Happy June! Not only is June the first month of my summer vacation as a teacher (woohoo!), but more importantly it is the month in which Catholics celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The whole month of June is devoted to the Sacred Heart, but the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is specifically celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. This year it falls on June 9. What does all of that mean? Keep reading to learn more!
What is the Sacred Heart of Jesus?
You may have seen the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus before. This image frequently appears on Catholic statues of Jesus, in paintings of Jesus or alone. In the image we see a burning heart with a cross on top and encircled by a crown of thorns. The image also often includes a wound with blood dripping out. The Sacred Heart is always depicted outside of Christ’s body, either on his chest outside of his robes or alone.
History of the Devotion to the Sacred Heart
According to my research devotion to the Sacred Heart comes from the time of the crusades. During that time Christians began arriving in the Holy Land and venerating sites related to the life of Jesus. These sites emphasized the humanity of Christ because Christians could see places where Jesus physically walked the Earth, and the place where he suffered and died. Christians’ encounter with these places brought about new devotions. One such devotion was to the wounds of Christ which are described in Scripture.
The devotion was later popularized after the mystic St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was directed by Jesus to spread devotion to his Sacred Heart in a series of visions which took place between 1673 to 1675.
Visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque experienced much sickness in her life which led her deep into contemplative prayer. As a young child she made a vow of chastity and eventually became a nun with the order of Visitation nuns. Even throughout her life with the sisters her poor health was a difficult burden but St. Margaret Mary saw suffering as a gift to be united with the sufferings of Christ.
In 1674 she received the first of her visions. Jesus communicated to her that he wished for her to make known his fervent love. Jesus reappeared to St. Margaret Mary various times and made known to her that she would spread devotion to Jesus’ love in the form of devotion to his Sacred Heart.
My Take on St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
I find St. Margaret Mary Alacoque to be quite a difficult saint to understand in some ways, but relatable in others. It is difficult for me to understand her fascination with suffering. This concept feels rather foreign to modern sentiments in which we prize avoiding suffering. Particularly in the United States we tend to seek comfort and avoid discomfort at all costs. Hello, air conditioner.
I find St. Margaret Mary Alacoque to be relatable in the way that she doubted the veracity of her visions at times. She was very careful to avoid misleading people and carried with her a healthy fear of deception. I am coming from a New Age background in which it is common for people to “channel” God or spirits (which are almost certainly demonic). It is easy to see how people can be deceived when receiving messages from God.
Practicing Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Practicing devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus reminds us of Jesus’s suffering on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. It also unites us to him in his suffering, and gives us the opportunity to comfort him in his suffering. There are two main ways that Jesus asked us to practice devotion to his Sacred Heart: First Fridays and the enthronement of the Sacred Heart in the home.
First Friday Devotion
The first Friday devotion consists in attending Mass the first Friday of the month for nine consecutive months. The communicant needs to be in a state of grace while receiving communion, so going to confession is recommended! In one of her visions Jesus related to St. Margaret Mary this promise, the twelfth promise:
“I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that Its all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on nine first Fridays of consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they will not die under My displeasure or without receiving their sacraments, My divine Heart making Itself their assured refuge at the last moment.“
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
The Twelve Promises
Jesus also promised that in exchange for practicing this devotion He will also fulfill these 12 other promises:
- I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
- I will establish peace in their homes.
- I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
- I will be their strength during life and above all during death.
- I will bestow a large blessing to all their undertakings.
- Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.
- Tepid souls shall grow fervent.
- Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
- I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.
- I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
- Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.
- I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant all to those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
Enthronement of the Sacred Heart in the Home
The ninth promise of Jesus says, “I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.” This brings me to the next common way that Catholics practice devotion to the Sacred Heart in the home: enthronement. Simply find an image of the Sacred Heart that you love and place it in a prominent place in your home. You will also need to pray a prayer of consecration. Check Welcome His Heart for more information on how to perform the enthronement.
Why Practice Devotion the the Sacred Heart
A thought that came to mind while writing was the accusation that Protestants commonly level at Catholics: works based salvation. At first glance practices like devotion to the Sacred Heart with its attendant nine first Fridays seems to be unnecessary. I can definitely identify with this perspective. Within Catholicism there are many, MANY devotions that the faithful can practice and each come with their promises.
The only defense I can offer is that the church gives us these devotions because 1) they are good for us and 2) it is a natural response to love to want to perform an action, or work, as a free gift to our Beloved. While it is not necessary for salvation, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus brings us closer to Jesus and gives us a way to express our love for him. A beautiful thing!
Novena to the Sacred Heart
I am going to be praying a novena to the Sacred Heart leading up to the solemnity on June 7. If you would like to start the novena it should begin tomorrow. I will be following along on the Hallow app. If you sign up on the website you might be able to get three months free by using a coupon code (the code I used was mattfradd). Alternatively check out the novena on Pray More Novenas.
Final Thoughts
If you have any interest in practicing devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus I invite you to try one of these practices. If in doubt you can always try the novena first! Tell me, have you ever completed the nine consecutive first Friday devotion? Have you seen any of the 12 promises born out in your life?
Drop a comment below and let me know of any other devotions I should write about! And don’t forget to subscribe so you can be sure to receive any updates!
