Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has been around since Early Christianity. Saint Paul and the early Church Fathers mention the love of God and Jesus’ love flowing from His perfect human heart numerous times. The Catechism describes this devotion as follows: “Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony, and his Passion and gave himself up for each one of us: ‘The Son of God…loved me and gave himself for me.’ (Gal 2:20) He has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, ‘is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that…love with which the divine Redeemer continually loved the eternal Father and all human beings’ without exception.” (CCC 478)
A quick Google search could provide with further details of how the Church formally began to recognize and celebrate the Sacred Heart, but today I would like to focus on the why and the how.
Essentially, this feast day is celebrating the Perfect Love which gave Himself up for you and for me. Love is often expressed with hearts: a young love doodling hearts around their beloved’s name; the heart-eye emoji; heart shaped balloons, red heart cards, decadent desserts served on heart platters for Valentine’s Day. Jesus’ love is more perfect, more all encompassing, more passionate than any of the previous examples. Jesus’ perfect love extends from the perfect love found in the Trinity, and flows through His incarnate human heart to each individual now, in the past, and those to come. Dare I say this feast should necessitate the pomp and circumstance that arises during the first weeks of February. Of course that is easier said than done so here are a few simple ways to mark the Feast of the Sacred Heart (Friday, June 7th)!
1. Pop into Eucharistic Adoration
During one of St. Margaret Mary’s revelations, Jesus specifically mentioned that He wanted to be adored in the Holy Eucharist. If this is not a current practice of yours, make a point to stop in for a few minutes and to receive the graces which are waiting for you. He doesn’t request a full Holy Hour – but if you can, please do! – all he wants is the simple act of carving out time and intentionally placing yourself in front of Him.
2. Grill dinner
Hear me out, the Sacred Heart is always pictured engulfed in flames because Jesus’ immense love for each of us consumes Him so. Now, don’t engulf the steaks or burgers in flames or they might be dry but using fire to cook a meal is a honorary act in and of itself. Bonus points if you host a BBQ with some friends to make the day even more memorable.
3. Receive Holy Eucharist
Another desire Jesus shared with St. Margaret Mary was that the faithful receive the Eucharist every first Friday. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is the first Friday of June, so how fitting to attend Mass and receive Jesus, body, blood, soul, and Divinity in the form of the Eucharist.
4. Flamin’ strawberries
My kids absolutely love these! I totally stole this idea from Pinterest years ago (so please email me if it’s yours & I will give rightful credit). It is the easiest way to introduce children to the idea of the Sacred Heart, it’s got fire so they’re into it, and it even utilizes red strawberries to be more liturgically accurate and showcase the red of the heart. I try to tell my kids strawberries are shaped like hearts, but that marketing did not work as well.
Here’s what you do:
1. Slice the top of and hallow the middle (not too much, there’s a natural hollowness to them which I just make a little bigger).
2. Slightly slice the top of so they stand up straight.
3. Fill each strawberry with a little 80 proof or higher alcohol (think Bacardi or Grand Marnier, though the latter doesn’t produce as impressive of a flame but the flavor is better).
4. Call the kids, guests, friends, neighbors over and hold a flame over each strawberry. It should only take a second or two for the alcohol to catch and a flame to appear.
5. Let the flame burn out & enjoy! A little whipped cream in the center also never hurts!
While enjoying this simple dessert, pepper in the fact that Jesus love for each person sets His heart ablaze and see where the conversation takes you.
5. Recite the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart to receive an indulgence
Under the usual conditions of receiving indulgences (confession, reception of Holy Eucharist), you can also PUBLICLY proclaim the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart (below) and receive a full indulgence. Publicly meaning that the act needs to be recited in a Church, religious community, or a family rather than alone. If you do recite the act alone, a partial indulgence is available.
P.S. If you’re going to host a gathering, print the act out and have everyone recite it in place of the prayer before dinner so your party favor can be the opportunity to receive an indulgence. Congrats, you’ve just leveled up as a Catholic host/hostess!
Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart
O sweet Jesus, Whose overflowing charity for me is requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before Your altar (in Your presence) eager to repair by a special act of homage the cruel indifference and injuries, to which Your loving Heart is everywhere subject.
Mindful alas! that we ourselves have had a share in such great indignities, which we now deplore from the depths of our hearts, we humbly ask Your pardon and declare our readiness to atone by voluntary expiation not only for our own personal offenses, but also for the sins of those, who, straying far from the path of salvation, refuse in their obstinate infidelity to follow You, their Shepherd and Leader, or, renouncing the vows of their baptism, have cast off the sweet yoke of Your Law.
We are now resolved to expiate each and every deplorable outrage committed against You; we are determined to make amends for the manifold offenses against Christian modesty in unbecoming dress and behavior, for all the foul seductions laid to ensnare the feet of the innocent, for the frequent violations of Sundays and holidays, and the shocking blasphemies uttered against You and Your Saints.
We wish also to make amends for the insults to which Your Vicar on earth and Your priest are subjected, for the profanation, by conscious neglect or terrible acts of sacrilege, of the very Sacrament of Your Divine Love; and lastly for the public crimes of nations who resist the rights and teaching authority of the Church which You have founded.
Would, O divine Jesus, we were able to wash away such abominations with our blood. We now offer, in reparation for these violations of Your divine honor, the satisfaction You once made to Your eternal Father on the cross and which You continue to renews daily on our altars; we offer it in union with the acts of atonement of Your Virgin Mother and all the Saints and of the pious faithful on earth; and we sincerely promise to make recompense, as far as we can with the help of Your grace, for all neglect of Your great love and for the sins we and others have committed in the past.
Henceforth we will live a life of unwavering faith, of purity of conduct, of perfect observance of the precepts of the gospel and especially that of charity. We promise to the best of our power to prevent others from offending You and to bring as many as possible to follow You.
O loving Jesus, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our model in reparation, deign to receive the voluntary offering we make of this act of expiation; and by the crowning gift of perseverance keep us faithful unto death in our duty and the allegiance we owe to You, so that we may one day come to that happy home, where You with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, God, world without end. Amen.
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