The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a recent addition to the Church’s calendar. Although there is a long tradition of honoring the loving heart of Jesus it was not until the visions of St. Margret Mary Alacoque in 1673 that there was wide-spread devotion. This was the time of Jansenism in France — a movement which emphasized the depravity of humanity and suggested how remote salvation was. Devotion to the Sacred Heart countered that perspective by stressing the merciful love that Jesus has for all. By 1765 there as a memorial Mass proposed in honor of the Sacred Heart. In 1899 Pope Leo XIII consecrated the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This history reminds us that we should never doubt the love of Jesus.
JUNE282019
By Church Staff
