Nancy Durand rscj, Peru
In 1800 when the Society was founded, St Madeleine Sophie may not have reacted in quite the same way, but she was equally moved by the realization that the revelation of the boundless love of God for his creation was to be found in Jesus and in the symbol of his Heart.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart, to the Person of Jesus as it came to be seen, began to take deeper root in France in the years following the Revolution of 1789.
These were the years of Sophie's early childhood. From Joigny, she had heard reports of the terror in Paris, of the sacrileges committed and the desecration of the churches.
She, like the rest of the Christian population, longed to make reparation for what had been done by their countrymen, for the profanities that had been committed and for the lack of understanding of God's love in the preaching of the Jansenists. And what better way to do this than through adoration of Jesus whose presence amongst them was centered in the Eucharist.
From the earliest days of the Society, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament played an important role in the devotion, and the Eucharist remains for us today the way by which
"We enter into the mystery of the open side of Jesus ... and are drawn into his gift to his Father for the life of the world", as our Constitutions tell us.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart, then does not mean a series of religious practices or prayers, though these may be a way of expressing our deepest feelings. It is important to be aware of the difference between such "devotions" and the deep underlying devotion.
To be devoted to someone means in some way to make that person central in one's life, to show affection, be loyal to and caring of that person, to be involved in a committed way with him or her. In the religious sense, it speaks of the bond which binds us to God when we freely offer ourselves to his love and to his service. It takes over the whole life of the one who makes this offering, involving attitudes, inner feelings, preferences, ideas and desires.
Those called by the Spirit and attracted to this particular devotion as a way of organizing into a whole their journey towards God, are those who see in the Heart of Christ the channel through which God moves towards us in the closest possible relationship and through which he reveals the meaning of his love for us.
The Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart speak of the fact that "our sole purpose in living is to glorify the Heart of Jesus, to discover and make known his love."
This is the central element of our charism, our spirit.
What is meant by "glorifying"?
Perhaps we come closest to understanding that term when we look to scripture. In the Old Testament the biblical image of glory was used as a sign of God's presence. No-one could see God but they could behold his glory. Moses saw the glory of God, as did others, but could never see him face to face.
To glorify, then, speaks of making present, showing forth that presence.
Jesus speaks of being "glorified" in his apostles when he addresses his Father in prayer at the Last Supper. Earlier he has told them that it is through loving one another, in ministering to each other, that they show themselves to be his disciples, that they manifest his presence to others.
To glorify the Heart of Jesus means to show forth his presence, his love, his mind, his desire to bring life to all, in the way we live, we love, we go out in service to others.
Devotion to the Heart of Christ is not a self-centered time of prayer, of warm feelings, of satisfaction.
It means:
Coming to know Him through prayer, through meeting him in the Gospels and in the world around us.
It means:
Accepting and returning his love, and allowing ourselves to be caught up in his love for his Father, empowered to do this by his Spirit.
It means:
Endeavouring to make him present in our world, our relationships, our professions, by revealing his love, his concern, to those we meet. By making present his solicitude, his justice, his mercy in our homes, our places of work and relaxation.
We might sum up in the words of Gerard Manly Hopkins which, although addressed to Our Lady, speak equally powerfully to us:
"Who this one work has to do
Let all God's glory through,
God's glory that would go
Through us and from us
flow off
and no way but so."
('Our Lady Compared With the Air We Breathe')
Mary D’Apice rscj
Province of Australia – New Zealand
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