Pope Francis’ encyclical “Dilexit Nos” is presented as a profound reflection on divine and human love, represented in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. In this document, the Pope explores the importance of living from the heart, a concept that has been essential in the spiritual tradition of the Church. 
Relating the symbolism of the heart to the personal and unconditional love of Christ, Pope Francis highlights the need to return to a more incarnate and close Christianity, a love that calls us to openness, authenticity and intimate connection with others.
In “Dilexit Nos,” the Pope takes up many of the central elements of his previous writings, such as the insistence on a hospitable and open Church, a welcoming and accompanying community, following the message of “Evangelii Gaudium” on the joy of the Gospel and the importance of a person-centered evangelization. 
In “Fratelli Tutti”, Francis had already stressed the importance of fraternity, recognition of the other and unity in diversity, elements that emerge again in this encyclical when he speaks of the heart as the only center capable of uniting the scattered fragments of our divided humanity.
The imprint of St. Augustine in “Dilexit Nos”.
The influence of St. Augustine is palpable throughout the document. St. Augustine, with his theological viscerality, knew how to express the longing of the human heart for a higher love (Confessions, Book X, 27). In “Dilexit Nos” (n. 16-17), Francis takes up the Augustinian understanding of the heart as the center of the spiritual life and the search for truth. In the Confessions, St. Augustine describes the heart as a place where the most intimate dialogue with God takes place (Confessions, Book IV, 4), and this vision is repeated in Pope Francis’ text, which encourages every believer to reflect deeply on his or her identity and mission in the world, not from abstract reason, but from the beating of the heart.
Francis takes up the Augustinian understanding of the heart as the center of the spiritual life and the search for truth.
St. Augustine also appears in the encyclical as an example of how the personal encounter with God transforms all dimensions of human existence. For Augustine, the search for God was always an inward journey: “Do not go outside, turn to yourself. In the interior of man dwells the truth” (De Vera Religione, 39). This concept of interiority is taken up again in “Dilexit Nos” (n. 23) when the Pope emphasizes the need to seek the Lord in the depths of one’s own heart, where true peace resides and where the synthesis of our identity as spiritual and bodily beings takes place.
Other elements of Augustinian thought present in “Dilexit Nos”.
The document also echoes other aspects of Augustinian thought, such as the importance of community and openness to others. St. Augustine, especially in his “City of God” (City of God, Book XIX, 5), defends the idea that the human being cannot be fully realized in solitude, but needs the other to find meaning and fulfillment. This idea is present in the encyclical “Dilexit Nos” (n. 18) when Francis describes the heart as a space of encounter and openness, a place where true unity is generated, not only with God, but also with our brothers and sisters.
“The human being cannot be fully realized in solitude, but needs the other to find meaning and fulfillment.”
The thought of St. Augustine regarding the fragility of the human being is also taken up. In “Dilexit Nos” (n. 30), it is mentioned that the heart is a wounded and fragile place, in need of divine grace to reach true fullness. This is intimately related to the Augustinian conception of man as a being broken by sin, but redeemed by the love of God (Confessions, Book VII, 21). The Pope emphasizes how in the heart of man both miseries and great aspirations coexist, and only through an encounter with the love of Christ is it possible to attain true healing.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart: Unity in Diversity
In “Dilexit Nos” (n. 48-49), devotion to the Sacred Heart is presented as a synthesis of the Gospel and as the image that best expresses the incarnation of divine love in the humanity of Christ. This devotion not only has a symbolic value, but is also a call to live love from the flesh and reality, recognizing suffering and joy as inseparable parts of the Christian experience. Just as St. Augustine found in his conversion a new heart full of love, Pope Francis invites us to allow ourselves to be touched by the Heart of Christ to renew our capacity to love and serve, especially the most vulnerable.