The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

This Friday, June 11th brings us the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a powerful Catholic devotion given to us directly from the Lord through St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.

While principally a private devotion since the 11th century this Feast began to gain widespread acceptance in the 17th century. Celebrated in liturgy first by St. John Eudes, devotion to the Sacred Heart spread because of the visions of St. Margaret Mary. In a particular vision to St. Margaret Mary on the feast of Corpus Christi, Jesus asked her to spread the devotion to His Sacred Heart and celebrate a feast on the 8th day after Corpus Christi, always a Friday.

It would not be til the 19th century that the feast would become a universal Church feast by order of Pope Pius IX.

I note with great joy that St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was a member of the religious order of the Visitation. This is the same order of the patron saint of my home parish, St. Jane de Chantal and cofounded by St. Francis de Sales. It was while a Visitation nun, in a Visitation convent, that St. Margaret Mary received these visions.

Today, our renovated St. Jane de Chantal Church has a beautiful window dedicated to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.

Here is the prayer that the Church across the world will pray tomorrow in every liturgy celebrating the Sacred Heart:

Father, we rejoice in the gifts of love we have received from the heart of Jesus your Son. Open our hearts to share his life and continue to bless us with his love.

And another prayer reserved for this special day:

Father, we honor the heart of your Son broken by man's cruelty, yet symbol of love's triumph, pledge of all that man is called to be. Teach us to see Christ in the lives we touch, to offer him living worship by love-filled service to our brothers and sisters.