Sacred Heart of Jesus

For centuries, saints and mystics have reflected on Christ’s heart, the source of his immense love, which was pierced by the soldier’s lance as he hung upon the cross for us.

Between 1673 and 1675, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French Visitation sister, received a series of revelations from Jesus, urging her to promote devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The devotion spread rapidly and has become one of the most familiar in the Catholic tradition around the world. To learn more about the history of the devotion, click here.

In the revelations to St. Margaret Mary, Jesus showed her his flaming heart, pierced by thorns. The flames represent the intense love of Christ for humanity. The thorns are a reminder of Christ’s Passion, and of the pain of human ingratitude for the great gift of Christ’s love, especially in the Eucharist.

To focus on the heart of Jesus is not to focus on one organ, the heart, ignoring the rest of the body. In Scripture and tradition, the heart is the very core of a person’s being, the source of love and compassion. The Gospels speak of Christ’s heart, “moved with pity” for people (Matthew 9:36). In focusing on the heart of Jesus, we are focusing on the love that filled his whole being.

As Pope Francis taught, “Devotion tothe heart of Christ is not the veneration of a single
organ apart from the Person of Jesus. What we
contemplate and adore is the whole Jesus Christ,
the Son of God made man, represented by an image
that accentuates his heart.” When we speak of the
heart of Christ, then, we are speaking of Christ’s
immense love, which consumed his whole being.
True devotion to the Sacred Heart is devotion to the
love of the Incarnate Son, crucified and risen, who
gives himself entirely for the life of the world.

“The heart of Christ, as the symbol of the deepest and most personal source of his love for us, is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.” (Pope Francis, Dilexit Nos, 32)

The Sacred Heart devotion takes many forms. It can be as simple as contemplating an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which can be found in most Catholic churches, or to place an image of the Sacred Heart in your home both as a reminder and as a focal point for prayer.

Other ways to take part in this devotion are to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart or other traditional prayers, like the Morning Offering; to attend Mass, especially on the First Friday of each month; and to participate in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  See the "Sacred Heart Novena and prayers" section on this webpage for several prayer options.

Click here for Five ways to grow closer to Jesus through the Sacred Heart Devotion.  You can download and print for your reference.

"These practices are not burdens imposed from without. They are paths of freedom, helping us resist spiritual fatigue, forgetfulness and division. They guard against a faith that remains abstract and, instead, form hearts capable of love — ardent, faithful and missionary." --From Archbishop Paul D. Etienne's Pastoral Letter, "Learn from Me for I am Meek and Humble of Heart."

Pope Francis observed, “Some have questioned whether this symbol is still meaningful today. Yet living as we do in an age of superficiality, rushing frenetically from one thing to another without really knowing why, and ending up as insatiable consumers and slaves to the mechanisms of a market unconcerned about the deeper meaning of our lives, all of us need to rediscover the importance of the heart” (Dilexit Nos, 2).

During these times of polarization and violence, the Sacred Heart devotion invites us to let ourselves be formed anew, as individuals and as communities, by the gentle, loving heart of Christ. The Sacred Heart devotion invites us “to see the face of Christ reflected in each sister and brother, remembering that God has a special place in his heart for those who are discriminated against and oppressed, and he asks us, his Church, to make a decisive and radical choice in favor of the weakest.” (USCCB)

To explore this more, read Archbishop Etienne's Pastoral Letter on the Sacred Heart.

This year, we mark a special anniversary in our nation: the 250th anniversary of independence. The consecration prayer, which the Bishops of the United States have invited parishes and individuals to join in, is a way of rededicating ourselves to the love of Christ, and asking his loving protection and mercy for all who dwell in this land.

To learn more, watch Archbishop Alexander K. Sample's video about the U.S. Consecration and explore the We Hold These Truth's webpage on the USCCB's website.