A Divine Calling to Care
A Review of
On the Love of Christ
Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV
Orbis Books, 2026
Buy Now: [ BookShop ] [ Amazon ] [ Kindle ]
Reviewed by Lauren Mulford
On the Love of Christ is the combination of the late Pope Francis’s encyclical Delexit Nos: On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ (Delexit Nos translates to He Loved Us) and Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic exhortation, originally drafted by Pope Francis, Dilexi Te: On Love for the Poor (Dilexi Te translates to I Have Loved You). These texts are available for free through the Vatican’s official website. If you are an avid book lover, like me, you will appreciate this physical copy from Orbis Books, which has the perfect amount of margin space for annotations. Also, this copy has an introduction by Professor Mary Frohlich. She does an excellent job of highlighting what the encyclical is and why Pope Leo XIV decided to write an exhortation on its heels. Her introduction is also available for free at the Orbis website.
While many Christians may feel that since this is an encyclical, it must be intended only for Catholics, I would encourage every Christian (and Christian-curious) to read it. There is very little that any Christian could disagree with, and certainly the message as a whole is completely Christ-driven and Christ-derived. The first text emphasizes the spiritual dimension of Christ’s love, while the second emphasizes the social implications. As Christ himself said, the greatest commandment is to love God and love whoever needs mercy (Matthew 22:37-39, Luke 10:37).
Delexit Nos
Pope Francis writes intelligently, his background in philosophy and theology shining through. He touches on Mary “pondering in her heart” and Ignatian spiritual practices meant to teach the reader that above all else, every person has been created for love–to love and be loved. That is, after all, the summation of the gospel message: God is love. And is this not how we know what love is – that Jesus laid down his life (showing love) and asks us to do the same (loving others)?
He writes that our hearts are frail and not self-sufficient. It is not good enough to know the Gospel or to treat its tenets as a checklist. Instead, he writes, we must have God’s help. The text expands that one way to receive God’s help is by contemplating the “Sacred Heart of Christ.” Pope Francis is not distinguishing between Christ and his heart but rather emphasizing a theological truth.
He writes that the “Sacred Heart of Christ” is more than a visual representation in art; it is a theological representation. It is meant to bring to mind that Christ is completely human while being completely divine. It is meant to draw us into worship. He writes that it “invites us to grow in our encounter with Christ, putting our trust completely in his love…” (62). While learning about the Sacred Heart of Christ, I found myself praying that Christ would also break my heart for what breaks his and to give me joy in what brings his heart joy, which might be the pope’s entire point.
“I ask our Lord Jesus Christ to grant that his Sacred Heart may continue to pour forth the streams of living water that can heal the hurt we have caused, strengthen our ability to love and serve others, and inspire us to journey together toward a just, solidary and fraternal world” (115).
Delexi Te
Here Pope Leo XIV explains that what breaks the Sacred Heart of Christ is the injustice and the lack of care of so many Christians today toward the poor and marginalized. “Love for the Lord, then, is one with love for the poor” (119).
Pope Leo XIV encourages while he challenges his readers. He reminds readers that Jesus was himself poor and called others to become poor. Leo writes on the Bible’s many examples of God having mercy on the poor. He quotes James 3:17 and calls for the entire church to be a place where the poor are welcomed and sheltered. “Charity shown to those in need was not only seen as a moral virtue, but a concrete expression of faith in the incarnate Word” (139).
Leo goes on to highlight the need to care for the sick, imprisoned, poorly educated, and migrants. He writes we must be a church of the poor and for the poor and we must always be “at the side of the least among us” (165). He goes on to display the historic stance of the Church and emphasize the Church’s social doctrine. He writes on the structures of sin that create poverty and extreme inequality and the need for the Church to bridge that gap.
It is my opinion that every person and every congregation that reads this book and takes the message to heart will be drawn closer to Christ. I hope its message will revive the divine calling to care for the least of these sisters and brothers of God.
Lauren Mulford
 Reading for the Common Good From ERB Editor Christopher Smith "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities and the life of the church." -Karen Swallow Prior Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter & download your FREE copy of this ebook! |
Understanding Christian Nationalism [A Reading Guide] |
 Most Anticipated Books of the Fall for Christian Readers!
|
 Hilarious One-Star Customer Reviews of Bibles |
