Sacred Heart is 'ultimate symbol of God's mercy,' Pope tells Sunday audience

June 10, 2013

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is “the ultimate symbol of God’s mercy,” Pope Francis said at his midday audience on Sunday, June 9.

The Pope reminded his audience that the month of June is traditionally devoted to the Sacred Heart. The heart, he said, is not just a metaphor for sentiment; it supplies the force that makes life possible. Similarly, the mercy offered by Jesus is not a matter of feeling. “It is a face that gives life, that brings humanity back to life!” the Pope said.

Reflecting on the day’s Gospel, which recounted how Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain, the Pope said that Jesus was filled with compassion for the woman’s suffering. The word used for “compassion,” he said, is a reference to the mother who participates in the pain of her children. “That is how God loves us,” the Pope remarked. As with the widow of Nain, he went on, “God’s mercy gives life to the man, raises him from the dead.”

 

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Further information:

• Angelus: Jesus’ Compassion Is Like a Mother’s Love (VIS)