The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
No fixed feast day in the calendar
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The Heart of Jesus loves each person even unto death, and invites you to come and rest in him
What is this feast?
The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus celebrates the love of Jesus, shown through his Heart. That Heart is the heart of a real man, but it is also the Heart of the Son of God. When you look at a statue of the Sacred Heart, remember: the Lord loved you first, and he will love you forever.
The story
On the cross, after Jesus had died, a soldier thrust a lance into his side, and blood and water flowed out (cf. Jn 19:34). Since ancient times, Christians have seen that wound as a door that opens to show us the loving Heart of the Lord.
Many centuries later, at the convent of Paray-le-Monial in France, Jesus appeared to a Visitation sister named Margaret Mary Alacoque between 1673 and 1675. He showed her his Heart burning with love and lamented that many people answered it with coldness. He asked her to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart and asked for a feast in honor of his Heart on a Friday. This is a private revelation (something the Lord shows in a special way to one person or a few people). The Church has recognized these revelations as worthy of belief and approved devotion to the Sacred Heart. Private revelations do not add anything to the treasure of the faith, but they help us live that faith more fully. Saint Margaret Mary was canonized in 1920.
In 1856, Pope Pius IX extended the feast of the Sacred Heart to the whole Church. Today it is a solemnity. Many Vietnamese families place a picture of the Sacred Heart on their home altar and consecrate their family to the Sacred Heart of the Lord.
Why does the Church celebrate it?
Because the most important message the Church proclaims is this: God loves us. The Church invites us to love the Lord, to make reparation for the offenses against that love, and to love others as the Lord has loved us.
A lesson for you
- Every morning, offer your day to the Sacred Heart of the Lord.
- Practice being gentle and humble: give way to younger children, and don’t say words that hurt your friends.
- Receive Communion often, especially on First Fridays if your parish has that custom.
Identifying marks
- A red heart on his chest, wrapped in a green crown of thorns: the loving Heart of the Lord, bearing thorns that recall the sufferings he endured because of our sins.
- A golden flame and a small cross on top of the Heart: the flame is burning love; the cross is a love that went as far as dying on the cross.
- A small wound beside the Heart: the wound of the lance that pierced the Lord’s side on the cross (cf. Jn 19:34).
- His right hand pointing to his Heart, his left hand open in welcome: the Lord shows you his Heart and invites you to come close.
- A small nail mark in the palm of the hand: the Lord bears his wounds because he loves us.
- A white robe, a red mantle, a halo with a cross: just like the Sacred Heart statues in Vietnamese churches.
The text on this page is the card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.
Compiled by i-Catholic · About