The Sacred Heart of Jesus has been part of Catholic devotion at least since the growth of Christian mysticism in the fourteenth century with figures like St. Gertrude the Great. It was in the seventeenth century that the devotion started to percolate into the general body of the Church through the visions of St. Margret Mary Alacoque. The idea of God during this period was of a stern judge, cold and unfeeling. The Sacred Heart of Jesus countered that image by showing the warmth of divine love. As the Old Testament lesson put it: I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; like one who raises an infant to his cheeks. Our efforts at evangelization will succeed if we connect heart to heart.
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By Church Staff