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heart, let us turn to the Church%u2019s reflection on the holy mystery of the Lord%u2019s Sacred Heart.CHAPTER THREETHIS IS THE HEART THAT HAS LOVED SO GREATLY48. Devotion to the heart of Christ is not the veneration of a single organ apart from the Person ofJesus. What we contemplate and adore is the whole Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man,represented by an image that accentuates his heart. That heart of flesh is seen as the privilegedsign of the inmost being of the incarnate Son and his love, both divine and human. More than anyother part of his body, the heart of Jesus is %u201cthe natural sign and symbol of his boundlesslove%u201d.[28][8]WORSHIPING CHRIST49. It is essential to realize that our relationship to the Person of Jesus Christ is one of friendshipand adoration, drawn by the love represented under the image of his heart. We venerate thatimage, yet our worship is directed solely to the living Christ, in his divinity and his plenaryhumanity, so that we may be embraced by his human and divine love.50. Whatever the image employed, it is clear that the living heart of Christ %u2013 not its representation%u2013 is the object of our worship, for it is part of his holy risen body, which is inseparable from the Sonof God who assumed that body forever. We worship it because it is %u201cthe heart of the Person of theWord, to whom it is inseparably united%u201d.[29][9] Nor do we worship it for its own sake, but becausewith this heart the incarnate Son is alive, loves us and receives our love in return. Any act of loveor worship of his heart is thus %u201creally and truly given to Christ himself%u201d,[30][0] since itspontaneously refers back to him and is %u201ca symbol and a tender image of the infinite love of JesusChrist%u201d.[31][1]51. For this reason, it should never be imagined that this devotion may distract or separate us fromJesus and his love. In a natural and direct way, it points us to him and to him alone, who calls usto a precious friendship marked by dialogue, affection, trust and adoration. The Christ we seedepicted with a pierced and burning heart is the same Christ who, for love of us, was born inBethlehem, passed through Galilee healing the sick, embracing sinners and showing mercy. Thesame Christ who loved us to the very end, opening wide his arms on the cross, who then rosefrom the dead and now lives among us in glory.VENERATING HIS IMAGE52. While the image of Christ and his heart is not in itself an object of worship, neither is it simplyone among many other possible images. It was not devised at a desk or designed by an artist; it is12