The Sacred Heart of Jesus

Friends in Christ, during the French Revolution, many were killed for their faith. One goal of the leaders of the French Revolution, was to drive God out of society. The modern era had arrived: it was time for MAN to create the perfect world, and God and religion and Christ were in the way. As we know, thousands of priests, and nuns, and devout people were slaughtered in the name of progress. Over 16,000 died by the guillotine.

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In all of this there was a remarkable 22 year old young woman, named Catherine Doublot (of Besancon), who continued to believe that the love of God would never leave the world. Even a world full of hate. In her home were found over a dozen images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was upon these images of God’s love for a sad, and confused world – it was upon these images that Catherine would often ponder and pray.

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The authorities discovered that she had these pictures of the Sacred Heart, and for this she was taken away to die at the guillotine; but she nevertheless went, still believing in the love of Jesus for mankind.

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Today is the Feast of the Sacred Heart. The Sacred Heart – displaying this painful, wounded, physical heart of Christ, which aches for his children – it is a representation of His divine love for humanity, and the flame shows us the power of divine love. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is very ancient, going back a thousand years. It arose in the Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries. Love of the Sacred Heart was already known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and St. Bernard. This devotion was practiced by many in the various religious orders, and the Jesuits often used the image of the Sacred Heart, and hung it in their rooms.

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Nevertheless, it remained a private devotion until St. Margaret Mary Alacoque came along. Jesus appeared to her and made known his burning desire to be loved by all people; he gave us the 1st Friday Devotions, and so came about the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. After many requests for many years, in 1856, the Church established the Feast of the Sacred Heart. Why? So that we would know the burning love of Christ for us.

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‘God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.