Who Is the Sacred Heart of Jesus - and Why This Devotion?

Make room for Jesus. As we prepare our hearts and home for Advent and the Christmas Season, we are invited to declutter our lives and make room for the Lord. Jesus offers us His most Sacred Heart of Jesus as a refuge for all. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation Sister who lived in the 17th century, was invited by Jesus to be the Disciple of the Sacred Heart and begin a movement of renewal through encountering His Most Sacred Heart, resulting in deeper faith and love. In this ongoing series, we will learn more about the Sacred Heart, Saints like St. Margaret Mary, and ways we can better live out this devotion so that this Christmas we give our hearts and home to Jesus in a new way.

The Church invites us to lift up our eyes and not focus on what is wrong with the world, but instead to awaken our hearts through the Lord and renew our hope in the God who comes to save us each day. As we approach the Season of Advent we are reminded that Christ is not distant; He is coming, He is near and desires to enter into our lives in a new way. We are invited to prepare our hearts for Jesus!

Jesus' Unfailing Love

The Sacred Heart is Jesus Himself, His total love poured out for humanity. His Heart is not merely a sentiment or emotion, but the living, beating Heart of God, burning with grace, mercy, virtue, compassion, and unfailing love. Jesus wants His love to renew the face of the earth, yet it begins with us opening our hearts to the Lord and allowing Him to transform us from the inside out.

In a world rapidly embracing secularism, self-reliance, noise, and deep spiritual confusion, the Heart of Jesus shines as a steady light - our reminder that God’s love is personal, constant, and unchanging. He invites us to quiet our hearts and experience His Heart, even when life is hard and challenging. His most Sacred Heart is perfect, yet as see in the image- broken and longing to be loved by us. Thus we are invited to respond with “Love for Love.” His Heart is approachable to all who stop to notice Him, like a child who notices the wonders of the world for the first time. May we also embrace wonder during this time of preparation and willingness to be vulnerable with the Lord.

Moving the Focus to Jesus from Santa

Recently, parents of a family that started OCIA in my parish shared what led them to join the program. They recounted that after the Christmas they experienced last year, their own children’s lack of gratitude and the emptiness of the world’s interpretation of Christmas, they were left wanting more. That experience led them to the Catholic Church, and this year, they will be focusing on Jesus instead of Santa and the elves. Already, they are so excited about living faith versus playing pretend for the children’s sake.

This devotion matters now more than ever because it proclaims the truth every human heart is searching for: You are loved. You belong to God. His Heart is your refuge. As we begin this campaign to start preparing our heart and home for Christmas, we echo the words of the Psalmist:

“The LORD is my strength and my shield, in whom my heart trusts. I am helped, so my heart rejoices; with my song I praise him.” (Psalm 28:7)

Peace and Strength

When we draw near to Jesus, we begin to recognize how deeply He desires to be our strength, our shield and our peace in every trial.

“Do not fear, for I am with you… I will strengthen you and help you.” (Isaiah 41:10)

This is the hope the Sacred Heart reveals. The Heart of Jesus is not distant. He is near to the brokenhearted. He is attentive to every longing and every need. He comes to us, again and again, with love.

Learn more about Holy Cross Family Ministries Consecration
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Advent Season