By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
In his final major work Delixit Nos (He Loved Us) in the months leading up to his death, Pope Francis affirmed that everything written before is intimately linked with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He expresses this eloquently in the closing paragraphs of his encyclical.

“This present document on the Sacred Heart of Jesus can help us to see that the teaching of the social Encyclicals Laudato Si, and Fratelli Tutti is not unrelated to our encounter with the love of Jesus Christ. For it is by drinking of that same love that we can become capable of forging bonds of fraternity, of recognizing the dignity of each human being, and of working together to care for our common home.”
The nation’s consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by the bishops of the Catholic Church at 250 years emanates from this integrated vision for our county and world.
Along with being the culmination and cornerstone for Pope Francis’ major writings and pastoral vision, Delexit Nos is also a bridge to Pope Leo XIV in a remarkable way – shedding more light from the heart of the Church on the decision to consecrate the land of the free and the home of the brave on this landmark anniversary.
Pope Leo’s crest, fashioned at the outset of his episcopacy, is a classic expression of the theology of St. Augustine. It is the pierced heart upon the Word of God and represents St. Augustine’s proclamation of faith. Vulnerasti cor meum verbo tuo – You have pierced my heart with your Word. Pope Leo’s motto – In illo uno unum (In Christ We Are One) – combined with his crest, stirs within our hearts the desire for greater unity and peace for church and nation. This hope comes directly from the heart of Jesus in his great priestly prayer at the Last Supper (John 17) and is fulfilled with the blood and water flowing from His pierced side on the Cross.
Many question today whether or not the curtain is falling on the virtues of compassion, forgiveness and respect that ought to flow from humanity’s beating heart. With the consecration to the Sacred Heart, the Church is unambiguously and unreservedly stating that each generation must rediscover these attributes of heart and soul afresh. Parents, educators, religious leaders, and fellow citizens of goodwill are entrusted with the honorable task of teaching the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power and the wonders he has done. (Psalm 78)
During the recent Jubilee Year, we were challenged to be pilgrims of hope, because the love of God that is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit through faith does not disappoint. (Romans 5:5) Taken to heart we can be the light of the world and salt of the earth.
In the closing paragraphs of Delixit Nos, Pope Francis proposes the constant challenge for Christians to be in the world, but not of the world. “In a world where everything is bought and sold, people’s sense of their worth appears increasingly to depend on what they can accumulate with the power of money. We are constantly being pushed to keep consuming and distracting ourselves, held captive from looking beyond our immediate and petty needs. The love of Christ has no place in this perverse mechanism, yet only that love can us free from a madness that no longer has room for love. Christ’s love can give a heart to our world and revive love wherever we think that the ability to love has been lost.”
Therefore, during this consecration, we pray to recognize and reconcile the excesses and abuses of our liberty, evident through racism, militarism and rampant materialism. Equally as a nation, we give thanks for the blessings of liberty that have fostered incredible generosity at home and abroad.
As a Church, we are grateful for the first amendment of the Constitution that empowers us and many religious traditions to flourish. May these blessings be guiding lights for the future.
Lastly, we will be eternally indebted to all who have sacrificed for our nation, for all who have sacrificed to raise families and build communities, and for all who have sacrificed for the flourishing of religious faith.
Indeed, this consecration is a blessing for our country, imploring God’s providence to transform our nation’s innate optimism into the “hope that does not disappoint.”