Why is the month of June dedicated to the Sacred Heart?
Since the 19th century, the Church has dedicated the entire month of June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in response to a request forwarded by Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation nun at the monastery of Paray-le-Monial. Jesus appeared to her on several occasions between 1673 and 1675 to show her his Heart burning with love for humanity, but also wounded by indifference, ingratitude and the sins of the world.
The month of June therefore becomes a privileged time to meditate on this love, to make reparation for the offences committed against Christ and to allow ourselves to be transformed inwardly by the gentleness of his Heart.
A central liturgical feast: the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Friday 7 June 2025)
Each year, the Church celebrates this feast on the Friday following Corpus Christi, i.e. this year on Friday 7 June 2025. The liturgy highlights a God with a pierced heart, a God who loves to the end, a God who suffers with man, but never ceases to love him.
This Heart, pierced on the Cross, is a source of mercy. It does not judge, it consoles. It does not condemn, it saves.
The Sacred Heart: more than a pious image
The Sacred Heart is sometimes associated with kitsch or outdated representations. Yet this devotion has immense theological and spiritual depth. The heart is the symbol of the personal, incarnate, suffering and faithful love of Jesus.
To adore the Sacred Heart is to enter into the mystery of Christ, not as a concept, but as a living presence that beats for every human being. It is a call to let our hearts become like His, gentle and humble, compassionate and strong.
The promises of the Sacred Heart
Jesus passed on to Saint Margaret Mary 12 promises for those who would honour His Heart. Among them:
He will give peace to families.
He will console them in sorrow.
He will be their refuge in life and especially at the hour of death.
He will bless the houses where his image is displayed.
He will grant the grace of final conversion to those who practise reparative communion on the first 9 Fridays of the month.
These promises are not magical, but invite to a life of abandonment, prayer, and trust.
How to live this month of the Sacred Heart today?
Here are some simple and profound suggestions:
Pray a short prayer to the Sacred Heart every day (I can write one for you if you like).
Consecrate your home, your couple, your family to the Heart of Jesus.
Practise Eucharistic adoration, a living source of the Heart of Christ.
Do an act of reparation: a confession, a forgiveness given, an offering of a difficult act.
Wear an image of the Sacred Heart, or place one in your home.
