OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART
Day 20: May 30
The devotion to Our Lady of Sacred Heart has its origins in the Marian apparition to Fr Jules Chevalier (15.03.1824-21.10.1907), a French Catholic priest and founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart and the lay associated collectively known as the Chevalier family. This title and devotion do not come from any extraordinary apparition or pious cult. Neither was it a new doctrine. Instead, Mary’s title comes from a life of prayer and reflection on her unique, profound communion and commitment to do the will of the Heavenly Father.
It was not until 1857 when Chevalier brought up the question of what title should the MSC (Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Congregation) give to Mary, exemplifying her intimate relationship with the Sacred Heart. Various suggestions surfaced from a few MSC confreres present with him at the time. Finally, Chevalier announced that her title should be Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. He wrote, "Knowing that all is done through Mary, we decided to associate her in the diffusion of the knowledge of the Heart of her divine Son. But we needed a new title which would indicate her cooperation in this work of regeneration, and it was then that we had the idea of calling her Our Lady of the Sacred Heart."
So, from the very beginning, Devotion to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart has been a devotion propagated to support and serve the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Chevalier began the Devotion to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. It immediately took favor among religious and laypersons–prayed worldwide today. Chevalier saw Our Lady of the Sacred Heart as the first Missionary of the Sacred Heart. Her mission spread the love of the Sacred Heart through her maternal caring and prayers, arriving before the MSC expansion to other countries.
The Image
An image of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart depicts her holding the child Jesus with her other hand pointing and touching his Heart. This image communicates a clear understanding and appreciation for Mary and her role as Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. When the Woman points to the Sacred Heart, she beckons us to “Do whatever he tells you.” She calls her children to do the will of her Son. In Issoudun, France, an image of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart stands in the sanctuary of the Sacred Heart Basilica. She faces her Son on the cross with her right hand facing out to visitors. Her left hand reaches out to the crucified Jesu in front of her, pointing to Him. Her hand points directly to the Heart of Jesus.
At her Annunciation, Mariam (Mary) gave her profound Yes to do the will of God. She never annulled this commitment of obedience to the Father. On the contrary, she made her perpetual vow of discipleship with the words, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” The young Jewish maiden was from Nazareth in Galilee, reared in her Jewish faith and culture, including attending the annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem and the Synagogue, and celebrating the Shabbot each week with her family. First-century Nazareth was a town under Roman rule but not noted for wealth. It was composed of two classes, upper and lower. The upper class comprised farmers; the lower class consisted of “peasants, artisans, the unclean, degraded ones, expendable ones” —the marginalized. Therefore, Mary and her family were artisans, most likely of the lower middle class because her husband was a woodworker. The Roman Government heavily taxed all.
Nevertheless, the Israelites of Nazareth were family oriented. The authority of the father passed to the girl’s husband. There was a two-step process: betrothal and transferal. The former was an official consent between the couple before witnesses. This consent was witnessed as a legal-marriage contract. Entering a marriage contract as early as age 12 was the norm for girls. The time for this bonding was one year, and the woman remained with her parents this year. After one year, she would move in with her husband and his household. Thus Mary became a member of the family of St. Joseph.
As a marginalized member of her society under Herod, Mary was no stranger to poverty or oppression. A corrupt Roman government ruled Nazareth. After the death of Herod (4 B.C.), the Palestinian people revolted. The Romans reacted brutally, putting an end to the rebellion. They massacred many, burned homes, and created enslavement. Mary and St. Joseph were no different from the migration of oppressed persons who must give up their home roots and move to distant lands for shelter. Mary and Joseph first travelled to Bethlehem and later migrated to Egypt to live in a temporary, safer environment. When her Son was around 30, she witnessed His crucifixion, standing at the foot of his cross.
In Mexico too...
It begins with Maria Hendizabal's flight to Mexico. Maria was a young lady who, along with many other French people, had to flee from France as Hitler's army defeated France and marched to the city of Paris. All she wanted was a small house to live in. One of her valuable possessions was a huge painting of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. She wanted to donate it to some parish church as she sought for a tiny little house. Fr Juan Gomez of St Joseph's church received the painting and placed it in the vestibule. This happened on 2nd February 1940. Some hours later, that evening a young boy prayed in front of that image and that nine year old boy was healed of his infantile paralysis. The news of this miraculous healing spread like a wildfire. A parish church which hardly had the attendance of a hundred people at a Sunday Liturgy would soon become a place of attraction for many hundreds of people. Many other miraculous healings took place afterwards.
The parish priest realized that the vestibule was too tiny for the number of pilgrims that came there daily. Therefore he took the painting from the vestibule and placed it in front of the church for a better visibility. The entire church is now covered with remembrances donated by the faithful who received various favors through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Even though the shrine of Our Lady has existed for only 27 years (as of 1966), there have been thousands of cures performed through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. These cures have been verified by affidavits signed by reliable physicians in the presence of notaries; the documents may still be seen in the present day at the shrine. One father, in gratitude for the cure of his daughter, had a silversmith make a new frame for the picture. The picture frame is a fitting gift, and is indescribably beautiful.
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