Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary

This year the feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary fall on June 12th and 13th. Celebrated 19 days after Pentecost, the dates of these two feasts change each year.

These celebrations, while side-by-side on the calendar, have their own unique origins.

The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus features Christ with his heart exposed. The heart includes powerful symbols:

• The cross for Christ’s ultimate sacrifice
• The crown of thorns for the suffering of His passion and death
• Flames for Christ’s love
• The wound and blood for the spear that pierced Christ upon the cross

With roots in the writings of the Church fathers about the laying open of Christ’s body by the soldier’s spear at his crucifixion, the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus became more formalized around the 11th century in France.

The devotion, which took hold among the order of the Franciscans, soon spread to other holy orders, such as the Jesuits, the Carmelites of Spain, and the Benedictines.

It was Saint Margurite Maire Alacoque, a cloistered nun of the Visitation order living in the late 17th century, who received divine visitations which revealed the full form of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This devotion calls for the reception of Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month, Eucharistic adoration during a holy hour on Thursdays, and the celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart.

In the late 19th century, a nun known as Sister Mary of the Divine Heart received divine messages from Jesus Christ to request that the Pope consecrate the entire world to the Sacred Heart and set the first Friday of each month as devotional days to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Pope Leo XIII made the feast day official on June 11, 1899.

The following prayers can be used to show devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

O most holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing,
I adore you, I love you and with a lively sorrow for my sins.
I offer you this poor heart of mine.
Make me humble, patient, pure, and wholly obedient to your will.
Grant, good Jesus, that I may live in you and for you.
Protect me in the midst of danger; comfort me in my afflictions;
give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs,
your blessings on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death.
Within your heart I place my every care.
In every need let me come to you with humble trust saying,
Heart of Jesus, help me.

Amen.

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day
for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world,
for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians,
and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month.

Amen.

This is the novena prayer of Saint Margaret Mary:

O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.” Behold, I knock, I seek, and ask for the grace of (name your request). Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be to the Father…

Much like the Sacred Heart of Jesus, images of the Immaculate Heart of Mary depict her with an equally symbolic heart:

• White roses for Mary’s Immaculate Conception and virginity
• Flames for Mary’s love for the Lord and all of humanity
• A sword for the pain she suffered witnessing the sacrifice of her son, Jesus

Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary began in the middle ages. By the mid-1600s, it was commonly celebrated thanks to the efforts of French priest Saint John Eudes, who devoted his life to promoting devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The feast day honoring the Immaculate Heart of Mary moved across the calendar several times before being formalized beside the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.

The following prayers can be used as part of your devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
full of goodness,
show your love towards us.
Let the flame of your heart,
O Mary, descend on all people.
We love you immensely.
Impress true love in our hearts
so that we have a continuous desire for you.
O Mary, gentle and humble of heart, remember us when we are in sin.
You know that all men sin.
Give us, by means of your Immaculate Heart, spiritual health.
Let us always see the goodness of your motherly heart
and may we be converted by means of the flame of your heart.
Amen.

O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
refuge of sinners,
I beg of you by the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
and by the graces God has granted to you since your Immaculate Conception,
the grace of never going astray again.
Mother, keep me, a sinner,
constantly bathed in the light of your Immaculate Heart.
Amen.

O Most Blessed Mother, heart of love, heart of mercy, ever listening, caring, consoling, hear our prayer. As your children, we implore your intercession with Jesus your Son. Receive with understanding and compassion the petitions we place before you today, especially... .

We are comforted in knowing your heart is ever open to those who ask for your prayer. We trust to your gentle care and intercession, those whom we love and who are sick or lonely or hurting. Help all of us, Holy Mother, to bear our burdens in this life until we may share eternal life and peace with God forever.

Amen.

Enhance your devotion with these items that honor the eternal love and awesome sacrifice of Jesus and Mary.