SAN DIEGO — The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus will be observed on Friday, June 12.
What is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart?
The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is a liturgical celebration that invites us to reflect on the depth of Christ’s love for us, as symbolized by his heart.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “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” (Paragraph 478).
Going on to reference Pope Pius XII’s 1956 encyclical “Haurietis Aquas” (On Devotion to the Sacred Heart), the Catechism says, “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.”
When is the solemnity celebrated?
It is held each year on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost (also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, or Corpus Christi).
The World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests is also observed on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The liturgical memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is typically celebrated the day after the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
How long has this feast existed?
The first observance of a liturgical celebration in honor of the Sacred Heart took place in 1672 in Rennes, France, according to “Haurietis Aquas.” In 1765, wider permission to celebrate the feast was given by Pope Clement XIII. In 1856, Pope Pius IX made it an obligatory feast throughout the Universal Church.
In his encyclical, Pope Pius XII said that St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a 17th-century French Visitation nun, holds “the most distinguished place among those who have fostered” devotion to the Sacred Heart over the centuries. She reported experiencing apparitions of Jesus, who spoke to her about his Sacred Heart, between 1673 and 1675 in Paray-le-Monial, France.
However, the pope said, the feast day is not dependent on her private revelations. He said that devotion to the Sacred Heart “flows from the very foundations of Christian teaching,” something demonstrated by the fact that the Holy See’s approval of a liturgical Feast of the Sacred Heart preceded its approval of St. Margaret Mary’s writings.
What messages did Jesus share during his appearances to St. Margaret Mary?
During an apparition in June of 1675, Jesus showed her his Sacred Heart and said, “Behold this heart, which has so loved men that it spared nothing, even going so far as to exhaust and consume itself, to prove to them its love. And in return, I receive from the greater part of men nothing but ingratitude, by the contempt, irreverence, sacrileges and coldness with which they treat Me in this Sacrament of Love.”
He requested that the first Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi be dedicated as a feast in honor of the Sacred Heart, when reparation can be made to it in atonement for “the outrages it has received.”
What does the Sacred Heart look like? What do its various elements represent?
The Sacred Heart is depicted as a heart encircled by a crown of thorns, topped by a cross and a flame, and with a bleeding wound on its left side from the lance thrust into Jesus’ side after his death on the cross. The elements which recall his Passion serve as a reminder that his suffering was caused by our sins and was willingly endured out of love for us; the flame represents the “fire” of that love.
Once June 12 passes, I guess that’s it for the Sacred Heart until next year …
Not so fast! Traditionally, the entire month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart and, for many Catholics with a devotion to the Sacred Heart, it’s a part of their spiritual lives year-round.
So, the Sacred Heart devotion must be pretty important …?
The Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, says, “Of all devotions, devotion to the Sacred Heart was, and remains, one of the most widespread and popular in the Church.”
Pope Pius XII, one of the many popes who have extolled this devotion, wrote in “Haurietis Aquas”: “Can a form of devotion surpassing that to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be found, which corresponds better to the essential character of the Catholic faith, which is more capable of assisting the present-day needs of the Church and the human race?”
According to The Catholic Encyclopedia, “The devotion is based entirely upon the symbolism of the heart. It is this symbolism that imparts to its meaning and its unity, and this symbolism is admirably completed by the representation of the Heart as wounded. Since the Heart of Jesus appears to us as the sensible sign of his love, the visible wound in the Heart will naturally recall the invisible wound of this love.”
The encyclopedia says, “Devotion to the love of Jesus for us should be pre-eminently a devotion of love for Jesus. It is characterized by a reciprocation of love; its aim is to love Jesus who has so loved us, to return love for love. Since, moreover, the love of Jesus manifests itself to the devout soul as a love despised and outraged, especially in the Eucharist, the love expressed in the devotion naturally assumes a character of reparation, and hence the importance of acts of atonement, the Communion of reparation, and compassion for Jesus suffering.”
What should we know about the devotion and the apparitions associated with it?
Jesus made 12 promises to St. Margaret Mary regarding the graces that he will give to those who practice the devotion, including promises to give them “all the graces necessary for their state of life” and “bless the homes where an image of my heart shall be exposed and honored.”
Those who receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months are promised “the grace of final repentance.” Jesus said, “They shall not die under my displeasure, nor without receiving their sacraments. My heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.”
Additionally, there are various prayers to the Sacred Heart. These include the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to which a partial indulgence is attached.
What is the most recent papal document focused on the Sacred Heart?
Pope Francis’ fourth and final encyclical, “Dilexit Nos” (On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ), reflected on the Sacred Heart devotion. It was published on Oct. 24, 2024.
How many parishes in the Diocese of San Diego are dedicated to the Sacred Heart?
There are three parishes named Sacred Heart in the diocese — in Brawley, Coronado and the Ocean Beach community of San Diego — as well as an Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego and a St. Margaret Mary Parish in Brawley.
