SOLEMNITY OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS.
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Sacred Heart of Jesus |
Happy
Feast Day of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The first question we might like to ask
is What does the heart of Jesus exemplify?
The compendium of the Catholic Church
no 93 states
‘’Jesus knows and loves us with the
human heart. His heart, pierced for our salvation, is the symbol of
that infinite life with which He loves the Father and each one of us’’.
HOW DID THE SOLEMNITY ORIGINATE?
There are a number of saints from the
12th century onwards who had a devotion to the Sacred Heart of some
kind who are considered to be precursors to the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart
including St Bernard of Clairvaux, (died 1153) St Lutgard (died 1246) St
Mechtilde (died 1298).
Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary
Aloque and revealed devotions to
His Sacred Heart. She was favoured with many apparitions; the most special
ones took place between 1673 and 1675 when Jesus appeared as St. Margaret was
praying before the Blessed Sacrament and revealed the Love of His Sacred Heart
for humanity.
During
the octave of Corpus
Christi in 1675,
probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition"
reportedly took place, where Jesus said: "Behold the Heart that has so loved
men. ...Instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of humankind)
only ingratitude," and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of
the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi. This then was the final starting
point to the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
He requested her to receive Him in Holy
Communion of the first Friday of every month and to meditate the passion on Thursdays
between 11 and 12 p.m.
During the apparition, Jesus is said to
have made the following promise:
THE PROMISES OF OUR LORD.
"I promise you, in the excessive mercy of my heart that my
all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the
First Friday for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance; they
shall not die in my disgrace nor without receiving the sacraments; my divine
Heart shall be their safe refuge in that last moment."
He then provided 12 Promises- known as the Promises of the First
Fridays.
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in
life.
2. I will give peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and
especially at the hour of death.
5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean
of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
9. I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart
shall be exposed and honoured.
10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened
hearts.
11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name
written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.
12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to
all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine
consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under
My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their
assured refuge at the last hour
Wow.. I do not know about you but as I
read these promises, I cannot help say thank you Jesus. I definitely want to
receive these blessings. What is your reaction when you hear or read these
promises? Do you want them for yourself, your family, your parish, our world?
Sometimes we can lose focus in our
spiritual lives or we need something to centre our attention. Perhaps this may be a devotion worth our
attention.
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH DEVOTIONS.
In more recent years in the Church, some
people criticise this devotion and make disparaging remarks. However, it
is not easy as they seem to think to go to Mass and receive Holy Communion
on 9 consecutive First Fridays. I know, as I have tried and succeeded in
some years and not in others.
What is important to remember when
engaging in any devotion is that the obligation/obsession to the devotion does
not become the centre of attention but of course the reason behind engaging in
the devotion. Jesus has to be the reason for the devotion.
Sometimes people get so
obligated/obsessed in attending Mass on First Friday that it becomes the be all
and end all rather than attending Mass and receiving Holy Communion out of love
for Jesus.
It is this type of behaviour that is
unhelpful to the person and to other people who are observing. They may be
interested in the devotion but see the behaviour of the person and fail to
distinguish between these 2 key aspects.
Jesus is the reason for everything
especially when we choose to engage in a devotion. It is meant to help us
in our spiritual growth not hinder us or other people.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
There are 12 months to the year and 12
promises. Why not join me in praying for each promise to made
manifest in our lives. Apart from our own personal needs, there are many needs-
The Church itself, our own parishes, families, friends, people in the world we
do not know but need our prayer and so on. We could take a different
need/ group each day in the month as we consider the promise. You
may be able to do this in your family or parish too. If you do not wish
to focus on the promise every day, then why not choose to focus on it on
fridays of the Year.
Whatever you decide, choose something
that works for you and your spiritual life. Let us claim the Promises of the
Sacred Heart for ourselves.
Let us ponder on what Jesus has done
and is doing in our lives. Let us show Jesus how grateful we are that He loves
us not just on First Fridays but many times a day every day. Let us live our
life in gratitude to Jesus for His love.
Want to hear this and more on my podcast? Why not listen to the episode on this great Solemnity.
Related Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Podcast 28/6/19
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