The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is seeped in history dating back to the Middle Ages in the visions of St Gertrude , to the apparitions of Margaret Mary in the 1600's to modern day. Most recently , June 15, 2006, on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus represents both the spiritual and physical embodiment of Christ. It is truly the expression of love for heaven and earth while embracing the teachings Jesus Christ. It represents love,
tolerance, charity and hope.
A History of the Sacred Heart
There is nothing to indicate that there had been any recognition or devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus until the 11th or 12th Century. It was during this time, in the era of Benedictine monasteries that the first indications
of the devotion arose in the writings attributed to Saint Bonaventure.
The devotion to the Sacred Heart remained an individualized devotion practiced by individuals and different religious congregations but did not become a general movement until the revelations of Saint Margaret Mary
(1647-1690).
The revelations of Margaret Mary were numerous. She claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ in which he espoused his revelations. What remains remarkable is that there are no indications that she had any knowledge of any prior revelations of St Gertrude as cited in the writings of St Bonaventure yet they were remarkably similar.
In both visions, that of St Gertrude and of Saint Margaret Mary, Jesus permitted them to rest their head near site of the wound in His heart to hear the beating of the Divine Heart. They recognized beating of His heart as a symbol of His love of mankind and his desire to make the treasures of His love and goodness known to mankind. Each felt compelled to share their visions and spread the relevance of their visions.
Details of the "Great Apparition" were documented by Margaret Mary as well as Father de la Colombiere, with whom she shared her vision, and later published in a journal of Father de la Colombiere in Lyons in 1684. These
writings served as a catalyst to future writings and local efforts to recognize the devotion of the Sacred Heart.
In spite of all sorts of obstacles the devotion spread. In 1765 Rome, who had previously refused to grant individual recognition to the Sacred Heart, granted a feast with a Mass and Office quasi officially to the episcopate of France. In 1865, Pope Pius IX universally extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.
On May 15, 2006 Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th anniversary of the encyclical of Haurietis Aqas, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII.
Imagery of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Sacred Heart of Jesus represents both the spiritual and physical embodiment of Christ. It is truly the expression of love for heaven and earth while embracing the teachings Jesus Christ. It represents love,
tolerance, charity and hope.
The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light. The heart and the use of flames illustrates the eternal love of Jesus for mankind. That reflects the spiritual heart. The human heart is pierced by a lance-wound, surrounded by a crown of thorns and accentuated by drops of blood. These reflect the humanity and sacrifice of Jesus, reminding us that His teachings and sacrifice were for us.
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About the Sacred Heart 