The 7-word prayer Pope Francis learned from his grandmother

“Jesus, make my heart more like yours.”

Pope Francis recommends a simple prayer he learned from his grandmother. Often translated in English with the more archaic, “Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine,” the Holy Father led those in St. Peter’s Square in praying it after the midday Angelus on Sunday June 7th, 2020: “Jesus, make my heart more like yours.”June is the month traditionally focused on devotion to the Sacred Heart, which the pope said is a “devotion that unites the great spiritual teachers and the simple among the people of God. Indeed, the human and divine Heart of Jesus is the wellspring where we can always draw upon God’s mercy, forgiveness, and tenderness,” he said.

The unique symbolism of the Sacred Heart

To access this wellspring, the pope said, we can focus on a passage of the Gospel, “feeling that at the center of every gesture, of every word of Jesus, at the center there is love, the love of the Father who sent His Son, the love of the Holy Spirit that is within us.”

“And we can do this by adoring the Eucharist, where this love is present in the Sacrament,” he said. “Then our heart too, little by little, will become more patient, more generous, more merciful, in imitation of the Heart of Jesus.”

 

There is an ancient prayer – I learned it from my grandmother – which said: ‘Jesus, make my heart more like yours.’ It is a beautiful prayer. ‘Make my heart more like yours.’ A beautiful prayer, short, to pray during this month. Shall we say it together now? ‘Jesus, make my heart more like yours.’ Once more: ‘Jesus, make my heart more like yours.’

Make sure to scroll down below to discover seven inspired and inspiring phrases from Pope Francis on kindness, forgiveness, and solidarity.