The month of June is dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and on Friday, June 12, we will celebrate its solemnity. During this month of June, we are also preparing to celebrate on July 4 the 250th anniversary of our great nation. In view of this, the bishops of the United States have decided to consecrate our nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. One of the reasons chosen for this consecration is to emphasize that the center of our nation is Jesus Christ, especially in view of the particular challenges we face at this time. This consecration will take place on the eve of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart at the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando. All of the bishops of our country will be gathered there for their annual spring meeting. This will be a significant occasion for the bishops as well as for our nation.
It is quite fitting that this consecration, as well as the celebration of our nation’s 250th anniversary, takes place almost immediately following the encyclical, Magnificent Humanity, which our Holy Father, Pope Leo, just gave to us. In this encyclical, Pope Leo reflects upon the splendor of the human nature which God has given to us, especially in view of the current situation in which artificial intelligence continues to progress. Such advancement is also giving rise to a lack of appreciation for the gift of our humanity. Our nation came into existence as a place where the gifts of humanity would flourish through respect and freedom. There is a grave threat to the flourishing of our human nature as, more and more, we delegate to machines what are the rights and freedoms which pertain to being human in terms of our natural identity and creativity. The heart of our nation is the human heart which can never be secondary to technology. This is quite opposed to the intentions of our Founding Fathers.
A short while before his death, Pope Francis gave us a wonderful encyclical on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Dilexit Nos. In his encyclical, he reminded us of the infinite love of God as revealed through the Heart of Jesus and how this heart is in union with our own, which is essential to our existence. Pope Francis emphasized that we live in a world of superficiality where we rush from one thing to another without understanding why, and ultimately lose the importance of our heart. He empathized: “Instead of running after superficial satisfaction and playing a role for the benefit of others, we would do better to think about the really important questions in life. Who am I, really? What am I looking for? What direction do I want to give my life? My decisions and my actions? Why and for what am I in this world? How do I want to look back upon my life once it ends? What meaning do I want to give to all my experiences? What do I want to be for others? Who am I for God? All these questions lead us back to the heart.” All of these questions ultimately lead us to the heart of Jesus Christ, which He has joined to ours.
In his encyclical, Pope Francis warned that we will never address the deeper needs of humanity by relying solely on technology and artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence will never understand what it means to love, have friendship or mercy. Artificial intelligence can easily turn us into consumers who can never be satisfied. His encyclical presented devotion to the Sacred Heart as the only way to heal this lack of appreciation for what humanity is all about. He stressed that, to connect with our true humanity, as made in the image and likeness of God, we must start within the heart. It is the Sacred Heart of Jesus which reveals to us what the meaning of that heart is about.
Pope Leo rigorously addresses the dangers of artificial intelligence as detracting from the human heart. While artificial intelligence can produce much good, it can also produce much confusion and unhappiness as it leads us away from our human nature and lessens the importance of the human heart. Leo stresses that: “No computational system, however sophisticated, can create a heart that gives itself, or a conscience that discerns good from evil. Even when machines excel in efficiency, a human face that asks to be gazed upon remains the center of our history. This human face is the fullness for which history is moving.” The heart is what defines the human person, and artificial intelligence can lead us away from that heart. It is easily concentrated on ways to increase productivity in regard to the financial markets. It has already replaced human labor with its own means of calculation and productivity. Pope Leo stresses that human labor is part of our essence in living in this world with one another and is a right which all people possess.
As we celebrate the birth of our nation and consecrate ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we realize that we came into existence, as a nation, for the good of others. We have rights and freedoms enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, which lead us more to the human heart than away from it. As we celebrate our 250th anniversary, we need to reflect upon the principles of our nation, which respect the dignity and the humanity of every person made in the image and likeness of God. We came into existence, not for the market or technological advancement, but for the advancement of humanity. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus help us to appreciate that humanity which Christ took to Himself. May His heart, pierced for us upon the cross, help us to realize more the dignity that each one of us possesses and the obligation that we have to respect that dignity in every person.
On the occasion of the consecration of our nation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are called upon to join ourselves in union with all of the bishops of the nation in this regard. May the Lord pour out His blessings upon us, and may He continue to bless the United States of America as a place where true freedom recognizes the splendor of humanity.
