Throughout the ages, some of the Saints have been gifted by God with visions or visitations from heaven. St. Paul is of course had a vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus. Legend has it the Lord also appeared to St. Peter before his own martyrdom. The book of Acts says that St. Stephen the Deacon had a vision of Jesus right before his martyrdom, and St. John the Evangelist of course, writes of his many visions in the Book of Revelation.
St. Francis famously had a vision of Jesus speaking to him
from the cross in the chapel of San Damiano telling him to rebuild his Church. St.
Clare, was given visions of the Holy Mass when she was bed-ridden due to
infirmity.
In 1677, St. Margaret Mary, a Visitation nun in France, had
a vision of the Lord revealing to her, His Sacred Heart. In her diary, she
wrote “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.”
Our Lord charged St. Margaret Mary with making known the
powerful devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which today has spread
throughout the world.
This parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus has a special
connection to St. Margaret Mary. This parish was formed from a merger of two
former parishes, St. Gregory the Great, and the parish of St. Margaret Mary.
Many, former St. Margaret Mary parishioners now have membership in Sacred
Heart. Each Friday, we pray the Sacred Heart Devotion, calling to mind, the
vision, the message, and also the promises made to St. Margaret Mary.
“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.”
The Sacred Heart is a symbol of God’s love for us and a
model for how we are called to love God in return and to love our neighbor.
Consider the love revealed in his Heart: a love that gives
generously, perseveres through rejection, and pours itself out even for those
who offer nothing in return. This is how Jesus loves us, and this is how he
teaches us to love.
We love God in return by giving him our time and attention,
obeying his commandments, and seeking his will even when it requires sacrifice.
We are to love our neighbor by allowing Christ’s love to shape our response to
the people he places before us—with patience, mercy, and generosity.
For a parish bearing his name, this is our daily calling: to
make the love of the Sacred Heart visible through our worship, our service, our
evangelization, and our care for one another.
Through St. Margaret Mary’s intercession, may we receive his
love gratefully, return it faithfully, and share it generously. Jesus, meek and
humble of heart, make our hearts like unto thine for the glory of God and the
salvation of souls.
In reparation to the Sacred Heart for all sin and all
blasphemy, let us pray to the Lord.
For an increase in faith, hope, and love for all Christians.
That our children and young people may be kept safe from the
poisonous errors of our culture, and that their families may be places where
the faith is practiced and cherished.
For all those whose love for God has grown cold, who have
fallen into moral laxity or despair of the mercy of God, for all souls in
danger of hell, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.
For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the
homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and
unemployed, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who
grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their
comfort, and the consolation of their families.
For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of
the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends,
and parish, for the deceased priests and religious of the diocese of Cleveland,
for all of the deceased parishioners of former St. Margaret Mary parish.
Gracious Father, hear our prayers, and through the infinite
mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, grant us what we truly need, through the
same Christ our Lord.
