Sophie and Magnificent Humanity

Hot on the heels of the great feast of Pentecost, today those of us in any way interested in Catholic Social Teaching began the day following events in Rome, where Pope Leo has just published his first CST encyclical. Entitled Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity), its focus is on preserving the human person in a time of artificial intelligence. But today the encyclical must vie for my attention, because the worldwide Society of the Sacred Heart is celebrating the feast of our founder, St Madeleine Sophie Barat. And although AI might seem to have little in common with a woman who was born before telegrams and typewriters, Sophie - who grew up during the French Revolution, and lived through social change and upheaval, and the rise and fall of empires - has a lot to say on our magnificent humanity! 

Brought up in a Jansenistic environment, with its profoundly pessimistic outlook regarding humanity and God's judgement, Sophie spent her life learning and proclaiming that God is unconditional, uncontainable and unlimited Love. It is this Love which has created and sustains us; redeemed and sanctifies us, and calls us to live with love, and for God's glory. And it is this Love which gazes on each one of us, with all our flaws and our messiness, our weakness and our wounds, and sees only someone to call 'beloved'; sees only magnificence... Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur (MH's opening words)

And I'm sure Sophie will also be rejoicing at this encyclical because Magnificent Humanity calls us back to what lies at the heart of our RSCJ vocation: the Sacred Heart of Jesus, rooted and founded in the Incarnation and the wondrous, magnificent humanity of Jesus. As Pope Leo writes in the encyclical's introduction: it is “only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of humanity truly becomes clear.” In Jesus Christ, this humanity in its grandeur becomes the Way, the Truth and the Life, opening the path for each of us to grow toward fullness.

All of which reminds me of some words by one of Sophie's more recent successors as Superior General, Clare Pratt RSCJ, writing in June 2003:

When we speak of the Heart of Jesus we are referring to the core of His being, the “place” of his deepest life, where He experiences beauty and ugliness, joy and pain. It is that place to which He invites us, calls us home. That Heart is a heart that is fully human. He knows our humanity - all of it - “from the inside”, from experience, and He loves it. He has walked in our sandals... 

Jesus knows our humanity, all of it; and he LOVES it, with all his Heart... 

And I can now hear Sophie murmuring that the best way to end this reflection is with the tender, limitless love of the Heart of Jesus... So, happy feast to you all; and may each one of you know how beloved and magnificent you truly are!