On June 27, 2025, Pope Leo XIV celebrated a special Mass called the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In his homily, the pontiff said, “To speak of the Heart of Christ . . . is to reflect on the entire mystery of the Lord’s incarnation, death, and resurrection, which is entrusted in a special way to us, so that we can make it present in our world.” (The Roman Pontiff makes an enormous claim: in the Mass, the priest makes Christ present in the world. That is, the Catholic Church owns Christ.)
But about this particular Mass: No Christian would reject the idea that Christ’s heart (or inner being) is one of profound love. His heart is full of love, long-suffering, and compassion. But in Catholic theology the heart of Christ becomes a physical object of devotion. He’s a divided Savior. If the Church owns Christ, she must feel that she can divide Christ into separate entities that can each be venerated by devotions.
Indeed, the Church requires many sorts of devotions to parts of Jesus. Among these are devotions are ones to the “Infant Jesus of Prague,” the “Five Wounds of Christ,” and the “Holy Face of Jesus.”
In addition, the Church practices devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary such as the “Holy Rosary,” the “Immaculate Heart of Mary,” and “Our Lady of Fatima.” Other devotions are dedicated to the Holy Spirit and the Saints, with multiple subdivisions within these categories. In fact, there is no known list of the devotions practiced by the Church.
The Church acknowledges at least 10,000 saints, and special devotions probably exist for each one. (John Paul II was especially dedicated to sainthood. He canonized nearly 500 during his pontificate. He himself is now a saint and is being called John Paul the Great by some Catholic institutions.)
When we examine the “devotion to the heart of Jesus,” we must recognize that devotion to Jesus is but one of many possible devotions in Catholicism. The Church calendar is, therefore, loaded with “special” days of both required and voluntary religious observances.
Because the calendar is so full, the Church gives a name to those days lacking a feast, holy day, or memorial. The empty days are called feria. This Latin word referred originally to ancient festivals dedicated to Roman gods. The Roman Church took over the word to mean days of the week without particular religious significance (Sunday is one example).
None of the special days of the Roman Church calendar have their origin in the Bible, including Sunday, which was a substitution for the so-called Jewish Sabbath. Observance of the Sabbath of the ten commandments was forbidden by the Council of Laodicea in 364 A.D.
An unknown number of devotions originated through private revelation. One example: St. Margaret Mary Alacoque promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart after her mystical experiences (she lived from 1647-1690). Thus, what was just observed by Pope Leo XIV did not appear in church history for more than 1500 years after the first century of Christianity.
The pope’s remarks at the Sacred Heart ceremony help us see the attitude of the Church toward Jesus Christ. The Roman Church claims Christ as its possession to give to the world. Christ doesn’t own the Church, the Church owns Christ, and does with Him as they please, withholding Him or providing Him as they see fit, particularly in the Mass.
The Church loads the calendar with ceremonies, but also loads its people with hundreds of directions to look, a thousand opportunities to focus on anything but the biblical Jesus. So while Catholicism appears deeply religious by virtue of the multiplication of ceremonies and observances, the great bulk of its practices are mere human fabrications.
Sinful humanity is not rescued by empty ritual. Humanity responds to the unfathomable love, mercy, and forgiveness freely available through the great Gift of Heaven.
The Roman Church is indeed Antichrist. But God has provided a divine call to His people within the Roman Church to leave her communion and abandon her blasphemies. Praise the Lord! His mercies endure forever.