Two
biblical references have influenced
devotion to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus in a special way, stressing
the love of God and profound
meditation of the wounds of
Christ, especially the wound
of his heart. Devotion to the
heart of Mary has grown above
all through meditation on St.
Luke's Gospel where he speaks
about the heart of Mary.
Devotion
to Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
Revelation
of the love of God
Devotion
to Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
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Pope
Pius XII
in his encyclical
'Hauretis Aquas'
says:
- »Both
Old and New
Testaments,
with moving
images and emphasis,
proclaim and
emphasize God's
love for us:
what veneration
of the heart
of Jesus is
all about«
(Nr. 13).
- For
»the mystery
of God's love
is the beginning
and the culmination
both of incarnation
and redemption«
(Nr. 24).
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God's
love reveals itself most profoundly
in Jesus Christ.
Devotion
to Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
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Pope
John Paul II
asks in one of his
addresses:
- »Is
this not the
heart of Him
'who went about
doing good'
(Ac 10:38)?
- Is
this not the
heart of Him
who enabled
the blind to
see again, the
lame to walk
again, and who
raised the dead
to life, and
who proclaimed
the Good News
to the poor
(Lk 7:22)?
- Is
this not the
heart of Jesus
who had nowhere
to lay his head,
although the
foxes had holes
and the birds
of the air had
nests (Mt 8:20)?
- Is
this not the
heart of Jesus
who defended
a woman who
was caught in
the very act
of committing
adultery so
that she would
not be stoned,
and who said
to her, 'Go
away, and sin
no more!' (Jn
8:3–10)?«
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Devotion
to Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
The
love of the heart of Jesus is
described in the Catechism
of the Catholic Church:
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- »Because
Jesus accepted
the love of
his Father in
people in his
human heart,
'he showed his
perfect love
for them' (Jn
13:1),
- for
"a man
can have no
greater love
than to lay
down his life
for his friends"
(Jn 15:13).
- In
this way his
human nature
in suffering
and death became
a free and perfect
means of his
divine love
that desires
the salvation
of all people«
(Nr. 609).
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Devotion
to Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
The
wounds of Christ
God's
love reached its peak in Christ's
sacrifice on Calvary when
his sacred heart was pierced
with a lance.
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- Special
attention to
the wounds of
Christ is made
by the Evangelist
John who speaks
about a soldier
piercing Jesus'
side with a
lance, and after
Christ's resurrection
he tells about
the encounter
of the risen
Redeemer with
the apostles
and again later,
when Thomas
was present.
- A
manual of popular
devotions and
liturgy, published
in 2002 by the
Pontifical Congregation
for Divine Worship
and Sacraments,
states:
- »We
can say in a
sense that devotion
in honor of
the heart of
Jesus is a transmission
in liturgical
forms of the
look that all
Christian generations
according to
prophetic and
Gospel word
direct towards
him who had
been pierced
(cf. Jn 19:37;
Zc 12:10),
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- that
is, to the side of Christ,
pierced with a lance from
which blood and water flowed
(cf. Jn 19:34) as a symbol
of "a wonderful sacrament
for the whole Church".
- In
the text of the Gospel according
to John, Jesus spoke about
his hands and his side,
which He showed to his disciples
(cf. Jn 20:20),
- and
He called Thomas to put
his hand into his side (cf.
Jn 20:29). This greatly
influenced the beginning
and development of the Church's
devotion to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus.« (Nr. 167).
Devotion
to Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
The
heart of Mary
The
Bible also speaks about the
heart of Mary.
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- The
Evangelist Luke
reports that
all the words
that the shepherds
spoke to Mary
about Jesus,
Mary »treasured
and pondered
them in her
heart«
(Lk 2:19).
- When
they found Jesus
in the temple
the same evangelist
adds in a similar
way: »His
mother stored
all these things
in her heart«
(Lk 2:51).
- The
evangelist thus
called attention
to the spiritual
depth of Mary's
heart, which
was totally
directed towards
Jesus. This
is revealed
in the words
she said to
the angel: »I
am the handmaid
of the Lord,
let what you
have said be
done to me!«
(Lk 1:38).
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The
prophecy of Simeon also speaks
about Mary's heart:
- »And
a sword will pierce your
own soul too
– so that the secret thoughts
of many may be laid bare«
(Lk 2:35).
- The
spiritual depth of Mary's
heart is beautifully revealed
in her Magnificat: »My
soul proclaims the greatness
of the Lord« (Lk 1:46–55).
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