At the School of the Sacred Heart
By Fr. John Roderick, F.S.C.B.
June, 2023
During the month of June, the Catholic Church invites us to become students of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “Father John,” you might be thinking to yourself, “isn’t the school year officially over? Why do I need to be a student again!?” To be a student of the Sacred Heart is not an academic exercise! It is an invitation to spend time with Jesus and to contemplate his great love for us through prayer, devotion, meditation, and acts of reparation for grave sins against Jesus and his Church. In this sense, we are all lifelong learners in the school of the Sacred Heart!
The dedication of June to the Sacred Heart may seem to be an old-fashioned tradition. I remember seeing large, framed images of the Sacred Heart hung in prominent places in the homes of my grandparents, but it is not a devotion that I grew up with. However, as I see the month of June now dedicated to other symbols such as the pride flag, I think it is worthwhile to ponder why the Church puts certain symbols before our eyes throughout the liturgical year, such as the Sacred Heart. The saying “you become what you look at” is attributed to St. Augustine. What images and symbols do we want to have before our eyes in this month of June? Could we take time this month to put before our eyes the Sacred Heart, and beg Christ to reveal to us the meaning of love and mercy, so that we can share this with the world?
The dedication of June to the Sacred Heart has its origins in the seventeenth century. At the dawn of modernity, a French mystic, St. Mary Margaret Alacoque, received visions in which Jesus asked her to renew and propagate the devotion to the Sacred Heart in three ways: the celebration of Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month, Eucharistic Adoration on Thursdays, and the celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart. In the twentieth century this tradition was strengthened through St. Faustyna Kowalska, the Polish mystic, who similarly received revelations from our Lord asking her to have painted the image of the Divine Mercy and to dedicate the second Sunday of Easter to the Feast of Divine Mercy.
Throughout history the heart has been the symbol of love, life, and friendship. In biblical culture, the heart is the essential core of the human person who stands before God. The Divine Heart of Jesus speaks of the love and mercy of God the Father. In the writings of the New Testament, we have only a few references to the heart of Jesus. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says: “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (11:29). St. John the Evangelist who was present at the foot of the cross found it opportune to include the mystery of Jesus’ side being pierced by the lance of the Roman soldier, and seeing blood and water poured out (19:34). Tradition has interpreted that Jesus’ “side” is indeed his heart. Blood and water flowed from the heart of Jesus.
Reverence to the Sacred Heart of Jesus began soon after his death on the cross. St. Justin Martyr, in the second century, and many other Fathers of the Church after him saw in the pierced heart of Jesus the source from which all graces flow upon mankind. The blood and water are symbols of the sacraments of Eucharist and Baptism.
Have you ever stopped to contemplate the image of the Sacred Heart? Here we see the Sacred Heart of Jesus encircled by a crown of thorns and a lance wounding the heart with drops of blood flowing from the wound. It is inflamed with a cross above it. The heart represents Jesus’ love for humanity. The crown of thorns represents all the suffering that Jesus endured on our behalf for our sins and those of all humankind. He felt the wounds of humanity’s sin in the depths of his heart. The wound opened by the lance recalls the outflow of water and blood, signs of the sacraments. The droplets of blood recall the New Covenant Jesus inaugurated during the Last Supper: “This is my blood of the covenant which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins” (Mt 26:28). The flames recall the burning bush that spoke to Moses and represent the intensity of Jesus’ passionate love that always seeks out the beloved. The cross planted above the heart represents how Jesus’ heart is the foundation of humanity’s redemption. The image itself is a catechism on the love of God which takes flesh in the life of Jesus.
A personal call. More than a mere image, the Sacred Heart of Jesus calls out to each of us with a personal invitation. The Heart of Jesus calls every heart personally to not just reflect on this great mystery but let itself be embraced by it and take part in it. Jesus’ merciful heart is always open towards us, to all our sin and sufferings, and to the whole world. We are invited to personally respond to it through prayer and participation in the sacraments. The merciful heart of Jesus calls and draws every creature to himself.
I will give you a new heart. The school of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a school of conversion. We are invited to place our hope in the continual initiative of the Divine Master: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts” (Ezek. 36:25-26). This verse has always accompanied me and given me great consolation since I first discovered it during the summer of my second year in seminary. It reminds me of God’s continual initiative to purify my heart and his desire to break down my heart of stone. It is always God who takes the initiative of our personal conversion.
The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus leads us to the Mass and to Adoration. As we see in the image of the heart burning with love, Jesus has a burning desire to share the new life that He has won for us, the triumph of light and love over all darkness, suffering and sin. Through the regular reception of Holy Communion and practice of Adoration, we progressively become more defined by our relationship with Him. We are enabled to bring this new presence into the world. Indeed, we become what we look at.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a precious treasure of the Catholic Church that deserves to be continuously celebrated and rediscovered every year. The Church in her wisdom invites Catholics for a whole month to go to the school of Sacred Heart to discover the amazing truths of God’s merciful love for humankind. As we continue to face the daily bombardment of our secular and atheistic culture, with its new symbols and celebrations, let us hold fast to and strengthen our efforts to deepen our knowledge and love for the beautiful treasures of our Catholic tradition.
