Today is not just any Friday. This Friday, Catholics around the world are celebrating the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Here’s the story of the quiet little nun from France whose faith and devotion we credit for this special day. Plus some takeaways for Catholics who want to grow closer to Jesus through his Sacred Heart.
Who was Margaret Mary Alacoque?
Long ago, in a small village in France, lived a young girl whose life was marked by suffering, but whose faith was profound nonetheless. Raised by devout parents, she was instilled with the faith from a very young age.
Margaret Mary Alacoque was known for her quiet, contemplative nature as a child. A little girl who often preferred quiet over play. She grew up in a home supported by faithful, loving parents who modeled their love of Jesus through prayer and adoration.
When she was only eight years old, her father died suddenly from complications related to pneumonia. This sudden, shocking loss was devastating, and was soon made much worse when an uncle refused to relinquish control of the family finances.
Faced with the reality of living in poverty, her mother was left with no choice but to move the family in with the uncle – an environment which proved to be full of dysfunction and turmoil. To cope, Margaret Mary turned to the only thing she knew for comfort, prayer.
Around the age of eleven, she fell ill with rheumatic fever – a condition with side effects including fever, fatigue, joint pain, and heart inflammation – and was bedridden for four years.
During those four years, despite her difficult home life and debilitating illness, she was strengthened through prayer, specifically asking for the intercession of Our Lady. Her love for Our Lady continued to grow, and she eventually made a vow to Mary to consecrate herself to religious life.
Shortly after making this vow, she was completely and miraculously healed, which she credited to Mary’s intercession.
While maintaining her devotion to Mary, she led a normal teenage life, including attending social gatherings and dances. It wasn’t until the age of seventeen that she received a vision and a word from Jesus.
In this vision, she rested her head on Jesus’ heart. He revealed that his heart was burning with love for her and for all of humanity, and asked her to make this love known to the world.
This vision would be the first of many that Margaret Mary would receive from Jesus.
Heresy spreading through the Church
Meanwhile, around this same time, a heresy called Jansenism was beginning to spread within the Church. Jansenism taught two things about grace:
- That it was only reserved for a select group predetermined by God (elect)
- That free will was not necessary to receive God’s grace – if you were among the elect, you would be granted grace, and if you were not, there was no chance for you.
Jansenism offered a strict view of God that rested on predestination, but ignored the love and mercy of God and the free will of the human person.
It was the exact opposite of the message Jesus was delivering to Margaret Mary.
Seven years after that first vision, remembering her vow to Mary, Margaret Mary fully consecrated herself to religious life and joined the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary. This order, founded by St. Francis de Sales, was specifically for religious sisters and those with weaker conditions.
A contemplative order dedicated to prayer and community. How fitting for Margaret Mary.
Throughout her time as a Visitation sister, the visions continued, lasting for 18 months.
In one of her visions, Jesus gave her the image we know today of his Sacred Heart – a heart, wrapped in a crown of thorns, burning with love, underneath the cross he bore, and pierced by our sins.
The Sacred Heart Devotion and Jesus’ 12 promises
She received several requests from Jesus, including
- A specific request for a solemnity to commemorate his Sacred Heart
- A holy hour on Thursdays to meditate on Jesus’ agony in the garden
- For the faithful to participate in Confession and to receive Communion in a state of grace on the first Friday of every month for nine consecutive months.
In return for the faithful who respond to Jesus’ requests, he made 12 promises:
- “I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.”
- “I will establish peace in their families.”
- “I will comfort them in their trials.”
- “I will be their secure refuge during life, and, above all, in death.”
- “I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.”
- “Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.”
- “Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.”
- “Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.”
- “I will bless every place where a picture of my Heart shall be set up and honored.”
- “I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.”
- “Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart, never to be effaced.”
- “I promise you, 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 repentance; they shall not die under my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; my Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.”
When Margaret Mary began sharing these revelations, she was met with much skepticism. It wasn’t until a wise and gentle Jesuit priest named Father Claude de la Colombiere saw her genuine faith and believed her that she was encouraged to continue sharing what she received from Jesus.
Fr. Claude encouraged her to write everything down and answer Jesus’ call to spread the devotion to his Sacred Heart. And that’s what she did.
And that’s why we have this devotion and solemnity today.
The takeaways …
To the faithful Catholic who wants to follow Jesus more closely: what can we learn from this French girl whose young life was marked by loss and suffering?
- First, the importance of modeling the faith to our children, as Margaret Mary’s parents did for her, giving her fertile ground for her faith to grow.
- Second, to pray without ceasing, especially in times of suffering and trial, as Margaret Mary did – this is where Jesus met her and showed her his great love for her. Jesus meets us in our suffering and trials, too.
- Third, Margaret Mary enjoyed silence, even as a child. While we aren’t all granted the gift of mysticism like Margaret Mary, we can practice silence as she did. It is in the silence where we hear the Lord speak to us.
- Fourth, encourage one another in the faith, as Fr. Claude did for Margaret Mary, when everyone else doubted her.
The fruit of Margaret Mary’s faith, devotion, and obedience has blessed countless souls. By the grace of God, it will continue to bless countless more.
Margaret Mary died at the age of 43, long before she could see the fruits that came from sharing these messages from Jesus. The official solemnity and devotion were added to the universal Roman calendar in 1856 by Pope Pius IX, and she was canonized a saint in 1920.
In the United States, the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated on the Friday following the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. This solemnity gives Catholics the opportunity to reflect on Jesus’ great love and mercy, and to make reparation for their sins against his Heart.
SOURCES
Catholic.com
Catholic.org
Vaticanstate.va
TheologyofHome.com
