BUILDING OUR FAITH 10 – THE SACRED HEART Timeline 1100-1200s St Bernard of Clairvaux “The piercing of Christ's side revealed his goodness and the charity of his heart for us.” St Bonaventure “Who is there who would not love this wounded heart? Who would not love in return Him, who loves so much?” Women Visionaries: St Lutgarde, St Mechtilde of Hackeborn, St Gertrude 1300s-1600s The banner of the Five Wounds, Wounds of Christ as means to understand the carried during the Pilgrimage of Grace, 1536 love of God. Banner of the Five Wounds. Mystical Experiences to Devotion St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) 1856 Feast day throughout the Church Devotion, Reparation, Consecration 1889 Rank of feast raised 1899 Worldwide promotion of First Fridays Leo XII Annum sacrum 1928 Consecration of the human race to the Sacred Heart to be renewed each year Pius XI Miserentissimus Redemptor 1956 Centenary of feast: encyclical Pius XII Haurietis aquas Annum sacrum 1899 [S]ince there is in the Sacred Heart a symbol and a sensible image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love one another, therefore is it fit and proper that we should consecrate ourselves to His most Sacred Heart–an act which is nothing else than an offering and a binding of oneself to Jesus Christ, seeing that whatever honour, veneration and love is given to this divine Heart is really and truly given to Christ Himself. Miserentissimus Redemptor 1928 [T]hat duty of honourable satisfaction or reparation which must be rendered to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For if the first and foremost thing in Consecration is this, that the creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation. Haurietis Aquas 1956 When so many evils meet Our gaze - such as cause sharp conflict among individuals, families, nations and the whole world, particularly today more than at any other time - where are We to seek a remedy, venerable brethren? 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? What religious practice is more excellent, more attractive, more salutary than this, since the devotion in question is entirely directed towards the love of God itself? Finally, what more effectively than the love of Christ - which devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus daily increases and fosters more and more - can move the faithful to bring into the activities of life the Law of the Gospel, the setting aside of which, as the words of the Holy Spirit plainly warn, "the work of justice shall be peace," makes peace worthy of the name completely impossible among men? Letter on the Fiftieth Anniversary of Haurietis Aquas, Benedict XVI 2006 Since God revealed himself most profoundly in the Incarnation of his Son in whom he made himself "visible", it is in our relationship with Christ that we can recognize who God really is. And again: since the deepest expression of God's love is found in the gift Christ made of his life for us on the Cross, the deepest expression of God's love, it is above all by looking at his suffering and his death that we can see God's infinite love for us more and more clearly: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3: 16). When we practise this devotion, not only do we recognize God's love with gratitude but we continue to open ourselves to this love so that our lives are ever more closely patterned upon it. God, who poured out his love "into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (cf. Rom 5: 5), invites us tirelessly to accept his love. The main aim of the invitation to give ourselves entirely to the saving love of Christ and to consecrate ourselves to it is, consequently, to bring about our relationship with God. Whoever inwardly accepts God is moulded by him. The experience of God's love should be lived by men and women as a "calling" to which they must respond. Fixing our gaze on the Lord, who "took our infirmities and bore our diseases" (Mt 8: 17), helps us to become more attentive to the suffering and need of others. It enables us to entrust ourselves to his saving and merciful love, and at the same time strengthens us in the desire to take part in his work of salvation, becoming his instruments. The experience of love, brought by the devotion to the pierced side of the Redeemer, protects us from the risk of withdrawing into ourselves and makes us readier to live for others. So it is that the cult of love, which becomes visible in the mystery of the Cross presented anew in every celebration of the Eucharist, lays the foundations of our capacity to love and to make a gift of ourselves, becoming instruments in Christ's hands: only in this way can we be credible proclaimers of his love. Prayers There are two prayers given in the Missal, of which either can be chosen. Prayer A is derived from a collect in use in some French dioceses before the 1850s; prayer B is the same as the chosen for the feast in 1856. A Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we, who B O God, who in the Heart of your Son, glory in the Heart of your beloved Son and recall wounded by our sins, bestow on us in mercy the the wonders of his love for us, may be made boundless treasures of your love, grant, we pray, worthy to receive an overflowing measure of that, in paying him the homage of our devotion grace from that fount of heavenly gifts. we may offer worthy reparation. Readings at Mass Year A Year B Year C MR1962 OT Deuteronomy 7:6-11 Hosea 11:1, 3-4, Ezekiel 34:11-16 The Lord set his heart on 8,9 I myself will you and chose you I am the Holy pasture my One in your sheep, I myself midst and I have will show them no wish to where to rest. destroy. Psalm Psalm 103:1-4, 6-8 Isaiah 12:2-5 Psalm 22 Psalm 24:8-9 The love of the Lord is With joy you will The Lord is my The Lord teaches everlasting upon those draw water from shepherd the humble his who hold him in fear. the wells of way. salvation. Mt 11:29 I am meek and humble of heart. NT 1 John 4:7-16 Ephesians 3:8-12, Romans 5:5-11 Ephesians 3:8-12, Let us love one another 14-19 The love of God 14-19 since love comes from The breadth and has been poured The breadth and God. the length, the into our hearts the length, the height and the by the Holy height and the depth of the love Spirit. depth of the love of Christ. of Christ. Gospel Matthew 11:25-30 John 19:31-37 Luke 15:3-7 John 19:31-37 I am gentle and humble in One of the The ninety-nine One of the heart soldiers pierced sheep, and the soldiers pierced his side and there one lost. his side and there came out blood came out blood and water. and water. .