{"id":27386,"date":"2024-11-05T06:02:25","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T06:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/?p=27386"},"modified":"2024-11-06T06:28:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T06:28:15","slug":"embracing-the-heart-of-christ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/?p=27386","title":{"rendered":"Embracing the Heart of Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Love That Transforms: Embracing the Heart of Christ<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In today\u2019s fast-paced world, where moments for introspection can be rare, the message of love often gets overlooked. Recently, I found myself deeply moved by Pope Francis\u2019 latest Encyclical, <em>Dilexit Nos<\/em>, which explores the profound connection between human and divine love, especially through the Heart of Jesus Christ. This compelling read inspired me to reflect on my own faith journey and motivations, prompting questions I hadn\u2019t considered in some time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Fire of Faith: A Lesson from St. Bonaventure<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pope Francis reminds us of St. Bonaventure\u2019s powerful insight: rather than seeking mere understanding, we should pray for a \u201craging fire\u201d in our hearts. Bonaventure believed that true faith transcends knowledge\u2014it transforms into affection and love. As he said, \u201cthe knowledge that Christ died for us does not remain knowledge but necessarily becomes affection, love.\u201d When was the last time I truly yearned for such passion in my spiritual life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Heart Speaks to Heart: A Call from St. John Henry Newman<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In this same vein, St. John Henry Newman\u2019s life motto, <em>Cor ad cor loquitur<\/em> (\u201cheart speaks to heart\u201d), speaks volumes. Newman realised that his most profound experiences with God didn\u2019t come from intellectual pursuits but from a heartfelt dialogue with Christ. It was within the Eucharist that he encountered the living heart of Jesus\u2014a heart that offers freedom, meaning, and an everlasting peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Eucharist: A Sacred Connection to Christ\u2019s Love<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This intimate connection between love and the Eucharist forms the very core of our faith. In the Encyclical, Pope Francis encourages the Church to build a true community, fostering heart-to-heart connections that breathe life and joy into each believer. As he beautifully puts it, \u201cthe wounded side of Christ continues to pour forth that stream which is never exhausted&#8230;offering itself to all those who wish to love as he did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Building a New Humanity Through Love<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Encyclical is a reminder that love has the power to transform\u2014not only individuals but communities and humanity as a whole. It\u2019s a love that replaces rigidity with compassion, heals wounds, and creates a space for unity and joy. Imagine a Church that embraces this love wholeheartedly, inspiring us all to live with purpose, peace, and a renewed sense of community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reflecting on <\/strong><strong><em>Dilexit Nos<\/em><\/strong><strong> and Embracing Transformative Love<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reading <em>Dilexit Nos<\/em> has been both a humbling and invigorating experience. If you\u2019re seeking a renewed perspective on faith, I wholeheartedly recommend diving into this Encyclical. It\u2019s a call to embrace a love that changes everything, giving meaning to even the most complex aspects of our lives. Take a moment to reflect, to pray, and, as Fr. Pedro Arrupe said, \u201cfall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>by Virginia Ryan<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/bible-study-book-religion-religious-text-holy-bible-27da7c71aae3e26345c9323513639560-1024x590.png\" alt=\"bible-study-book-religion-religious-text-holy-bible\" class=\"wp-image-26178\" style=\"width:400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/bible-study-book-religion-religious-text-holy-bible-27da7c71aae3e26345c9323513639560-1024x590.png 1024w, https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/bible-study-book-religion-religious-text-holy-bible-27da7c71aae3e26345c9323513639560-300x173.png 300w, https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/bible-study-book-religion-religious-text-holy-bible-27da7c71aae3e26345c9323513639560-768x442.png 768w, https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/bible-study-book-religion-religious-text-holy-bible-27da7c71aae3e26345c9323513639560-24x14.png 24w, https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/bible-study-book-religion-religious-text-holy-bible-27da7c71aae3e26345c9323513639560-36x21.png 36w, https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/bible-study-book-religion-religious-text-holy-bible-27da7c71aae3e26345c9323513639560-48x28.png 48w, https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/bible-study-book-religion-religious-text-holy-bible-27da7c71aae3e26345c9323513639560.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"padding:20px;text-align:center\" class=\"wp-block-tnp-minimal\"><p>Subscribe to our newsletter!<\/p><div><div class=\"tnp tnp-subscription-minimal  \"><form action=\"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=tnp&amp;na=s\" method=\"post\" style=\"text-align: center\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"nr\" value=\"minimal\">\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"nlang\" value=\"\">\n<input class=\"tnp-email\" type=\"email\" required name=\"ne\" value=\"\" placeholder=\"Email\"><input class=\"tnp-submit\" type=\"submit\" value=\"Subscribe\" style=\"\">\n<\/form><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Love That Transforms: Embracing the Heart of Christ In today\u2019s fast-paced world, where moments for introspection can be rare, the message of love often gets overlooked. Recently, I found myself deeply moved by Pope Francis\u2019 latest Encyclical, Dilexit Nos, which explores the profound connection between human and divine love, especially through the Heart of Jesus [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[38,45,26,44,24,55,8,32,50,41,25,51,34,54,47,31,42,39,48,46,52,40,37,35,28,43,53,36,27,33,29],"class_list":["post-27386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletter","tag-ancient-wisdom","tag-contemplative-prayer","tag-enlightenment","tag-guided-meditation","tag-inner-peace","tag-introspection","tag-lectio-divina","tag-lectio-divina-for-beginners","tag-life-transformation","tag-meditation-guide","tag-meditation-mastery","tag-meditation-tips","tag-mindfulness","tag-mindfulness-meditation","tag-mindfulness-practices","tag-mindfulness-techniques","tag-personal-development","tag-reflect-and-transform","tag-reflective-living","tag-sacred-reading","tag-self-discovery","tag-self-help","tag-soulful-journey","tag-soulful-living","tag-spiritual-awakening","tag-spiritual-growth","tag-spiritual-guide","tag-spiritual-insights","tag-spiritual-practice","tag-spiritual-reflection","tag-transformative-journey"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Holy_Innocents__99381.jpg",1280,818,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Holy_Innocents__99381-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Holy_Innocents__99381-300x192.jpg",300,192,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Holy_Innocents__99381-768x491.jpg",768,491,true],"large":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Holy_Innocents__99381-1024x654.jpg",1024,654,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Holy_Innocents__99381.jpg",1280,818,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Holy_Innocents__99381.jpg",1280,818,false],"menu-24x24":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Holy_Innocents__99381-24x15.jpg",24,15,true],"menu-36x36":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Holy_Innocents__99381-36x23.jpg",36,23,true],"menu-48x48":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Holy_Innocents__99381-48x31.jpg",48,31,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Virginia Ryan","author_link":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/?author=2"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Love That Transforms: Embracing the Heart of Christ In today\u2019s fast-paced world, where moments for introspection can be rare, the message of love often gets overlooked. Recently, I found myself deeply moved by Pope Francis\u2019 latest Encyclical, Dilexit Nos, which explores the profound connection between human and divine love, especially through the Heart of Jesus&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27386"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27389,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27386\/revisions\/27389"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}