Every time I hear anyone speak of the Sacred Heart of Jesus or of the Blessed Sacrament I feel an indescribably joy. It is a wave of precious memories, sweet affections and joyful hopes swept over my poor person, making me tremble with happiness and filling my soul with tenderness. Pope John XXIII.

The Feast of the Sacred Heart (19 days after the Feast of Corpus Christi (the Body of Christ) is relatively new, and was declared in 1856 by Pope Pius IX.  But devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has its roots in Mediaeval mysticism. Unlike most feast days, it doesn’t mark a particular event in Salvation History, but instead recalls the universal truth that Christ saved us through his sufferings, through the wounds he received on the cross. His heart was pierced and from it flowed blood and water. The significance of water and blood was explained many times by the likes of Origen, Athanasius, Cyril of Jerusalem and Augustine. This is what St Ambrose said: From that body, incorrupt but dead, flowed forth the life of all men; water and blood came forth, the one to wash, the other to redeem. Let us therefore drink our price, that by drinking we may be redeemed. From His side there flowed water and blood. Why water? Why blood? Water to cleanse, blood to redeem. 

These early writings were a part of Catechesis, explaining the faith to new or lapsed Christians. They explained what we know to be true; the depths of Christ’s suffering and his love for us, his connection with humanity and the sacramental link between this and the prayer life of the Church.

In the Middle Ages several mystics had visions which inspired new devotions to the Sacred Heart. Here are a few of those stories.

St Lutgarde
Born in Belgium in 1182, Lutgarde entered religious life at the age of twelve, not because of a deep vocation, but because her dowry had been lost by her family. Entering a convent was a respectable way of avoiding marriage. The nuns of the convent allowed her to have visitors including possible suitors. In her first vision, whilst receiving such a visitor, Christ revealed his bleeding side to her, asking her to devote her love to him and not to the prospect of a male admirer. Lutgarde sent the man away saying, ‘get away you fodder of death, I have been overtaken by another lover.’

As she matured, Christ appeared to her in many visions. On another occasion, He asked her what gift she would like, so she asked for better grasp of Latin. As a result, the psalms, Scriptures and prayers were opened up to her in a new way. But she was left feeling empty and asked the Lord if she could change her mind. ‘Instead,’ she asked ‘could I please have your heart?’

Lutgarde spent several periods of her life fasting on only bread and water, in reparation for, and salvation of sinners.  She continued to have many mystical experiences and even levitated. She was known for her wisdom which she shared with other religious communities. To the local Franciscans and Dominicans, she was known as the ‘Mother of Preachers.’

St Gertrude the Great
Gertrude is unique in that she is the only female saint to be called ‘the great.’ In 1281, at the age of 25, she experienced her first vision of Christ. These would continue throughout her life, usually during Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. She is known especially for praying for all the souls in purgatory.

Gertrude was a very clever woman who spent much time studying and writing. Book 2 of her ‘Herald of Divine Love’ is full of elaborate descriptions of the Sacred Heart. Here she recalls a vision at Mass:
‘Soon I perceived that my words had touched thy divine heart, both by the interior sweetness which I experienced, and by a visible sign in a picture of the crucifixion. For indeed having received the bread of life and returned to my place to make my thanksgiving I seemed to see a ray of sunlight, like an arrow, issue from the wound on the right side of the image which was painted on the book before me. It seemed to come forth and retire, then presently come forth again, sweetly drawing to itself all my desires.’

Another vision took place on the Feast of St John the Evangelist. Gertrude had rested her head on Christ’s side and felt the beating of his heart. She asked John if he had felt the same on the night of the Last Supper. John replied that he had never spoken about it because in future people would need the story to rekindle their love.

St Margaret Mary
Margaret Mary Alacoque was a nun of the Visitation of Holy Mary in Paray-le-Monial, France. Her visions led to a worldwide devotion to the Sacred Heart. Margaret’s zeal and love for Christ began when she was very young. She said that she preferred prayer to playing games; ‘This Communion shed such bitterness over all my little pleasures and amusements that I was no longer able to enjoy any of them, although I sought them eagerly.’

At the age of 9 she inflicted pain upon herself as an act of mortification. Following this she was bed bound for many years with rheumatic fever. Only when she promised herself to the Lord in religious life, did she recover.

Her first revelation was on 27 December 1673 at the age of 26. Christ disclosed several forms of devotion to her: receiving Eucharist on the First Friday of each month, a Holy Hour on Thursdays and a Feast in honour of the Sacred Heart. (The Jesuits in particular adopted this devotion, and you will find the emblem of the Sacred Heart in their churches.) Margaret wrote that sometimes his heart looked like a blazing furnace and on others, it was torn and bleeding.

Like St Gertrude, she too had a vision on the Feast of St John; she laid her head on the side of Christ, and he told her of his desire that everyone should know of his goodness and love, and that she had been chosen to spread this message.

It took a while for Margaret Mary’s Reverend Mother to be convinced, and even longer for clergy and theologians to take her seriously. But she did have the support of Fr Claude de la Colombiere who was her confessor. At the end of her life, while being anointed, she said, ‘I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus.’  It would be 75 years after her death before the Sacred Heart became an official feast day.

Pope Leo and a cure
When Pope Leo XIII received a request from a nun called Sr Mary of the Divine Heart, asking that he consecrate the Word to the Sacred Heart, initially he ignored it. She persisted, asking that First Fridays be honoured too. In her letter, she referred to a recent illness of the Pope and said he wouldn’t die until the world had been consecrated to the Sacred Heart.

Finally, Pope Leo investigated her claims and in 1899 his encyclical ‘Annum Sacrum’ declared that the world would be consecrated to the Sacred Heart. He also revealed that he had been cured from his severe illness. Sr Mary died on the eve of the Feast of the Sacred Heart, just three days before the world consecration took place.

Modern devotions and pastoral ideas
As well as the feast itself, the whole month of June is dedicated to the Feast of the Sacred Heart. The devotions aren’t as popular as they used to be, but ultimately, they are ones of love, and love is timeless. There are modern images and statues which may be more appealing these days; the Atelier d’Art de Bethléem produce a beautiful contemporary statue, and artists such as Jen Norton, Bro. Micky McGrath and Stephen B. Whateley have produced striking modern artwork.

The image of the heart is popular and easy to understand and so is very suitable for children and young people to draw pictures or write their prayers and intercessions on. Teachers can be creative with this image, focusing on Christ’s everlasting and unconditional love for us all.  

In a busy academic world, remembering the First Friday is a great way of having a regular Mass or para-liturgy. The Litany of the Sacred Heart is a beautiful prayer and can be easily adapted for children. A series of Bidding Prayers asking for love in various elements of our lives would be great: love in our families, love for the lonely and poor, for peoples of all faiths and cultures, and love for the natural world.

Divine Mercy devotions have a close connection with the Sacred Heart and can be used as extra resources. Any hymn or Scripture passage that mentions love would be great for a liturgy to the Sacred Heart. Love is a popular and essential theme, and so we can, and should, adapt traditional devotions from the past and make them relevant for today.

Resources
Annum Sacrum. Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on Consecration to the Sacred Heart.
Miserentissimus Redemptor. Encyclical of Pope Pius XI on Reparation to the Sacred Heart.
The Letters of St. Margaret Mary of Alacoque, Tan Books, 1954.
Litany of the Sacred Heart, Illustrated for Children. Heather Nicole Hamtil.

Ideas for children at; catholicmom.com/articles/2011/03/05/sacred-heart-of-jesus-lesson-plan
YouTube channels: ‘CatholicIcing’ and ‘Holy Kids’ have great videos on the Sacred Heart for children.
Resources for adults and children – centrefordivinemercy.org   

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