The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Friday, June 19 is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This feast was established in 1675 after the apparitions of Our Lord to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.

The heart is the symbol and expression of a person’s innermost being. Considering the innermost being of Jesus we would find one thing: LOVE. Most images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus show the Lord pointing to his exposed human heart which was pierced and surrounded by thorns, alluding of course to his passion which he suffered for love of us.

One curious detail of the image is that of the flame that emerges from the Lord’s heart. This symbolizes the unquenchable fire, the living flame, of Christ’s love for us. The Heart of Jesus is a “furnace.” Like the burning bush in the Book of Exodus, which burned with flame but was not consumed, the Lord’s love for us is never consumed. His is the only love capable of transforming the world and all human life.