One of the central aspects of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer) is a spirituality centered on the Heart of Jesus. It is from this Heart that we receive a mission and are “sent out to the margins of human life in different ways…We are sent to the places where men and women are suffering injustice, to help heal and support the brokenhearted.”

The documents guiding the recreation of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (PWPN) lays this out clearly, explaining how members of the PWPN are led on a “spiritual pathway inspired [by] the symbol of the heart – the human heart and the Heart of Jesus – that in unison wish to respond to the needs of today’s people. [It is] a network of hearts that pray with the Pope for the mission of the Church all around the world …We [are] apostles invited to collaborate with [the Heart of Jesus], available to his mission of compassion on behalf of our brothers and sisters.”

Intimately connected to the Heart of Jesus is the celebration of the Eucharist. As it is stated in our documents, “The Eucharist…leads to [an] inner experience of the Heart of Jesus. It teaches us to live with Jesus and as Jesus, to the service of the mission. In each Eucharist we make present Jesus’ life laid down for humanity, the ultimate model of offering and availability.”

Therefore, during this month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, let us renew our devotion and love of Jesus’ Heart, seeking above all things to fashion our own hearts after the Heart of Jesus. In this way, we will be more available and ready to pray for and encounter the many challenges facing humanity that the Pope proposes each month, doing what we can in our local situation to “heal and support the brokenhearted.”