In the Catholic Church, the month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. You may have noticed that many clinics and medical initiatives bear the name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, such as our Sacred Heart Mercy Healthcare Center. Names are meaningful and, in a person, a name is sacred and becomes an icon of a person (CCC 2158). Naming healthcare settings after the Sacred Heart conveys the meaning of its ministry. In these series of blogs, we will look at the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and its relevance to medicine.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a devotion which draws Christians to adore the omnipotent love of the Lord and to lead them to repentance and reparation of sins. A key document from the Vatican is the encyclical by Pope Pius XII on Devotion to the Sacred Heart, Haurietis Aquas.[i] Additionally, the Catholic Encyclopedia is a good resource to understand more about the historical development of the devotion.[ii]
Graces Available for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has been present in the Catholic Church since the 11th to 12th century. However, it was made popular by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th Century. The Roman Missal outlines the graces given to those who consecrate themselves to the Sacred Heart, as promised by Christ through the visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. In particular, those who receive Holy Communion on nine consecutive First Fridays will be given the grace of final perseverance and will find a safe refuge in the Sacred Heart at the moment of death. In the upcoming articles, we will discuss more about the devotion itself and its relationship with the various aspects of medicine.
“The prayer of the Church venerates and honors the Heart of Jesus just as it invokes his most holy name. It adores the incarnate Word and his Heart which, out of love for men, he allowed to be pierced by our sins. Christian prayer loves to follow the way of the cross in the Savior’s steps. the stations from the Praetorium to Golgotha and the tomb trace the way of Jesus, who by his holy Cross has redeemed the world.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2669)
Read more about the Sacred Heart:
The Sacred Heart: Burning Furnace of Charity
[i] Pope Pius XII (1956). Haurietis Aquas. From the Vatican: http://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_15051956_haurietis-aquas.html
[ii] Bainvel, J. (1910). Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved May 14, 2021 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07163a.htm
Posted for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus | June 11, 2021
