Today in the Roman Catholic Calendar is the feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The date varies each year as it is commemorated on the Friday following the Octave of Corpus Christi, or the Friday after the second Sunday following Pentecost. This solemnity is so noble that the entire month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart in which the Catholic Church invites all to deepen their connection to Christ’s fervent love and mercy, paying tribute to His heart as the wellspring of grace, sacrifice, and salvation—just the extreme opposite of the LGBTQ+ movement which utilizes the same month to impose sexual disorientation and transgenderism, amongst other anti-natural acts, upon society as normal lifestyles.
While the origins of this feast can be traced back to the late 17th century, when a French nun from the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, in eastern France, said that she began experiencing visions of the Sacred Heart, the earliest expressions of this devotion can be traced back to the writings of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, who reclined against the breast of Jesus during the Last Supper (John 13, 23); also in the reflections of the Church Fathers who contemplated the blood and water that flowed from Christ’s pierced side whilst hanging from the Cross (John 19, 34). St. Justin Martyr, St. Augustine, and St. Chrysostom all articulated the significance of Christ’s wounded side as the source of sacramental life and the inception of the Church.
During the medieval era, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Gertrude the Great, and St. Mechtilde provided mystical interpretations regarding the love of the Heart of Jesus, perceiving it as a divine sanctuary of mercy and communion. The 16th-century Jesuit lay brother St. Alfonso Rodriguez became an early proponent of venerating the Heart of Christ, and subsequently what would become the devotion of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary.
Sister Margaret Mary passed away in 1690 and was canonized by Pope Benedict XV on 13 May 1920.
The first ‘month’ dedicated to the Sacred Heart was commemorated during the French Revolution. Specifically, the French Jesuit Fr. Alexandre Lanfant, who would ultimately perish as a martyr in the September Massacres of 1792, advocated for the dissemination of a pamphlet that urged 40 days of prayer and penance, concluding with a formal prayer of consecration to the Sacred Heart in June 1790.
The Roman authorities in the Church were initially reluctant to establish a feast for the Sacred Heart. However, as the devotion gained popularity across France, they approved the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for France in 1765. In 1856, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the Friday after the feast of Corpus Christi as the feast of the Sacred Heart for the entire Church. Pope Leo XIII, in his 1899 Encyclical Annum Sacrum, consecrated the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, calling it ‘the greatest act of my pontificate’. Since then, the month of June has been dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and his boundless love for all of humanity.
Devotion to the Heart of Christ is not the worship of an organ separated from the person of Jesus—it is rooted in His Incarnation. What we contemplate and adore is Jesus Christ in His entirety—the Son of God made man—represented in an image that highlights His Heart.
The physical heart serves as a privileged sign of the innermost center of the Incarnate Son and of His divine and human love. More than any other part of His body, it is the natural symbol of His immense charity. In other words, the Heart is a way of contemplating Christ from within. Thus, this devotion does not end in fleeting emotion. Rather, it is to lead us to a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ, to understanding His way of loving, and to entering into His dynamic of love for the Father and for neighbor.
‘He is a loving God who wants to share His life with us just as He wants us to share our lives with Him’
This is what separates Christianity, as taught by the Catholic Church, from other monotheistic forms of worship, in that God is not a mere transcendent supreme being who created us and who can intercede for us. He is a loving God who wants to share His life with us just as He wants us to share our lives with Him.
In our present-day society, which is marked by conflict, individualism, and a spiritual crisis, the message of the Sacred Heart holds significant relevance. It serves as a reminder that love, mercy, and empathy are vital pathways to achieving human coexistence and inner tranquility.
Aside from its religious significance, the Sacred Heart of Jesus stands as a universal emblem of love, urging every individual to open their hearts, practice forgiveness, and embrace a life of greater generosity. Ultimately, the Sacred Heart of Jesus transcends mere devotion; it embodies a lifestyle rooted in a love that transforms, heals, and imparts meaning to human existence.
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