June - Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

By Tom Dennehy

We associate the month of June with the Heart of Jesus. During this month, we celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart on June 16th.

The Feast of the Sacred Heart is celebrated on the Friday following the Feast of Corpus Christi. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun, revealed to the world the great love of Jesus for us. She had a series of apparitions between 1673 and 1675 when He appeared to her from the Blessed Sacrament and said, ”Behold this Heart which loves so much and yet, is so little loved in return.”

He explained that the thorns around His Heart are symbolic of the pain that He suffers because of the ingratitude and indifference of His priests and people towards His love in the Blessed Sacrament. Then, Jesus said that He suffers more now because of this indifference and ingratitude than He did during his entire passion.

He appealed to her to make up for all their ingratitude by spending time with Him in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and told her, “I thirst with such a terrible thirst to be loved by you in this Most Blessed Sacrament”.

Jesus promised, during the apparitions, the following blessings to those who practise devotion to the Sacred Heart.

1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.

2. I will give peace to their families.

3. I will console them in their troubles.

4. I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.

5. I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.

6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy, tepid souls shall become fervent and fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.

7. I will bless those places where in the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated and people who practise this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.

8. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.

9. Those who receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, will not die without receiving the sacraments and my Heart will be their refuge in the last hour.

During this month of the Sacred Heart, let us contemplate the loving Heart of Jesus which suffered so much for us as we spend time in Adoration and attending Holy Mass and receive the Holy Eucharist. It is the living Heart of Jesus we receive in the Holy Mass. So many Eucharistic Miracles have been scientifically tested and have been proven to be the living Heart of Jesus.

As we contemplate His incredible love, we reflect on the mercy, compassion and love that God has bestowed upon us. We come to know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge. When we allow Christ to live in our hearts, when we know his love deeply, in our minds and hearts, we are moved by The Holy Spirit to live the great commandments of love of God and neighbour. We are motivated by the Sacred Heart of Jesus to open our hearts to Him so that they are filled with love for our brothers and sisters. In this way we learn to live the commandment of Jesus; love one another as I have loved you.

The Church, born from the pierced heart of Jesus has a great mission in the world to proclaim the redeeming love of God in Christ. A world which bases its principles on wealth, power, force, science, or pleasure is not Christian.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is precisely the image that expresses our mission. It is the image of the infinite and merciful love which the Heavenly Father has poured out upon the world through his son Jesus. Only this love, the love of the Heart of Christ, can transform the human heart and bring true peace to the world.

On the 13th March 1873, the bishops and priests of the Irish Church consecrated themselves and their flocks to the special love and worship of The Sacred Heart of Jesus. We were the first country in the world to do so. Celebrations of 1500 years of consecration took place in some parishes around the country.

Let us restore true devotion to His most Sacred Heart by returning to Holy Mass and volunteering to spend one hour per week in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Let us respond to the plea of Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary, “ Would you at least make amends for their indifference by spending time with me”.

Sacred Heart of Jesus we place all our trust in thee.