ORIGIN
OF THIS FESTIVAL
After
many devout souls had venerated the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with
sincere devotion, in the solitude of quiet life, as is seen in the
lives of SS..Augustine, Bernard, Bonaventura, Thomas of Aquin,
Francis de Sales, Ignatius, Clara, Gertrude, Mechtild, Catharine of
Sienna, Theresa, and others, our divine Saviour willed that His
heart's infinite love should be recognized by all men, and be kindled
in cold hearts by a new fire of love. For this end He made use of a
feeble, obscure instrument, that all the world might know that the
devotion to His loving heart; previously almost entirely unknown, was
His own work. This instrument, disregarded by the world, was one who
shone before God in all 'the radiance of the most sublime virtues;
the nun Margaret Alacoque of the order of the Visitation of Mary, at
Paray, in Burgundy. In the year 1675, whilst she was one day in
prayer before the Blessed Sacrament; our Lord appeared to her, and
pointing to His heart which He showed to her, surrounded with flames,
surmounted by the cross, encircled with a crown of thorns, and
pierced with a gaping wound.....
See
more at:
http://faithofthefathersprayers.blogspot.com/2013/06/solemnity-of-most-sacred-heart-of-jesus.html
