In October 2024, Pope Francis released an encyclical letter, Dilexit Nos, on the heart of Jesus. It is a good letter, full of wisdom and well worth reading. One of the things from that letter that particularly struck me is the Pope’s observation, very early in the text, that the heart is the “locus of sincerity, where deceit and disguise have no place….. [it] indicates our true intentions, what we really think, believe and desire… It is the part of us that is neither appearance or illusion but is instead authentic, real, entirely `who we are ‘.” [Dilexit Nos, 5] And so it is. As human beings, when we “speak from the heart”, we speak from our authentic selves.
Jesus, too, speaks often of the human heart in this way, as being the source of what is authentic in a person. The heart is where a person’s treasure is [Matthew 6:21, Luke 12:34] and from where comes the goodness or evil that they speak [Luke 6:45]. It is people who are pure in heart who will see God [Matthew 5:8]. The heart is where the intentions of a person come from [Mark 7:21-22]. The heart, when “hard”, makes a person incapable of understanding [Mark 3:5, 6:52, 8:17, 10:5, John 12:40], and when “slow”, keeps a person from understanding something quickly [Luke 24:25]. A believer’s heart is like a spring of living water [John 7:38]. God’s word is meant to be held safely in an honest and good heart [Luke 8:15] and God himself is meant to be loved with all one’s heart [Luke 10:27, Mark 12:30, Matthew 22:37]
But if the human heart is where each person is most truly themselves, the seat of their authenticity, what is Jesus’ own heart like? The Gospel provides an answer to this question. Jesus’ heart is gentle, and humble. He wants to help those who are burdened:
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [Matthew 11:28-30]
Jesus tells his followers:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. [John 14:27]
Jesus shows here that his heart is full of love and concern for others. In showing his heart, he is revealing the heart of God the Father [John 1:18]. Jesus is not proud or harsh, he is humble, and gentle, even to the point of allowing himself to be mistreated, to be falsely accused, condemned, and executed [Luke 24:20], He advises his followers not to resist evildoers [Matthew 5:39] and this is not just talk: he lives it out himself. His way of dealing with the cruelty of his enemies is not to be cruel in return, but to permit them to condemn and murder him, to let them do their worst without resisting them [James 5:6]. Then when they are done, when he is dead and his enemies can do no more, he rises again to new life in a way that his enemies can not prevent or overcome, to guide and lead his followers in his footsteps, in the way that leads them to new life [Romans 6:4]. What is in Jesus’ heart, his authentic self, is this: concern for the good of others, even at the expense of his own good; concern not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many [Mark 10:45].
Agapios Theophilus
Agapios Theophilus is the "nom de plume" of a catholic layman who has loved Jesus from when, as a young boy in the 1970s, he first learned about him. His First Communion, at the age of seven, was the happiest day of his life, and he celebrates its anniversary each year. He lives in a large city with his beloved wife, two wonderful children, and an affectionate orange and white cat. He has no formal qualifications whatsoever to write about Jesus: he writes only because he has been given the great gift of knowing and loving him, and he would like others to come to know and love him too. See Agapios' posts at https://sites.google.com/view/agapios-theophilus and follow Agapios on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/a9apios
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