Cheryl "The Earthly Angel"
Beloved of All
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an act of love.
It is a love that we express through our thoughts, words, or actions to our good God, Who makes His divine love known to us through His Son and through the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the manifestation of human and divine love in Jesus Christ, True Man and True God, Redeemer and King. The Sacred Heart of Jesus reveals the depths of God’s love for us.
When we speak of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we speak in a single, simple expression of the sensible human love of Jesus. We speak at the same time of a human love that was infused with a divine love in His soul and His will. Finally, we speak of a divine love which Jesus shares with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. When we speak of the Sacred Heart of Jesus we are reflecting and discussing fundamentally this: the love of and mercy of Jesus Christ.
“The heart” is the inner-most life of any man, woman, or child.
“The heart of Jesus” is His inner life, which was always radiated truth, goodness, and beauty.
“The Sacred Heart of Jesus” is both His heart of flesh, but also His mercy and love—both as a man and as God.
Such love surpasses human understanding. Such love led God to become man and face the agonizing death of the Cross—this love demonstrates God’s desire for our redemption and our love.
Devotion is any action in which we freely show ourselves willing to serve God. Through devotion we offer our talents for His use; we offer of thoughts, actions, and sufferings to Him. We offer all these things—although God does not need them—for His service and the service of His Church. All true devotion is offered out of love.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the honor that we show and the service we wish to render for the love of God. It is love returned for love. It is a firm response to the action of God in our lives. It is more than simple honor—the kind that we would show men. It is the loving worship of the Divine Love by which we were loved first. God loved us in Jesus and through the Holy Spirit. Through this Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we love God in return.
Through the devotion of the Sacred Heart, the Church reminds us that love is not something soft, occasional, and sentimental, but strong, enduring and sacrificial. This understanding of love is the basis for true friendship—human and divine.
The Church teaches that in the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is found the summary of our entire Faith. Without honor, veneration and love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus only an imperfect understanding of God’s love and mercy will be found.
Love for the Sacred Heart is love shown back for love—
- The love of God the Creator, Who brought into existence the world and the human race out of sheer love and goodness.
- The love of God for having chosen to live among men and be their God.
- The love and mercy of God the Son, Who took on our humanity so that He might freely suffer and die for our redemption.
- The love of Christ the Teacher who calls us to imitate Him and follow this command: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
- The love of God the Holy Spirit, who makes Christ known to us and through Whom the love of God is poured into our hearts.
Open your hearts to Jesus through prayer! Let his love and mercy fill your heart. God Bless you!
