June and the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Devotion to the Heart of Christ existed in the Middle Ages and appears as a liturgical feast in 1675 following the apparitions of Our Lord to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. In these revelations, the saint was given to know with special depth the need to make reparation for her personal sins and those of the whole world. Our Lord asked her to promote the practice of frequent Communion especially on the First Friday of every month and that a feast be established on the Friday following the celebration of Corpus Christi. There is a two-fold aspect of this Solemnity— thanksgiving for God’s love for us and reparation for the times we respond so poorly or scarcely repay the Lord for such love.