The Month of the Sacred Heart: Sacrifice, Mercy, and Creation

What began as a devotion among the faithful in the eleventh century to the Five Wounds of Christ grew over the centuries into a particular devotion to the merciful, wounded Sacred Heart of Jesus. After subsequent centuries of growing popularity—and the visions of a pious religious sister—in July 1899, Pope Leo XIII decreed the worldwide Feast of the Sacred Heart to be celebrated by the universal church. And now, with a Supreme Pontiff who has taken the name as Leo XIII’s successor, and as we reflect on the tenth anniversary of Laudato Si’, we should this month—the month devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus—reflect on what the ancient Catholic devotion means for us. What does a spirituality connected to Christ’s wounded heart teach us about a true, integral, and human ecology? How does it inspire us to live a worldview truly steeped in virtue, on fire with a love of God, neighbor, and all creation?

To help with all this, we can turn to the great Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which Leo XIII approved also in 1899. Those familiar with it will recall its profound pleas for mercy. Indeed, its stance of sinner desiring mercy aligns with the modern foundations of the Feast of the Sacred Heart: the visions of Sister (now Saint) Margaret Mary Alacoque. According to a history of the devotion by Catholic writer Kathy Schiffer, during the octave of Corpus Christi in 1675, “Sister Margaret Mary received the vision which came to be known as the ‘great apparition.’ Jesus asked that the modern Feast of the Sacred Heart be celebrated each year on the Friday following Corpus Christi, in reparation for the ingratitude of men for the sacrifice which Christ had made for them.”

Mankind’s ingratitude is vast, and it certainly extends to a frequent lack of appreciation for the great gift of creation. What God has given us to nurture and protect—the very created order that sustains us—we have all too often wantonly abused.

All of which makes the Litany to the Sacred Heart that much more meaningful for those of us working to champion the beauty and the needs of the natural order. Indeed, several petitions within the litany are of particular importance for the prayer life of Catholic ecologists.

Here are just a few, which link creation, the incarnation, and life everlasting:

Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother: Have mercy on us.

The great proclamation of Christianity is, of course, that the Word of God became flesh (John 1:14). Divinity has touched the created order and definitively entered human history. From Jesus Christ’s first moment of human conception to His death and burial, Christ has elevated the created order with His presence. Unlike any other faith, Christianity declares that God’s creation maintains a goodness and dignity, so much so that God Himself can call it home. Indeed, as we read in Genesis after the great sin of Adam and Eve, God walked through His garden (Genesis 3:8)—just as Christ has walked through its fallen remains. And with the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, through our baptism we also walk the paths of creation, which we are called to protect, nurture, and relish.

And so, we can cry to the Heart of Jesus—formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother—“Have mercy on us!” Mercy for all our sins; those against God; our neighbors; and against the great garden that God has graciously given us and asked to tend.

Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills: Have mercy on us.

Our faith is rich with literary treasures—terms and phrases that carry great meaning and beauty, but that we may brush past without having wondered what they may mean, or we have never been taught their significance. One of these is a repeated reference to the blessings of everlasting hills. The term is introduced in The Book of Genesis, spoken by Jacob on his deathbed. In his blessings to his twelve sons, Jacob ends with the two from his wife Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin. To the former, Jacob calls to mind the order of God’s creation as well as His promise to Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham:

The God of your father, who helps you,

God Almighty, who blesses you,

With the blessings of the heavens above,

the blessings of the abyss that crouches below,

The blessings of breasts and womb,

the blessings of fresh grain and blossoms,

the blessings of the everlasting mountains,

the delights of the eternal hills.

May they rest on the head of Joseph,

on the brow of the prince among his brothers. (Genesis 49:25-26)

The term is reprised in Deuteronomy as Moses himself blesses the tribes of Israel. Echoing Jacob’s blessing to Joseph, Moses blesses Joseph’s house with a promise of God’s eternal providence …

… the finest gifts of the ancient mountains

and the best from the everlasting hills. (Deuteronomy 33:15)

In other words, God’s providence—through His everlasting creation—is a blessing for all eternity. This is indeed a formidable promise. But note the litany’s phrasing: It is the very heart of Jesus, from which we seek Divine Mercy, that the everlasting hills themselves desire. Put simply, it is not just fallen humanity that desires the mercy and grace of God. The entire fallen created order does, too.

Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection: Have mercy on us.

We creatures need all of creation for our physical life—a truth that ecologists must frequently remind our brothers and sisters. But, as our Lord reminded the Evil One when tempted, man does not live by bread alone (Luke 4:4, Matthew 4:4). As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever more shall be, Christ is the true source of life. And as the first fruits of a new creation, Christ’s resurrection promises an eternal life in new heavens and new earth, where sin and death are no more.

One should not be surprised to find such creation-redemptive themes and imagery within the Litany to the Sacred Heart. The essence of our faith, after all, is in the Triune God that is Creator, sacrificial redeemer, and the maker of all things new.

The words spoken to Sister Margaret Mary by Christ implore us to contemplate His heart and to seek His mercy, so that we may better love Him, each other, and all creation.

This is certainly a call—as well as a devotion and a month—that Catholic ecologists should and must embrace.

Jesus, meek and humble of heart: Make our hearts like unto Thine.