“Unite yourselves to the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ both at the beginning of your conversion in order to obtain proper dispositions, and at its end in order to make reparation … offer God the prayers which the Savior has poured out for us in the sacrament of the altar,”[i] counsels Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. From her letter that the Church features in the Divine Office for her feast day, the saint encourages us to unite the offering of ourselves with that of Jesus, or better yet, to offer his offering to the Father as our own. This Sacred Heart of Jesus, the really human heart of the incarnate Second Person of the Holy Trinity, is the same flesh offered to us in the Holy Eucharist. It is the same mystery of love and blessing for union with Our Lord.
A Place of Refuge and Blessing
As Saint Margaret Mary writes:
“This divine heart is an abyss of all blessings, and into it the poor should submerge all their needs. It is an abyss of joy in which all of us can immerse our sorrows. It is an abyss of lowliness to counteract our foolishness, an abyss of mercy for the wretched, an abyss of love to meet our every need.”[ii]
“Renewing the Effects of Redemption in Our Souls”
Saint Margaret Mary says again, “[O]ur Lord’s earnest desire to have his Sacred Heart honored in a special way is directed toward renewing the effects of redemption in our souls.”[iii] This is what happens each time that we reverently receive Jesus in Holy Communion.
“How Great and Worthy is He Who Hangs on the Cross for You”
Addressing “redeemed man,” Saint Bonaventure invites us to contemplate our Savior’s love poured out for us in the piercing of his Heart on Calvary. Both Saint Bonaventure and Saint Margaret Mary refer to the opened, pierced “sacred” heart of Jesus as a “fountain,” streaming as the source of grace and eternal life.[iv] From Jesus’ side is born the Church with her sacraments.
If you want to go deeper into the mystery of the Heart of Jesus revealed on the altar, prayerfully read the second lesson for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart.
Read the Texts:
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
“We Must Know the Love of Christ Which Surpasses All Knowledge”
Saint Bonaventue
“With You Is the Source of Life”
“For raised up high on the Cross, he gave himself up for us with a wonderful love and poured out blood and water from his pierced side, the well-spring of the Church’s Sacraments, so that, won over to the open heart of the Savior, all might draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.” [v]
Workshop of Francisco de Zurbarán: The Eucharist, (1598–1664), Nationalmuseum, WikiMedia Common, public domain.
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[vi]
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Works cited:
[i] Alacoque, St. Margaret Mary. “We Must Know the Love of Christ Which Surpasses All Knowledge.” Readings for the memorial of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. Accessed June 11, 2023. http://www.liturgies.net/saints/margaretmaryalacoque/readings.htm#loh.
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Saint, Bonaventure. SECOND READING: “With You Is the Source of Life.” Sacred heart – Office of Readings. Accessed June 11, 2023. http://www.liturgies.net/Liturgies/Catholic/loh/sacredheartor.htm.
(Opusculum 3, Lignum vitae, 29-30. 47: Opera omnia 8, 79)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Paiting_of_Heart_of_jesus_in_%C3%89glise_Saint-Charles-Borrom%C3%A9e_%28Charlesbourg%29.jpg/1277px-Paiting_of_Heart_of_jesus_in_%C3%89glise_Saint-Charles-Borrom%C3%A9e_%28Charlesbourg%29.jpg
[v] “Preface of the Sacred Heart.” Accessed June 12, 2023. https://www.catholicdoors.com/prayers/english2/p00768.htm.
[vi] Romans 8:38-39
Posted for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart
June 16, 2023
