Sacred Heart of Jesus
The ancient devotion to the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ is central to our faith as Catholics. It is at the core of the redemptive purpose of the Word made Incarnate. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." Jn 3:16.
At the Annunciation, Mary responded to the Archangel Gabriel, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Lk 1:38. Mary attentively listened to the Word of God affectionately wanting to know His Heart so that she could devote her life, heart and soul to fulfill His desire. At the Visitation, John while in the womb of Elizabeth leaped for joy at the presence of the Divine Heart of Christ; cf. Lk 1:41. In Bethlehem, Joseph, the shepherds and the Magi where drawn to His Heart; then the Apostles and Disciples attracted to It and by It; all wanted to show to His Heart the affection and love of their hearts.
Jesus has shown his immense love for us. In His ministry, He taught, "I am meek and humble of heart." Cf. Mt 11:29; through His Passion, He drew from His Heart the treasure of the Sacrament of the Most Blessed Eucharist; upon the cross, His Heart opened to be a refuge for all. Cf. Jn 19:34.
This devotion to His Divine Heart then spread throughout the world by His Apostles to be a special worship. Down through the ages, the Saints became devoted disciples of the Heart of Jesus. Through the Saints He declared and promised that He would lavish the abundance of His graces upon all who should consecrate themselves to the worship of His Heart.
8. And since there is in the Sacred Heart a symbol and a sensible image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love one another, therefore is it fit and proper that we should consecrate ourselves to His most Sacred Heart - an act which is nothing else than an offering and a binding of oneself to Jesus Christ, seeing that whatever honor, veneration and love is given to this divine Heart is really and truly given to Christ Himself.—Pope Leo XIII, Annum sacrum (1899)
The "heart" is more than a symbol of God's love. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is also a metaphor for the immense love and mercy He wants to share with us and the love and mercy he wants shared among us.
Since a single document, such as this one is inadequate to describe devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, you are encouraged to explore the writings of many across the ages in order to realize your personal connection to His Heart.
| St. Bernard | † 1153 |
| St. Lutgarde of Aywières | † 1246 |
| St. Bonaventure | † 1274 |
| St. Mechtilde of Helfta | † 1298 |
| St. Gertrude of Helfta | † 1302 |
| Ludolph the Carthusian | † 1378 |
| St. Francis de Sales | † 1622 |
| St. John Eudes | † 1680 |
| St. Claude de la Colombière | † 1682 |
| St. Margaret Mary Alacoque | † 1690 |
| St. John Bosco | † 1888 |
| Sr. Louise Margaret Claret | † 1915 |
| Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey | † 1960 |
The chronological list in the left column references selected religious of the second millennium. Renowned for learning and holiness, they developed and encouraged the devotion. From their private revelations and writings come the documents we use to enhance our understanding of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
It was near the end of the 17th century when Our Lord revealed many details of efficacious love of His Sacred Heart to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in the Convent of the Visitation at Paray-le-Monial in the province of Burgundy. Father Claude de la Colombière, made superior of the Jesuit house at Paray-le-Monial in 1674, became the spiritual director of St. Margaret Mary and was thereafter a zealous apostle of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
At the request of Our Lord as conveyed by St. Margaret Mary, another Jesuit, Father John Croiset, wrote a book The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This book composed during the lifetime of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) was published in 1691 a year after her death. Father Patrick O'Connell, B.D., translated the French of the final edition published at Lyon in 1694 to English in 1948.
Fr. O'Connell's first edition, published in 1948, received Nihil Obstat by E. Lucas Willems, O.S.B., Censor Deputatus; Imprimatur by 
H. Gibney, Vicar General Southwark, February 26, 1959. The Forward to the First Edition by Fr. O'Connell tells the story of this important work by Fr. Croiset.
"In two letters during the last year of her life, while assuring Father Croiset again of special divine assistance for his work, she warned him of how much he would have to suffer on account of the publication of his book. On January 17, 1690, she wrote to him: 'If I am not mistaken, our amiable Saviour seems to promise me that He will furnish you with all the graces and helps necessary, and even that He will supply on His part for all that may be wanting on ours. But all that will not be accomplished without much pain and suffering, which you are to receive as the strongest proofs of His will.' On August 21 of the same year, she wrote to him: 'You are surprised at that (some trial he had to endure), but that is nothing; more is to come, for you must be purified like gold in the crucible for the execution of the designs of God. Those designs are truly great; therefore you will have much to suffer from the devil, from creatures and from yourself. But what will appear to you hardest to bear, will be when God will seem to take a share in making you suffer, but you have nothing to fear, for this is the way to show that He loves you...
'But to return to the question of your work on the adorable Heart of my Jesus, I have no doubt that He has assisted you, since the whole work, if I be not mistaken, is so perfectly in accordance with His wishes, that I do not think that it will be necessary to change anything in it... Once again I pray you not to be downcast on account of all the contradictions, troubles and obstacles which this work which you have undertaken will encounter. Consider that He for whom you are doing it, being all-powerful, will not allow you to lack any of the helps necessary to accomplish it perfectly according to His desire.'"—Fr. Patrick O'Connell, March 17, 1948
With translation into most of the continental languages, it enjoyed an immense circulation for thirteen years. Because the author omitted certain formalities, it was put on the Index by a Decree of the Congregation of the Index of March 11, 1704. For a span of nearly two-hundred years, Fr. Croiset's book was forgotten. Other works on the Sacred Heart ensued during this period.
When Divine Providence deemed the time opportune, the same Congregation that ordered it withdrawn restored the book to circulation.
In 1881, Monsignor Stadler, professor of theology at Agram, was appointed as the first Archbishop of Sarajevo in the former Turkish provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He immediately announced his intention of consecrating his archdiocese to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of putting all his trust in the Sacred Heart to reestablish the Catholic religion in these provinces. He chose this book most suitable to explain the theory and practice of the devotion to the priests and laity of his diocese. Upon learning of its status on the Index, he petitioned the Congregation to reexamine the book. The result was removal from the Index and permission to publish translations in all the languages of the world, as the author had written it.
Pope Leo XII pronounced St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Venerable in 1824; Pius IX declared her Blessed in 1864 and finally canonized by Benedict XV in 1920.
The twelve promises generally listed today do not include all the promises given to St. Margaret Mary by Our Lord. Rather they represent a selection best calculated to arose the hearts of the faithful to practice the devotion to His Heart.
In 1907, a breakdown in health sent Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey, SS.CC. on a trip to Europe. He presented the concept of an apostolate for the social reign of the Sacred Heart, together with a rough outline of the ceremonial of the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart in the home at the Vatican. Pope Pius X gave his whole-hearted approval and commanded the young priest to devote his life to this magnificent work.
As Father Mateo knelt in prayer of thanksgiving at the scene of the apparitions of the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary at Paray-le-Monial, France, a strange sensation suddenly gripped his whole being, and he rose to his feet, perfectly cured. He now had a clear methodic plan of the work in his mind. Father Mateo returned to Valparaiso, Chile, where he resumed his post of teaching in the school conducted by his religious community. At the same time, he inaugurated his crusade for the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart in the home.
Within our local Diocese of Scranton, we have the Diocesan Center of the Enthronement at the IHM Center - Marywood.
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