SOLEMNITY OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

Catholic Theological Institute – Holy Spirit Seminary - Bomana – Port Moresby

June 27, 2025

Dear brothers, dear sisters,

Today we joyfully celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a mystery that brings us to the centre of love of God for humanity.

The Heart of Jesus is not just a symbol, but the living and pulsating source of mercy, compassion and salvation. It is the human heart of Christ, pierced for love of us, that fully manifests the divine heart of the Father God. 

In the Gospel (Mt 11:25-30), Jesus tells us: “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” These words reveal to us that the heart of Jesus is not an abstract place, but a true refuge for those who are weary, tired, wounded. It is there that we find peace and consolation, because His love, His heart, does not condemn, but lifts up; does not judge, but forgives.

When we contemplate Jesus Christ nailed on the cross, we understand that God’s love is not theoretical, but is a concrete love: it is a love that suffers, that gives itself completely, that never holds back. It is a heart that beats for each of us, without exceptions. Even when we distance ourselves, He remains faithful.

How many closed, hardened, selfish hearts do we see in today’s world. Well, the Heart of Jesus invites us to tenderness, compassion, forgiveness. And He challenges us, saying: “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29). This teaching of Jesus must become a rule of life: meekness and humility!

But what should we learn from Jesus? Our time measures people based on results, success, popularity; based on their ability to do and act; based on what they are able to demonstrate. On the contrary, Jesus teaches us that there is a level of life much deeper than doing. So, your identity is not built only on what you know how to do, but on what you really want to be.

May the years of study be years of formation, of structuring oneself. University time is often marked by profound questions, by uncertainties about the future, by relationships that seek authenticity. It is a time of journey, not always easy, but beautiful because it is the time of youth and it is the time in which the foundations of one’s future are arranged. And it is precisely to you that Jesus teaches to live this time with a steadfast heart, rooted in love, a humble and meek heart, a heart that loves.

The Heart of Christ is wounded, pierced. It is a heart that has loved to the very end, without reserve. This is what saves us: not a theory, not an abstract doctrine, but a crucified person, a person who loved until the end: not for a moment, but forever.

Ask today in prayer for the grace to have a new heart, capable of loving as Jesus loved: a heart that is moved by suffering, that does not tire of starting over, that knows how to bend down to serve.

I invite you today not to be afraid to contemplate the Heart of Jesus. To let yourselves be loved, to recognize that your dignity of person does not consists in a curriculum vitae, in your grades, in the success of the moment, but in the fact that you are loved by God with a human and divine heart at the same time.

And then... make a choice against the current: you too cultivate a heart similar to Jesus’ Sacred Hearth. In the midst of a competitive, hasty, often dissatisfied world, have the courage to bring a heart that knows how to listen, that knows how to serve, that knows how to have compassion.

Dear brothers and sisters, in the Heart of Jesus we find the truth of the Gospel, the synthesis of our faith, the model of every Christian life. I invite you – if you have not already done so – to read and meditate on the last encyclical letter of the late Pope Francis “Dilexit nos”, published on October 24, 2024 and expressly dedicated to the human and divine love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

In this celebration let us allow ourselves to be transformed by this Heart, and we will be authentic witnesses of God’s love in the world.

Amen.

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