, is “Who are we?”
At the end of the course, I tell the students that I think the answers to those two questions reveal the two most profound truths about the human person — namely, we are called to be lovers, and we are called to love. I am delighted that Pope Francis and I seem to be on the same page concerning the mystery of the human person and the mystery of love. “He Loved Us” is the most dense encyclical I have ever read. Several times as I was reading it, I thought that many courses in theology could recommending it as much as calling attention to it.
I think it is an amazing document, but I don’t think it is an easy read. In the encyclical, Francis gives a kind of history of the devotion to the Sacred Heart. He seems to mention every saint and mystic who practiced devotion to the heart of Jesus. In the February issue of Commonweal, Thomas Banchoff has an excellent essay about the encyclical that I found very helpful. Noting Francis’ remarks about the history of devotion to the Sacred Heart and the role that this devotion has played in the life of the Church, Banchoff writes: “But in unexpectedly and forcefully taking up the Sacred Heart tradition, Francis also adapts it, going beyond its personal into its social and political dimensions.”
He echoes Francis’ view of contemporary culture as dominated by materialism and rapid technological change, reducing people to individuals in selfish pursuit of their own advantage. Francis writes: “The failure to make room for the heart has resulted in a stunting of the idea of a personal center, in which love, in the end, is the one reality that can unify all others.” I think the following remarks by Francis could act as a summary of the most important truths he emphasizes in the encyclical: “On the other hand, love and the human heart don’t always go together, since hatred, indifference, and selfishness can also reign in our hearts. Yet we cannot attain our fulfillment as human beings unless we open our hearts to others; only through love do we become fully ourselves.
The deepest part of us, created for love, will fulfill God’s plan only if we learn to love. And the heart is the symbol of that love.” Calling attention to our encounter with the love of Christ, Banchoff ends his essay with this insight: “That encounter, exemplified by the best of the Sacred Heart tradition, calls Catholics to deepen their engagement with other religious traditions and with the secular world — to build what Francis calls a ‘culture of encounter’ that both recognizes human diversity and orients it to the global common good. Thanks to ‘Dilexit Nos,’ Catholics eager to participate in that larger project can benefit from a deeper understanding of vibrant resources within their own tradition.” I fear that some people reduce the meaning of love to a pleasant feeling that has nothing to do with the real world. Francis is not one of those people.
Father Lauder is a philosophy professor at St. John’s University, Jamaica. His new book, “The Cosmic Love Story: God and Us,” is available on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.