The Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, revealing to her His Sacred Heart. In her autobiography she writes:

While I was praying before the Eucharist, Jesus presented Himself to me, all resplendent with glory, His Five Wounds shining like so many suns. Flames issued from every part of His Sacred Humanity, especially from His chest, which resembled an open furnace and disclosed to me His most loving Heart, which was the living source of these flames. It was then that He made known to me the indescribable and excessive love he has for all people, most from whom He receives only ingratitude and contempt.

Jesus said to her, "I feel this more than all that I suffered during My Passion. If only they would make Me some return for My Love, I should think but little of all I have done for them and would wish, were it possible, to suffer still more. But the sole return they make for all My eagerness to do them good is to reject Me and treat Me with coldness. Will you at least console Me by making up for their                ingratitude, as far as you are able?"

Jesus knew and loved us all

CCC 478 Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony and his Passion, and gave himself up for each one of us: We can say with St Paul "The Son of God. . . loved me and gave himself for me."

Jesus knew and loved each and all. Jesus did not suffer and die for an anonymous mass of humanity, some of whom he hoped would believe in him and be saved. At every moment of his suffering and death, from the Agony in the Garden, the arrest and abandonment of his Apostles, as he waited in prison all night, during the scourging at the pillar, crowning with thorns, carrying the cross and during the crucifixion, Jesus knew you by face, by name, and by your whole life story. He knew all that is good and bad about us. He knew you, He thought of you, and loved you at each moment of His agony and passion.

Jesus is an eternal person

Jesus is in heaven, so how can we console him? Because Jesus is God, He is an eternal Person. Eternal means there is no past and no future, for Jesus there is only the present moment. That means the events of His life of do not pass away. All other historical events happen once, and then they slip away, swallowed up in the past. The suffering death and resurrection of Christ, by contrast, remain present in all times.

Jesus remains present in each of the moments of his suffering and death: Jesus is still in the Garden of Gethsemane in mortal anguish sweating blood, he is still in the act of being betrayed by Judas and Peter, He is still on trial before Ciaphas the High Priest, Jesus is still in pit used for his prison where all night long he waited his trial before Pilate, Jesus is still being scourged, mocked, crowned with thorns, carrying the Cross, crucified and being lain in the Tomb. At each of these events, Jesus is there, now… because for him there is only now, and He is thinking of you. Let your eyes meet his. Fix your gaze upon him. Jesus I am thinking of and loving you. And in return hear Jesus say: I am thinking of and loving you.

With a human heart

CCC 478 He has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, "is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that. . . love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings" without exception.

If the events of the suffering and death of Jesus remain always in the present, then we can still console the Sacred Heart of Jesus while he is suffering. Jesus remains in those events. This means we can go to Him there and be with Him. When faced with a person for whom we cannot change their suffering, there is one thing we can do for them, we can be with them, even silently, and it is a great act of friendship, consolation and love to remain with them. In your mind and heart, go to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane where his friends had abandoned him by falling asleep. Go right up to Jesus and sit down and be with him during his agony. Go to Jesus in the Prison where he waited, totally alone all night, don’t leave him alone. Go to him on Calvary, as he hangs from the cross. Stand next to his Mother Mary, put you arm around her, console the Heart of Jesus and Mary right now as you pray this decade.

Freely console the Heart of Jesus

We can still do more to console the heart of Jesus. The sacred event of Jesus carrying His Cross remains present. Simon of Cyrene was forced to help him. We should not need to be forced. We can choose freely to console the Heart of Jesus by accepting our cross for the love of Him. By accepting our duties, responsibilities, trials, difficulties, contradictions, sicknesses, suffering and most especially our limitations frailties and defects for the love of him we console Heart of Jesus. Jesus remains on the Way of the Cross, won’t you console His heart by helping Him carry His Cross with Simon of Cyrene.