In 1677, Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a
Visitation nun in France and revealed his Sacred Heart. She said, “I could
plainly see His heart, pierced and bleeding, yet there were flames, too, coming
from it and a crown of thorns around it. He told me to behold His heart which
so loved humanity. Then He seemed to take my very heart from me and place it
there in His heart. In return He gave me back part of His flaming heart.”
“Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it has spared
nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love.
In return, I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their
irreverence and sacrileges, and by the coldness and contempt they have for me
in this sacrament of love.... I come into the heart I have given you in order
that through your fervor you may atone for the offenses which I have received
from lukewarm and slothful hearts that dishonor me in the Blessed
Sacrament" (Third apparition).
In order to transform our hearts, the Lord showed Margaret
Mary His Sacred Heart. He himself calls
us to devote ourselves to honoring His Sacred Heart. And as if the transformation of our hearts
were not enough, our gracious Lord also made 12 promises to all those who
devote themselves to His Sacred Heart.
1. I will
give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.
2. I will
establish peace in their families.
3. I will
comfort them in their trials.
4. I will be
their secure refuge during life, and, above all, in death.
5. I will
shed abundant blessings on all their undertakings
6. Sinners
will find in My Heart an infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Lukewarm
souls will become fervent.
8. Fervent
souls will rapidly grow in holiness and perfection.
9. I will
bless every place where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
10. I will
give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. The names
of those who promote this devotion will be written in My Heart, never to be
blotted out.
12. I promise
thee, in the excessive mercy of My Heart, that My all-powerful love will grant
to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive
months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor
without receiving their Sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge
in this last moment.
There are many ways to show one’s devotion to the Sacred
Heart. Prayers throughout the day,
prayers before and after the reception of Holy Communion, of course the first Friday
devotion mentioned in the 12th promise. Here in the Diocese of Cleveland we have a
wonderful ministry of enshrining the image of the Sacred Heart in one’s home
Our Lord called St. Margaret Mary whom he called “the
Beloved Disciple of the Sacred Heart” and the Heiress “of all Its treasures”. May we seek to follow her example and come to
her same reward, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
Dear Father Estabrook,
ReplyDeleteFirstly, thank you for publishing this entry about the Sacred Heart and this inspiring saint. It is so important that as many people as possible should learn about these apparitions.
This image is by far the best of that I have seen, and I wondered if you know which artist painted the original? I believe there is a mosaic copy at the Vatican, but have not been able to trace the original.
Many thanks, in anticipation,
Mary Cowling (Dr.)