Pope Francis urged Catholics to look to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a source of love and to bring Christ’s love “to the ends of the earth,” on the first day of June.
“Today we begin the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, source of love and peace,” the Pope said on 1 June.
“Open yourselves to this love and take it ‘to the ends of the earth,’ witnessing to the goodness and mercy that flow from the Heart of Jesus.”
Speaking in St. Peter’s Square at the end of his Wednesday general audience, the pope said that this message was especially aimed at young people, particularly those who will meet next weekend in Lednica, west-central Poland.
Tens of thousands of Catholic young people gather near Lake Lednica each year in June to pray and worship God together. The youth festival dates back to 1997 and has drawn up to 180,000 participants in past years.
The entire month of June in the Catholic Church is traditionally dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus falls on the Friday after the second Sunday after Pentecost in the Church’s calendar.