A revelation of the very heart of God

The cult of the Sacred Heart of Jesus has its roots in the Gospels, particularly when Jesus lets his infinite love for humanity shine through. His pierced Heart on the Cross is the visible sign of this love given up to the end. But it was in the 17th century that this devotion took on new impetus, thanks to the apparitions of Christ to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation nun from Paray-le-Monial.

The devotion to the Heart of Jesus has its roots in the Gospels.

A spirituality centred on love

The Sacred Heart is much more than just a symbol. It represents the very source of God's love for mankind. It is a personal, untiring, faithful love. By contemplating this Heart, believers are invited to enter into a living relationship with Christ, to offer Him their own hearts in response.

The spirituality of the Sacred Heart calls for humility, reparation for the sins of the world, trust in divine mercy, and brotherly love. It opens to a life transformed by the gentleness of Christ, who rejects no one and welcomes everyone into his open arms.

A popular and profound devotion

Devotion to the Sacred Heart has touched millions of the faithful down the centuries. It has been expressed through prayer, personal consecration, images of the Heart of Jesus in homes, Eucharistic adoration on the first Fridays of the month, and novenas.

The message of the Sacred Heart continues to resonate today: "Behold this Heart that so loved men..." It reminds us that, even at the heart of our weaknesses, God's love never tires. It heals, it lifts up, it purifies.

A liturgical feast and a universal appeal

The Church celebrates the Feast of the Sacred Heart on the Friday following Corpus Christi (the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament). This solemnity is not reserved for a spiritual elite; it is offered to everyone as a reminder of God's tenderness. It is a feast of consolation for those wounded by life, a feast of hope for those who doubt, a feast of commitment for those who want to love in the manner of Christ.

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

burning furnace of charity,

inexhaustible source of mercy and peace,

I turn to you with trust.

Take my heart, purify it,

fill it with your faithful love.

Heal my wounds, my doubts, my fears.

Make me dwell in you,

as you want to dwell in me.

Teach me to love as you love,

to console as you console,

to give myself without return,

in silence, fidelity, joy.

I consecrate myself to your Heart,

and I entrust to you my life, my loved ones,

those I love and those I find it hard to love.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in you.

Amen.