The Sacred Heart of Jesus
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One of the strongest human needs is the longing to be loved. We are born with this yearning deep within us. It has been revealed just how much God is willing to love us by sending the Son. St. John puts it this way: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” (3:16) God’s love is made real and personified in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Because the heart is a symbol of love, the Sacred Heart represents God’s love for us.
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We invite you to visit this page regularly and spend a little time reflecting on the meaning of the Sacred Heart in today's world.
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At the Crossroads: In Honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus |
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Thursday, 28 June 2012 13:06 |
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As we celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart and the conclusion of the Year for Priests, let me reflect on this devotion, in light of my being a religious Missionary of the Sacred Heart and priest at the same time.
As MSC (Latin: Missionarii Sacratissimi Cordis, English: Missionaries of the Sacred Heart), we see the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in a particular way. Our inspired Founder, Jules Chevalier (French), said: “The love of the heart of Jesus is the center where everything meets, the pivot on which Catholicism revolves, the quintessence of Christianity.” Why? Because “In his infinite love for us the Father sent us His Word Whom He drew forth from His own Heart.” For “God has stored all grace, absolutely all, in Jesus and this great source is centered above all in the love of his heart.” And so, for us MSC, "Devotion to the Sacred Heart is the essence of Christianity and contains all other devotions. The Heart of Jesus is the love of God, God himself, incarnate. God is love.”
What kind of heart does Jesus have? “The love of the heart of Jesus is essentially merciful. His role on earth was not to condemn but to forgive, not to shun those who suffer but to comfort them.” Yes, “The love of his heart is so kind, so compassionate and he will always respond to our call.” “The love of the heart of Jesus is the exact opposite to the spirit of the evils of our times. To the spirit of division he opposes his immense love, his ardent desire for unity.” Indeed, the love of the heart of Jesus is an effective remedy to the modern evils of our time. Our human heart “also experiences the need to be loved. Jesus greatly desires to be our friend, to make us live with his life” and to relate to him love for love!
How do we relate to the heart of Jesus love for love? “Anyone who is involved with the love of the heart of Jesus has to carry the sign of contradiction.” “The poor are the privileged friends of the heart of Jesus.. We should see in them the living image of Jesus Christ.” “The infinite mercy that Jesus shows towards sinners and the tender compassion for those who suffer find their source in his heart…and so .. we do everything in our power to comfort them.” “The Eucharist is the masterpiece and the ultimate gift of the love of the heart of Jesus. It comes from this heart like a river from its source.”
As MSC and priests, our mission is expressed in our motto “May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere, now and forever.” We do so following the spirituality of the heart. “The spirituality of the heart opposes the egoism of our time, its sensuality, its religious indifference by means of the love of a heart that is most self-sacrificing, pure, gentle and compassionate” (Jules Chevalier, La Société des MSC, p. 12-ff.). – Fr. Ben
The article above was written by Fr. Benjamin Alforque, MSC and was used with permission. Fr. Ben is Resident Priest of St. Catherince of Alexandria Parish in Riverside, CA and is currently on Sabbatical at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Rome.
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At the Crossroads MSC Spirituality and Devotion to the Sacred Heart |
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Friday, 15 June 2012 12:32 |
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We know that the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has very profound biblical bases. In the Tradition of the Church, St. Jean Eudes popularized it; St. Margaret Mary Alacoque worked for its institutionalization, Pope Pius IX extended the feast of the Sacred Heart to the universal Church and then Pope Pius XII, in his encyclical Haurietis Aquas (“You shall draw water”) taught the meaning of the devotion to the Sacred Heart.
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Though the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is universal, however, each devotee, each congregation has a particular way of looking at and sharing in the richness and mission of the Heart of Jesus. Fr. Jules Chevalier, founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and of the Third Order composed separately of Lay People and of the Diocesan Clergy, saw the Heart of Jesus from this particular angle: "Devotion to the Sacred Heart is the essence of Christianity and contains all other devotions. The Heart of Jesus is the love of God, God himself, incarnate. God is love. Jesus was happy to pour out the tenderness of his Heart on little ones and the poor, on those who suffer and on sinners, on all the miseries of humanity. The sight of any misfortune moved his Heart with compassion."
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For Fr. Jules Chevalier, an analysis and a consequent understanding of the dynamics of society were very important. Using the language of his time, he named the ills of society then as the modern evils of “anti-Christian movements, religious indifference and social egoism”. The solution to these modern evils, again, in the language of his time is: a compassionate heart that effects the transformation of society, of the world.
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Feast of the Sacred Heart |
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Wednesday, 29 June 2011 00:00 |
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 This is not some kind of Valentine’s Day from God. It is not about an image of a soft, almost fragile man smiling at us with his heart in his hand. It is about: faithfulness in suffering; constancy in mission; sacrificial love; belief in God and humanity. It’s about the son of God being crucified and after dying, having his heart pierced by a lance.
There is no revenge to human violence in that strong heart of God. His heart is a catalyst for a new humanity based on forgiveness at whatever cost; the doorway to a new option in life for each one of us.
In our world filled with violence and hate God gives us new hope in ourselves. We can learn from his Sacred Heart that together with him we are capable of love and forgiveness.
Jesus lived in poverty and was part of a minority people living under discrimination and persecution. Early in life he lived as an immigrant in a foreign land. He suffered the criticism and ridicule of his own religious leaders. Many people wanted his help, but did not really believe in him. His chosen followers were very slow to understand and at first were not very faithful. A disciple-friend betrayed him with a kiss. Another denied him. The rest disappeared when he most needed them. He suffered all the imaginable forms of torture of his time right up to crucifixion itself. His response: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing”. He saw the worst of humanity and yet continued to not only believe in it, but actually in his own humanity show us a new and loving response: forgiveness.
The next time we look at one of those paintings or images of the Sacred Heart we should look more closely at the heart in his hand. It has a cross and thorns and it is pierced by a lance. It also burns with loving forgiveness. There is nothing any of us can do or have done that can change that heart. He does and will always love each of us and when we begin to believe that, everything changes. We change. We forgive. We live.
May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere!
Fr. Joseph Jablonski, MSC
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Feast of the Sacred Heart |
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Friday, 17 June 2011 00:00 |
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On Friday, July 1, 2011, we celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart, our Patron. The Sacred Heart is the Source of all graces. Our Founder, Jules Chevalier, wrote in 1862, “The Heart of the divine Master is the center of which everything in the Old and New Testaments converges, the pivot around which everything in Catholicism turns, the sun of the Church, the soul of our souls, the source of our mysteries, the origin of our sacraments, the pledge of our reconciliation, the salvation of our world the remedy of all our ills.”
One of the greatest messages of our Faith is that God loved us with a human heart. This Heart was formed in the womb of our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. It is the fountain of human love, emotional love and divine love. (Cf. Pius XII, Haurietis Aquas)
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Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart
Lord Jesus, we praise you and celebrate the love of your heart. We honor you, we glorify you. We are grateful for your help this day. We offer our thanks; we consecrate and give our hearts to you. Take them, hold them fast and make them your own forever. Fill them with your life. Let us follow all the ways you mark for us. Jesus, merciful Savior, may your love be known everywhere.
V: May all people know the goodness of God.
All: And God’s wonderful kindness toward them.
Lord Jesus, with renewed kindness you enrich your Church with the boundless gifts of your heart. Help us to respond to such love, to serve you truly in our lives, and to live as reflections of yourself--holy and blameless--so that others may come to the fullness of Christian life. Amen.
Feast of the Sacred Heart Slideshow
Join Us in the Devotion to the Sacred Heart
Step 1: Follow the Way of the Heart
In each MSC community, our members use the “Follow the Way of the Heart” prayer booklet every morning. We invite you to join us in this daily devotion, which includes a special prayer for each day of the week.
Step 2: Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart
Every evening, our members pray the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart (below on this page). Please consider joining us in this prayer.
Cost is $2 per booklet and $1 per prayer card (for orders within the USA). To order the “Follow the Way of the Heart” booklet and the Sacred Heart prayer card, please call our office at: (630) 892- 2371 (M-F 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM).
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