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%u201cno imaginary symbol, but a real symbol which represents the centre, the source from whichsalvation flowed for all humanity%u201d.[32][2]53. Universal human experience has made the image of the heart something unique. Indeed,throughout history and in different parts of the world, it has become a symbol of personal intimacy,affection, emotional attachment and capacity for love. Transcending all scientific explanations, ahand placed on the heart of a friend expresses special affection: when two persons fall in love anddraw close to one another, their hearts beat faster; when we are abandoned or deceived bysomeone we love, our hearts sink. So too, when we want to say something deeply personal, weoften say that we are speaking %u201cfrom the heart%u201d. The language of poetry reflects the power of theseexperiences. In the course of history, the heart has taken on unique symbolic value that is morethan merely conventional.54. It is understandable, then, that the Church has chosen the image of the heart to represent thehuman and divine love of Jesus Christ and the inmost core of his Person. Yet, while the depictionof a heart afire may be an eloquent symbol of the burning love of Jesus Christ, it is important thatthis heart not be represented apart from him. In this way, his summons to a personal relationshipof encounter and dialogue will become all the more meaningful.[33][3] The venerable imageportraying Christ holding out his loving heart also shows him looking directly at us, inviting us toencounter, dialogue and trust; it shows his strong hands capable of supporting us and his lips thatspeak personally to each of us.55. The heart, too, has the advantage of being immediately recognizable as the profound unifyingcentre of the body, an expression of the totality of the person, unlike other individual organs. As apart that stands for the whole, we could easily misinterpret it, were we to contemplate it apart fromthe Lord himself. The image of the heart should lead us to contemplate Christ in all the beauty andrichness of his humanity and divinity.56. Whatever particular aesthetic qualities we may ascribe to various portrayals of Christ%u2019s heartwhen we pray before them, it is not the case that %u201csomething is sought from them or that blind trustis put in images as once was done by the Gentiles%u201d. Rather, %u201cthrough these images that we kiss,and before which we kneel and uncover our heads, we are adoring Christ%u201d.[34][4]57. Certain of these representations may indeed strike us as tasteless and not particularlyconducive to affection or prayer. Yet this is of little importance, since they are only invitations toprayer, and, to cite an Eastern proverb, we should not limit our gaze to the finger that points us tothe moon. Whereas the Eucharist is a real presence to be worshiped, sacred images, albeitblessed, point beyond themselves, inviting us to lift up our hearts and to unite them to the heart ofthe living Christ. The image we venerate thus serves as a summons to make room for anencounter with Christ, and to worship him in whatever way we wish to picture him. Standing beforethe image, we stand before Christ, and in his presence, %u201clove pauses, contemplates mystery, and13