Piece by piece, I dig around Pope Francis’ letter, Delexit nos (24-27). The letter is addressed to the world and focuses on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was released in October 2024. This letter reminds us that God loves persistently, incessantly, and certainly.

Pope Francis makes comments on two spiritual masters: Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Bonaventure.

The spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius are based on affection, a matter of the heart. The movements help us to rearrange our lives in a slow and progressive order. The movements help us ask questions that move out of superficiality into intimate love of God.

The pope then addresses an idea from Saint Bonaventure. We are not called to be a light. We are called to be a raging fire! Knowing that Christ died for me is more than knowledge, it moves us to affection and love. It is a love that consumes us like a raging fire.

When love is properly ordered, the heart moves us from a self-reliant moralism to reverence and loving obedience.

We must reorder our lives so that our will and affections are united to Christ. This love becomes a raging fire that consumes us, moves us to divine human love.