"for I am meek and humble of heart"
The is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus falls nineteen days after Pentecost, on a Friday. For hundreds of years there had been a special private devotion to the heart of Jesus, but in the Middle Ages, Jesus appeared to a woman and told her that He wanted the whole world to pray to Him and receive Him in the Most Blessed Sacrament. When we think of the heart it is one of, if not the most important organs in our entire body. The symbolisms used in reference to the heart are also poignant. Terms like, “let’s get to the heart of the matter” and “He has a good heart,” means the root, foundation, and character, which we build our lives around. Jesus’ heart was pierced for us on the Cross. Blood and water came forth to wash away our sins.
Today’s Gospel [Matthew 11] tells us to take rest in Christ. Psalm 32 speaks beautifully of the heart of God when it says, “The design of his heart shall endure from age to age, to rescue our souls from death, and nourish us in our hunger.” [1] Jesus’ heart is loved and adored from generation to generation and he eases our pains, our troubles, and gains for us the opportunity for salvation if we unite our hearts with His. If we all strove to have the heart of Jesus, the world would be a different place.
When did the feast come to be? In 1675, our Lord appeared to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. In His revelations he spoke to the saint about the special depth to make reparation on personal sins and sins of the whole world, and to respond to Christ’s love. Jesus wanted this to be done specifically during the practice of frequent Communion on the first Friday of every month. Eleven years later on June 21, 1686 the feast was first publicly celebrated. Pius IX extended it to the whole Church, and in 1928 Pope Pius XI gave it the splendor it has today. [2]
What is this feast about? As Jesus told St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, “Behold this heart, which has loved mankind so much, and which receives only ingratitude and coldness in return for its love. My desire is that you should make reparation to my heart for this ingratitude, and induce others also to make reparation.” [3]
He also gave promises in favor to all those who applied themselves to His Sacred Heart:
I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
I will establish peace in their families.
I will console them in all their pains and trials.
I will be their assured refuge in life, and especially in death.
I will shed abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
Sinners shall find in my Heart an infinite ocean of mercy.
Lukewarm souls will be rendered fervent.
Fervent souls shall rise rapidly to greater perfection.
I will bless those houses where the image of my heart shall be exposed and honored.
I will give to priests the gift of moving the hardest hearts.
Persons, who propagate this devotion, shall have their names inscribed on my heart, never to be effaced from it.
Why should we care about the heart of Jesus? Jesus’ Heart loved like no other heart has loved in all of history. His heart experienced joy, happiness, compassion, sorrow, and sadness while on earth. [4] After He ascended into Heaven, His heart did not stop beating. It still beats for love of us. Today, we adore the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus “since that Heart of his participates in and is the natural and most expressive symbol of the inexhaustible love with which our divine Redeemer still loves mankind. Indeed, although it is no longer liable to the disturbances of this mortal life, still live and beats. It is now inseparably joined with the Person of the divine Word, and in it and through it with his divine Will” [5]
Why His heart? “The Heart of Jesus is the source and expression of his infinite love for each person, whatever his situation may be.” [6] The Second Vatican Council said, “Jesus, true God and true man, loves the world with a human heart,” [7] this heart is the source from which God’s love pours forth. He watches for us and seeks us no matter how far we have wandered off.
Symbols of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
When looking at a picture of the Sacred Heart we see a few symbols:
Crown of Thorns: This represents the crown that was worn on His head and the crown of sorrows around His heart for our souls
Flame on top: This is the fire that burns in Christ to save all souls
Blood on the side: This shows the puncture wound where the Roman guard pierced His heart to make sure He was dead.
Cross on top: This represents the triumph of the cross. Through His death on the cross, His Heart stopped beating yet defeated death.
Search: The Image of God
ACTIVITY – Draw the Sacred Heart
Using the symbols above and the disciptions draw the Sacred Heart.
How can I unite my heart with Christ’s heart? First we must go and seek His heart, which is in His Church and the Sacraments. We must be willing to confess our sins and faults to Him and beg for His mercy. We receive His mercy and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We then can receive Jesus’ heart in the Heart of Sacred Liturgy in the place He wants us to be and requests us to attend, which is Mass. There we can receive Jesus’ body, blood, soul, and divinity. His heart is waiting for us there. Finally we can stay united to his Heart throughout the day by living in constant prayer for His heart and the heart of His mother Mary.