The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus holds deep significance in the Catholic Church, symbolising the boundless love and compassion of Jesus Christ towards humanity. The establishment of this feast dates back to the 17th century, marked by the profound apparitions experienced by Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun from the Visitation Order. Through numerous apparitions, Jesus revealed His heart, burning with love for humanity, and expressed His desire for a dedicated feast in honour of His Sacred Heart.
In 1856, Pope Pius IX officially extended the Feast of the Sacred Heart to the universal Church, to be celebrated on the Friday following the Octave of Corpus Christi. This decision was influenced by the widespread devotion and profound theological understanding of the Sacred Heart, which emphasized Christ's unending love and mercy. Pope Leo XIII further cemented the devotion by consecrating the entire world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1899.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart commemorates this divine love, inviting everyone to contemplate the depth of Jesus' compassion. The image of the Sacred Heart, often depicted as a heart encircled by thorns and emanating light, echoes the scene of the crucifixion where Jesus’ heart was literally and metaphorically laid bare for humanity. This feast calls all Christians to respond to Jesus' immense love with a profound devotion and a commitment to embodying His love in our daily lives. This feast also calls for acts of reparation, recognizing the many ways humanity has failed to respond to Christ's love, and encourages prayers for the conversion of sinners and the sanctification of souls. It is a reminder that just as Jesus' heart was pierced and His love poured out, so too are we called to open our hearts to His love and allow it to transform our lives.
The Piercing of Jesus’ Side and Its Connection to the Feast of the Sacred Heart
"But one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out" – (John 19:34)
This poignant moment from the crucifixion of Jesus holds deep theological significance and is intimately connected to the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The image of Jesus’ heart being thrust open by the soldier's lance, allowing blood and water to flow out, profoundly symbolises the open invitation of Jesus to all humanity. It serves as a powerful reminder that Jesus’ love is not merely symbolic but is vividly demonstrated through His ultimate sacrifice on the cross. His heart, pierced and exposed, is an eternal testament to His boundless love and willingness to embrace every repentant person who humbles and opens their heart to God.
“But he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed.” – (Isaiah 53:5
These prophetic words from Isaiah find their profound fulfilment in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The piercing of the side of Jesus is not merely a physical event but a deeply spiritual one, reflecting the weight of humanity’s sin and the boundless depth of God’s love. The soldier’s lance, which opened His side, unveiled the Sacred Heart of Jesus — an emblem of divine love and mercy poured out for the salvation of the world. This act of piercing, foretold centuries earlier, signifies that through Jesus' suffering and sacrifice, we are granted forgiveness, healing, and wholeness.
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states,
The Church is born primarily of Christ's total self-giving for our salvation, anticipated in the institution of the Eucharist and fulfilled on the cross. – CCC 766
The blood and water flowing from Jesus' side signify the birth of the Church and the inception of a new creation in Christ. The pierced side of Jesus symbolise the outpouring of His love to mankind through the Church and the sacraments. In the Jewish roots of Christianity, blood represents life, and in our Catholic faith, the Eucharist is the source of spiritual life. Just as the blood flowing from the side of Jesus signifies life, the Eucharist represents His life-giving sacrifice, which nourishes and strengthens us to live our Christian faith fully, while the water represents Baptism, cleanses us from original sin and makes us new creations in Christ. Through the Eucharist, we are truly and physically united with God, and through Baptism, we are welcomed into a life in Christ.
When we contemplate Jesus' crucifixion and His pierced heart, it calls us to repent, to seek forgiveness of our sins, and to be renewed in Christ. This profound reflection points us to the sacraments that Jesus appointed to His Church, which are means of grace, healing, and spiritual growth. Through these sacraments, especially Reconciliation, Baptism, and the Eucharist, we experience the love and mercy flowing from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, welcoming us with an open-heart despite of our brokenness and sinfulness. The piercing of the heart of Jesus epitomises God’s boundless love and mercy for humanity, extending even unto death on the cross.
The New Creation: From Adam's Rib to Christ's Pierced Side
Echoing the creation narrative in Genesis where God took a rib from Adam’s side to create Eve, the piercing of Jesus' side can be seen as a profound sign of new creation and new life in Christ. Just as Eve was formed from Adam’s side, symbolising the birth of a new relationship and the beginning of humanity, the blood and water flowing from Jesus' side signify the birth of the Church and the inception of a new creation in Christ. This act represents the creation of a new life for all who wants to follow Christ, a life of grace, redemption, and unity with God through Christ's sacrifice. Just as Eve's creation from Adam's side marked the beginning of humanity, the blood and water flowed out from the side of Jesus marks the beginning of the Church, inviting all to partake in the divine life offered through the sacraments.
This new creation is deeply rooted in the sacrificial love of Jesus, who, like Adam, gave of himself to bring forth new life. In Genesis, the creation of Eve from Adam’s side represented a completion and a profound unity. In the new covenant, the flow from Jesus’ side represents the completion of God’s redemptive plan. Through the sacraments of the Church, we are cleansed, nourished, and invited into a transformative relationship with God. It is by His wounds that the brokenness of humanity is mended, and our relationship with God is restored. This new creation calls us to live in communion with God, repenting from our sins, and embracing the life of grace that Jesus' sacrifice has made possible.
As Jesus hangs on the cross, He saw His mother and the disciple whom He love standing nearby and entrusted His beloved disciple to Mary with the words, "Woman, behold, your son!" and to the beloved disciple, "Behold, your mother!" This act was not merely a gesture of filial responsibility; it signified a new creation, a new family formed at the foot of the cross. In this act, Jesus gave Mary to all His disciples, establishing her as the spiritual mother of all who believe in Him. Jesus in creating a new creation at the foot of the cross entrusted His new creation to his mother. By entrusting Mary to John, Jesus was emphasising her role as the Mother of the Church and the new Eve in the new creation. Just as Eve was the mother of all the living in the old creation, Mary became the mother of all who live in Christ. After the act of entrustentment of the beloved disciple and Mary, Jesus surrendered His spirit. As Jesus hung lifeless on the cross, He did not feel the physical pain of the piercing of His heart. However, this act had profound spiritual and emotional piercing on Mary’s heart. It was Mary, standing at the foot of the cross, whose heart bore the brunt of this piercing. Her Immaculate Heart, filled with sorrow and agony, felt the pain that Jesus could no longer feel. Her suffering was not merely a passive endurance of pain but an active participation in the redemptive sacrifice of her Son, offering her sorrow and agony to God for the salvation of mankind. In her heart, she united her sorrows with the sufferings of Jesus, offering them to the Father as a co-redeemer in the salvation of souls. Mary’s role in the salvation of mankind did not end with Jesus’ death but continues as a refuge for repentant sinners and all who desire to follow Christ. Hence, Mary is the mother of all who live in Christ, guiding and nurturing us on our spiritual journey.
The Heart: First Organ of Life
The heart, one of the first organ to develop in the womb of a mother, holds profound symbolism in our Christian faith. This journey begins with the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary, where His Sacred Heart first began to beat. This heartbeat, the very rhythm of life, was intricately woven into the fabric of His being, reflecting His divine love and mercy and His mission to bring salvation to humanity. As Jesus grew within Mary's womb, His heart pulsated with love and purpose, preparing to pour out an immeasurable depth of compassion and mercy upon the world.
Throughout His life, Jesus' heart remained steadfast in its commitment to the Father's will, beating in perfect harmony with the divine plan for redemption. It was in His heart that Jesus carried the weight of humanity's sins, bearing the burden of our transgressions with unwavering love. His Sacred Heart, culminated in His ultimate sacrifice on the cross and pierced for our salvation, became the ultimate symbol of God's boundless love and mercy, pouring forth blood and water as a fountain of grace, mercy, and reconciliation for all humanity. In this act of self-emptying love, Jesus gave Mary to be the mother of all His disciples, entrusting us to her maternal care and intercession.
Reflecting on this profound mystery, the Feast of the Sacred Heart invites us to enter into the depths of Jesus’ boundless love. His Sacred Heart, pierced and bleeding, symbolises His willingness to endure immense suffering for the sake of redeeming humanity. Just as the heart is central to the physical life of a person, so too is the Sacred Heart of Jesus central to the spiritual life of every Christian. As we contemplate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are reminded of the profound call to entrust ourselves entirely to God. Just as Jesus gave His heart for our salvation, we are called to offer our lives, our hearts, all that we have, and our whole being to God in return, allowing God’s love to heal our wounds and transform our lives. In this act of surrender, we find true freedom and fulfilment, as we are embraced by the boundless love of our Savior and welcomed into the eternal embrace of His Sacred Heart. May we, like John, the beloved disciple, open our hearts to receive Mary as our mother, embracing her maternal care and intercession with the same love and devotion that Jesus Himself showed in His earthly journey. And like Mary, respond with a resounding "yes" to God's invitation, entrusting ourselves completely to His loving care and allowing His Sacred Heart to reign in our lives.
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