June 27: Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Day of Priestly Sanctification
"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.”
With these words, Pope Francis expressed himself in his encyclical Dilexit nos on the human and divine love of the Heart of Jesus Christ, dated October 24, 2024.
In the document, the Pontiff explained the meaning of the Heart of Christ:
“Devotion to the 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. That heart of flesh is seen as the privileged sign of the inmost being of the incarnate Son and his love, both divine and human. More than any other part of his body, the heart of Jesus is ‘the natural sign and symbol of his boundless love’”.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is clearly shown in two episodes from the Gospel: when John rests on Jesus’ chest during the Last Supper, and when, on the Cross, Jesus’ Heart is pierced. In the first instance, we see Jesus offering affection and comfort just before His death. In the second, he reveals his sorrow for the sins of humanity.
These two moments help us better understand the message Jesus entrusted to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1675:
This is the Heart that has so loved men, but receives in return only ingratitude, contempt, offenses, sacrileges, and indifference. I ask you to institute a special feast on the first Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi to honor My Heart by receiving Communion and making reparation for the offenses it receives when exposed on the altars. I promise that My Heart will open to pour out abundantly the divine love on those who will honor It and lead others to do the same.
The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is a movable feast—its date changes every year—but its meaning is so profound that it shapes the entire month of June in the life of the Church. It is celebrated on the Friday following the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and is also linked to the following day, Saturday, which is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
In the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we see united: the human heart of Christ (true man) and his divinity (true God). It is the symbol of his infinite love for humanity.
Although the first official celebration probably dates back to 1672 in France, devotion to the Sacred Heart has much older origins. Even in the Gospel, we find a significant reference in the figure of St. John the Apostle, often depicted at the Last Supper with his head resting on Jesus’ chest, symbolizing a deep connection with His Heart.
In the Middle Ages, the spirituality of the Sacred Heart received great momentum thanks to mystics such as Mechthild of Magdeburg, Mechthild of Hackeborn, and Gertrude of Helfta. But the true spread of the devotion began in the 17th century, particularly with St. John Eudes, who promoted devotion to both the Heart of Jesus and that of Mary, and especially with St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation nun at the monastery of Paray-le-Monial.
St. Margaret recounted that starting on December 27, 1673 (Feast of St. John the Evangelist), she received numerous apparitions of Jesus over the course of 17 years. In one of these, Jesus said to her:
My heart is so full of love for men that it can no longer contain its flames. It wants to manifest itself through you, to offer graces that lead to holiness and salvation. I have chosen you, even though you are weak and unworthy, so that it may be clear that everything comes from me.
The feast of the Sacred Heart was long debated among theologians. In 1765, it was authorized only in Poland and for the Roman Archconfraternity of the Sacred Heart. But it was Pope Pius IX, in 1856, who extended it to the entire Church. From that moment, many congregations, schools, oratories and churches dedicated to the Sacred Heart were born—the most famous being the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Montmartre, Paris.
Traditionally, on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, the Church also celebrates the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests, praying in a special way for all priests.