Thought for the Day – 2 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Necessity of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
“Considered as the cult of the love of God and of His Incarnate Son, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is a necessary and obligatory religious practice.
God loved us so much, that He willed that the Eternal Word should assume a human nature, instruct us concerning the way to Heaven and give us the means necessary to reach it and, die upon the Cross, in order to impart to us, the merits of the shedding of His Precious Blood.
It is obvious, then, that we have a strict duty to make a return of homage and love, for such great love on God’s part.
“God so loved the world,” the Gospel says, “that He gave His only-begotten Son that those who believe in Him, may not perish but may have life everlasting” (Jn 3:16).
“In this, has the love of God been shown in our case,” St John adds in his first epistle, “that God has sent His only-begotten Son into the world that we may live through Him” (1 Jn 4:9).
It is the mystery of the immeasurable love of God, that He became man, suffered and died for us.
We should offer Him, in return, not only the affection of our hearts but, also, our adoration, gratitude and the dedication of our entire lives in His service.
As He lived and died for love of us, so we should live and die for love of Him.
As His human-divine actions were aimed at our salvation, so we should aim all our thoughts and actions at the promotion of His glory.
In this way, writes Pope Pius XI, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, becomes the synthesis of Christianity and the guide to more perfect knowledge, love and imitation of Christ (Encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor, AAS 1928, p.167).”
Antonio Cardinal Bacci
AnaStpaul 
So true words and for me it makes me feel that the devotion should have been started long ago instead of the 19th century
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It was Hughie – it irritates me that only St Margaret Mary is remembered but devotion to the Sacred Heart actually began with the visions of St Gertrude the Great and St Mechtilde, her sister in the 1200s. Both died in 1302 and their most wonderful devotions are still very much in evidence in the Church. In fact, tomorrow’s Sacred Heart Prayer is by St Gertrude. For some reason, during the interceding centuries, St Gertrude’s devotion to the Passion took precedence over her Sacred Heart teachings.
Then, in modern times, the divine mercy devotion has attempted to again eclipse the Sacred Heart BUT I am totally against the divine mercy devotion for many reasons.
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I have to say I also have a few things that don’t make sense to me. I also know that some priests don’t seem to care about it
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And by the way, your innate feeling is the truth – your own heart has recorded the truth!
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