Mary, Messenger of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Wherever there is pain, wherever there is suffering, wherever there are trials, the Heart of Jesus is there. No one is alone. Pope Francis' message reminds us that there is a way for us to help anyone in need. A way to connect with the Heart of Jesus, with His attitude and actions, that leads to embodying in our life a mission of compassion for the world. The pope urges us to use this path so as to be able to bring "everyone into the revolution of tenderness."

Devotion to the Heart of Jesus has a long history, from the "pierced heart of Jesus" in the Gospel of John, to the revelations to St Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century and the subsequent devotion of the Sacred Heart in the 19th century, as well as the messages of Divine Mercy given to St Faustina Kowalska in the early 20th century. Pope Pius XII even wrote an encyclical on the Sacred Heart, Haurietis aquas (1956).

Throughout history, there have been various expressions of this devotion, in different forms and languages, all of them having in common the Father’s revelation of the mystery of His deep Love through the symbol of the living heart of His Risen Son. For, Pope Francis says, "the Heart of Christ is the center of mercy."

In 2020, the Church celebrated the 100th anniversary of Margaret Mary Alacoque’s canonization by Pope Benedict XV on May 13, 1920. It was with the help of Father Claude La Colombière, a Jesuit, that the French nun made known the message from Jesus about the depth of His Mercy. In 1688, Sister Margaret Mary had a final vision in which the Lord, through the Virgin Mary, entrusted the Sisters of the Visitation and the Fathers of the Society of Jesus with the task of transmitting to all the understanding of the mystery of the Sacred Heart.

Adapted from: Zenit