Pope Francis invites us to gaze upon the heart of Christ, a heart that reveals the depth and beauty of God’s love in his new encyclical Dilexit Nos (He Loved Us). This is no distant or abstract love, but a love that reaches down to meet us in our humanity, in the messiness of daily life and in the quiet longings of our hearts. 

For the laity, this call to love is especially significant. While ordained ministry has a distinct, vital role within the Church’s hierarchy, Dilexit Nos reminds us that the call to serve as Christ the Servant extends to all the baptized. Baptism marks the entry into a vocation of love and service, one that transcends the boundaries of the sanctuary and reaches into every corner of life, work, community and beyond. The heart of Christ becomes the model for a spirituality that is not reserved only for the clergy but is meant to permeate and penetrate the life of every Christian.

 

5 Key Takeaways

Dilexit Nos offers a profound reflection on the love of Christ and its implications for the life of the laity. It calls the faithful to embody Christ’s heart of love and service in their daily lives, emphasizing the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. Here are five key takeaways from the encyclical:

• · The Heart of Christ as the Model for Service: Christ’s heart, which embodies unconditional love, serves as the model for how the laity are called to live and serve in the world.
• The Centrality of the Interior Life: Authentic Christian service must flow from an interior relationship with Christ, cultivated through prayer and the sacraments.
• The Role of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit empowers the laity to live out their vocation of service, transforming hearts and guiding their actions in accordance with Christ’s love.
• The Meaning of Christian Service: Christian service is not merely about external actions but is a reflection of God’s love working through the laity in everyday life.
• The Call to Holiness for All: The encyclical reaffirms that the call to holiness and service is universal, extending to all the baptized, and finds its fullest expression in acts of selfless love for others.

These themes serve as a reminder that the lay vocation is deeply rooted in Christ’s love, and through the action of the Holy Spirit, the laity are equipped to bring his love into the world through lives of service.

The heart of Christ, as presented in Dilexit Nos, is the foundation for a spirituality that flows from deep within and manifests itself outwardly in concrete acts of service. Pope Francis calls on all of us to live in such a way that our actions reflect the heart of Christ: tender, compassionate and ever open to the needs of others. This spirituality of service is not just a matter of doing good deeds; it is a profound response to the love that we have first received from God. In this way, the encyclical beckons the laity to embrace their vocation as bearers of Christ’s love in the world, making his heart visible in acts of kindness, mercy and generosity that define Christian discipleship.

The invitation to live a life of service, illuminated in Dilexit Nos, does not call us to mere acts of charity, but to a transformative way of being that draws deeply from the heart of Christ. The laity, through ordinary life, are invited into a participation in this profound love that flows from the pierced side of Christ. The principles outlined in the encyclical emphasize that living as a servant is not just about action but about embodying a spirituality that flows from deep within — what the document describes as the “importance of the heart” and what the laity are called to incarnate in their daily lives.

 

The Heart as the Source of Service

In Dilexit Nos, Pope Francis emphasizes that the heart has always been a symbol of love, especially in relation to Christ. It is through the heart that Christians are called to return to an authentic spirituality — one that counters the superficiality of modern life. The heart, understood not merely as a symbol of emotion but as the seat of desire and decision, becomes the place where the lay vocation is truly born and nurtured. This is in keeping with the call to incarnate Christ's servant heart in everyday life.

What does it mean, then, for the laity to live out this heart-centered spirituality? At its core, it is a return to the depth of one’s personal intimate communion with Christ. The layperson, amid the busyness of life, is called to rediscover the “importance of the heart,” as described in the encyclical. This spiritual heart, like the heart of Christ, must be open to love others, particularly through acts of compassion and mercy. It is in the daily, often unseen acts of service that the layperson mirrors the heart of Christ the Servant.

Such a heart-centered spirituality reflects that service is not simply external action but is deeply rooted in one’s interior life. The laity, called to serve in the world, must first cultivate an intimate relationship with Christ, so that the external works of service flow naturally from an interior communion with him. This process echoes the encyclical’s emphasis on “thoughts and intentions of the heart” — that true Christian service begins in the heart and overflows into action.

 

Incarnating Christ the Servant

One of the key insights of Dilexit Nos is that Christian service is not simply a human action, but a participation in divine love. The heart of Christ, wounded for love of humanity, becomes the source from which all Christian service flows. In this way, the encyclical calls the laity to recognize that their service is not merely an expression of human charity, but a reflection of God’s love for the world.

This means that every act of service, no matter how small, is an opportunity to incarnate Christ’s love. Whether it is a parent caring for their children, an employee serving coworkers with integrity, or a volunteer offering time to the needy, each act of service becomes a participation in the life and mission of Christ. This is the heart of the lay vocation: to bring Christ’s love into every corner of the world through ordinary, daily acts of service.

In this sense, Dilexit Nos expands the understanding of Christian service beyond the realm of formal ministry and charity. It invites the laity to see every moment of their lives as an opportunity to reflect the heart of Christ. In this regard, service is seen not merely as an external action but as a way of being — rooted in one’s relationship with Christ and expressed in every aspect of life.

 

The Role of the Holy Spirit

Pope Francis also emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in enabling the faithful to live out the love of Christ. The Spirit, who “has been poured into our hearts” (Romans 5:5), is the one who animates and sustains the Christian in their call to serve. This is particularly true for the laity, who, through their baptism and confirmation, are empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring Christ’s love to the world.

For the laity, then, living a life of selfless service is not simply a matter of human effort. It is a response to the grace of the Holy Spirit, who works in the hearts of believers to conform them to Christ. This is why the encyclical emphasizes the need for prayer and the sacraments as essential to the Christian life. Through their participation in the sacramental life of the Church, the laity are continually renewed and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, enabling them to live out their call to service.