Sermons on the Sacred Heart

“The Sacred Heart of Jesus the most Worthy Object of Adoration and Love.
By Rev. J. Fuhlrott

"And they shall look upon me, whom they have pierced." - Zach. xii. 10

Index 

For the devotion to the sacred heart of Jesus, which has experienced during this and the last century such a satisfactory development, we are indebted primarily to the blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque, of the order of the Visitation, whose solemn beatification was celebrated by Pope Pius IX. on September 18, 1864.  This pious servant of God possessed a most ardent love for Jesus in the most holy sacrament of the altar.  While she was praying one day before the tabernacle her beloved Savior appeared to her, pointed to His heart, and said:

"See this heart, which loves men so dearly and has stopped at nothing too prove its love to mankind; but instead of love and gratitude it receives from most men only cold ingratitude, contempt, dishonor, and abuse.  Thou canst prove thy great love to me by adoring my heart and by spreading the devotion to it throughout the whole Church."

Margaret was fully aware of the difficulty of the task imposed upon her, but she never ceased, assisted by her confessor, to work by prayer and example for the spreading of this devotion to the sacred heart of Jesus, and she had the great joy to know when she died a happy death on October 17, 1690. that this devotion had spread far beyond the limits of her convent.  The sacred heart of Jesus is indeed the most worthy object for our devotion and love.  We will understand this so much the better and be encouraged in our devotion and love to the sacred heart of Jesus if we consider:

(1.) What is the object in the devotion to the sacred heart of Jesus
(2.) What is the object of this devotion

    (1.) In a general way, this devotion to the sacred heart of Jesus, like so many other devotions, has for its object the incarnate Son of God, our Divine Savior, but its particular object is the adorable heart of Jesus, filled as it is with an ardent love for mankind.  The human heart of Jesus, with its ardent love for us, therefore, is the object of our devotion.  In this sense the devotion to the sacred heart of Jesus was revealed to blessed Margaret.  In this sense it was put before the Holy Father for his sanction.  In this sense it was introduced for public practice, and in this sense this devotion is loved and practiced throughout the Catholic world.  The sect of the Jansenists, which was at that time very prevalent, fought against this devotion to the sacred heart of Jesus, and maintained that the object of this devotion was not the real, human heart of Jesus, but that it represented the love of Jesus symbolized by his heart.  This sect scoffed at the adorers of the sacred heart and called it superstitious materialism to adore and pray to the human Christ or a part thereof, His heart.  But Pope Pius VI, in the year 1781, declared most emphatically that the essence of this devotion consists of the contemplation and adoration of the sacred heart of Jesus, and within it the love and devotion of our Divine Savior. 

This devotion to the sacred heart of Jesus has since spread over the whole world as a particularly fond expression of piety.  Many confraternities and societies were founded which have the devotion of the sacred heart for their particular object.  This devotion was very properly brought into close relationship to the devotion for Jesus in the most holy sacrament of the altar, for which reason the Feast of the Sacred Heart was fixed upon the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi.  Pope Pius IX and Pope Leo XIII have both advanced and spread the devotion to the sacred heart by their example, by recommendation, and by the granting of many indulgences.  The latter has bestowed particular honor upon the devotion by making, in the year 1889, the Feast of the Sacred Heart a feast of the first order.

The heart of Jesus, the most noble part of His precious body, is in itself worthy of adoration, and as the seal of His infinite love for mankind, the worthiest object of our devotion.  Who can recount or report what and how the heart of Jesus felt for mankind during the thirty-three years of His human existence from the crib to the time when His loving heart broke on the cross on Mount Calvary?  When His mouth could not speak to us any more, Jesus, though dying, would still speak to us through His heart.  That is why it happened that one of the solders opened his side with a spear and pierced His heart, from which immediately there came forth blood and water.  Though the Savior had received numerous wounds and finally shed His blood in streams through His wounds on the hands and feet for our sins, yet He let them pierce even His heart, so as to prove to us, with the gushing forth of the last drop of His heart's blood, that He had spent it all without any reserve for the love of us.  It is not without significance that this occurrence has not been reported by any other evangelist but by St. John, the favorite disciple, who knew the love of the heart of Jesus best, "as he had leaned on Jesus' bosom at the Last supper" (St. John xiii. 23).

The opened heart of Jesus is all the more a worthy object of our devotion as it was the only and final cause of touching His enemies and murderers and of converting many of them.  As soon as His heart was opened there were heard sighs and lamentations on Mount Calvary.  The heathen centurion, the heathen soldiers, and all the multitude trembled and mourned, and many struck their breasts and said: "Indeed, this man was the Son of God" (St. Luke xxiii 47, 48, and St. Mark xv. 39).

Oh, my dear friends, why should we not adore the most sacred heart of Jesus, this adorable seat of the Savior's love for mankind, this wounded heart, this unerring mirror of the immeasurable love of our Savior, which touched even His executioners and filled the most hardened sinner with repentance?

This same heart of Jesus is even to-day and will remain for all times the object of our devotion in the most holy sacrament of the altar, for it is still the seat of the love of Jesus for mankind, which embraces all, the just and the unjust, the sick and the well.  This heart and this love is and will be for all times the most worthy object of devotion for those who are seeking the Savior.

    (2.)  It is easily understood from the foregoing that the particular object of the devotion to the sacred heart of Jesus is to return the love and give, as it were, satisfaction for the insults and offenses which have and are still being offered to the sacred heart of Jesus.  The Savior Himself has pointed out this purpose in His apparition when, while explaining to blessed Margaret the devotion to His most sacred heart, He said: "Instead of love and gratitude, it receives from most men only cold ingratitude, contempt, dishonor, and abuse."  These words of Jesus about the purpose of the devotion to His most sacred heart are perfectly clear, and this double object - the return of His love and satisfaction for the offenses offered to Him - as referred to in all memorials and petitions which refer to the establishing of the feast, the formation of the society, and the adoration of the most sacred heart of Jesus, as well as in the papal bulls which were issued in reference to it.

And who would refuse to love this most amiable, this most loving, this most patient and pure heart of Jesus?  "If any man love not Lord Jesus Christ, let him be "anathema maranatha," says the apostle (I. Cor. xvi. 22) - anathematized from the community of Christians.  We have heard that Jesus hanging on the cross, let them pierce His heart so as to prove to us that He would sacrifice for us even the last remains of His love.  We find it symbolized in the flowing of blood and water.  This blood and water is looked upon by the holy fathers as a twofold and mysterious symbol of the many graces which he generous love of our Savior has presented to us.  From the opened heart of Jesus arise, says St. Chrysostom, the holy sacrament - the blood, which nourishes our soul, and the water, which purifies it.

And how full of significance is this blood and water as a symbol of love and atonement.  "When Pilate had condemned the innocent Jesus to death, he called for water to wash his hands before the people, saying: 'I am innocent of the blood of this just man; look you to it.'  And the Jews answering said: 'His blood be upon us and upon our children'"  (St. Matt xxvii, 24, 25)  So that all, heathen as well as Jew, should see, that He loved them all in a like manner and offered them all the same means of atonement, blood and water flowed from His pierced heart.

This blood and water of the heart of Jesus is to-day still the inexhaustible source from which men draw eternal life, as the Savior said to the woman of Samaria at Jacob's Well: "But the water that I will give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life everlasting" (St. John iv 14)  This water points to the water of baptism, without which nobody can have eternal life.  But the blood points to the source of grace in the most holy sacrament of the altar, in which Jesus dwells among us and calls to us with the most tender love: "Come to me, all ye that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you" (St. Matt xl, 28).  And why should we not return this love?  Why not love this heart which was broken for the love of us?  But our love for His most sacred heart should not be shown by words alone.  We must show it by our deeds, as the Savior Himself has said: "He that hath my commandments and keep them, he it is that loveth me"  (St. John xiv. 21).  We can show our love for the most sacred heart of Jesus by fulfilling the commandments of the love of God and our neighbors: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with they whole soul, and with thy whole mind.  And thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself" (St. Matt. xxii. 37, 39).

We can show our love for the most sacred heart of Jesus by appropriating and imitating the favorite virtues of Christ, humility, meekness, and patience, as the Lord says:  ". . . learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart" (St. Matt. xi. 29).  We can show our love for the most sacred heart of Jesus by professing cheerfully the name of Jesus and His religion, as the Savior Himself says, "Every one, therefore, that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father, who is in heaven" (St. Matt. x. 32).  We can show our love for the most sacred heart of Jesus by our willingness to suffer wrongs, persecution, and misfortune for His sake, if God's providence should send us these, like the apostles, who "rejoiced that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus" (Acts v. 41).  We can show our love for the most sacred heart of Jesus by carefully avoiding all sin, because by sin the heart of Jesus is saddened the most, by being willing to avoid everything which may lead us into sin and separate us from the love of Jesus, as the Savior Himself says: "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (St. Matt x 37).  We can show our love for the most sacred heart of Jesus by loving our neighbors ourselves, for the Lord will only acknowledge that we are His followers if we love one another, "As I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another" (St. John xiii 34, 35).  We can show our love for the most sacred heart of Jesus by our works of Christian charity, by following the principle which the loving heart of Jesus teaches and follows: "And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner" (St. Luke vi 31).  Yes, my dear friends, it is certain that the heart of Jesus never rejoices more than when men, whom the Master has taught by word and example, show and exercise practical charity for each other, as we can learn from the words of the Lord Himself. "Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me" (St. matt. xxv. 40).

Do we find his love for the sacred heart in the world?  The greater number of men are heathens and know nothing of the love of Jesus and His sacred heart.  Among the Christians there are many heretics and doubters who refuse to believe in the love of Jesus and His sacred heart, who rather offend it and bring sorrow to it by deriding and persecuting His sacred teachings, His holy Church, her priests and rites.  And even among the faithful followers of Jesus, how few there are who really and truly love the most sacred heart of Jesus!

Let us, my dear friends, belong to those few who really and truly do love the sacred heart.  Let us prove this love -

First, by piously and worthily receiving the sacrament of penance and the Holy Eucharist make reparation to the sacred heart for all the sorrows which we have so often inflected upon it.

Second, let us prove our filial love and gratitude by assisting frequently at the devotions to the sacred heart.

Third, let us add to our daily morning, noon, and evening prayers the short prayer: "Sacred heart of Jesus, I implore that I may love thee ever more and more."

Fourth, let us offer up all our works, our sorrows, and our sufferings to the sacred heart.

Fifth, let us not turn away the poor without giving them alms in the name of the most sacred heart.

Finally, let us forgive and forget all offenses offered us for the sake of the most sacred heart.

If we thus love and honor the most sacred heart of Jesus the Lord will fulfill what He has promised us: "And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him . . . and, we will come to him and will make our abode with him" (St. John xiv. 21-23).  Amen.