These Classic Reads Will Foster Greater Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus| National Catholic Register
17th- and 19th-century books offer blessed insights into the Heart of Jesus.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops consecrated the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11. There are rich spiritual treasures to be found in practicing this devotion.
Two books about the Sacred Heart, both republished by TAN Books, share a wealth of knowledge about the subject.
The Life of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, copyright 1890, by Bishop Émile Bougaud:
The humble saint displayed great religious fervor from early childhood. She had a great horror of sin and prayed frequently. While tempted to live a worldly life, she recanted and returned to her love for Jesus, who began to appear to her “under the form of the Crucified, or of the Ecce Homo, or as carrying His cross.”
While a Visitandine nun in the convent of Paray-le-Monial, France, she experienced the first revelation of Jesus’ Sacred Heart. He showed it to her, “made me rest for a long time on His divine breast,” she recalled, and said, “My Divine Heart is so passionately in love with men that it can no longer contain within itself the flames of its ardent charity. It must pour them out by thy means, and manifest itself to them to enrich them with its precious treasures, which contain all the graces of which they need to be saved from perdition.”
At first, the sisters at her convent did not understand her ecstasies, protracted prayer vigils and macerations. They were not aware of Jesus’ revelations to her. When St. Claude de la Colombiere became her confessor, her superiors understood that Christ was favoring her and the Order of the Visitation to propagate the Sacred Heart devotion. It spread throughout France and to the world.
St. Margaret Mary desired to tell King Louis XIV to consecrate himself to the Sacred Heart, to prevent the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution, in which the clergy, religious and faithful were martyred, and atheism reigned. Her efforts were not understood and were without avail. Later, it was said that Louis XIV may have been aware of it but failed to act.
Although the nine consecutive First Friday Masses and other specific devotions are discussed, a fuller account of these are given in The Devotion To The Sacred Heart by Jesuit Father John Croiset, a contemporary of St. Margaret Mary, who, she said, was commissioned by Jesus to write a full account.
When it was published in 1691, the author complained of the tepidity of Catholics toward the Blessed Sacrament. In our day, when many lack belief in the Real Presence, there is a similarity. However, as the revival of Eucharistic adoration grows, all of the liturgies, meditations, consecrations and prayers to the Sacred Heart discussed herein will greatly console the Heart of Jesus and bring down great graces upon the faithful, our country, and the world. There is a wider discussion of the Twelve Promises of the Sacred Heart to those who practice this devotion. Included are prayers for religious communities, as well as for the laity, many composed by St. Margaret Mary.
Everything that comes from the Sacred Heart is sweet. He changes everything into Love. ~ St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
Marianne Komek is a freelance journalist, poet, and writer.
