“For God So Loved the World”
John 3:16
Every October, the Church pauses to remember a humble nun whose quiet life in a French convent changed the world. Through St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Jesus revealed His Heart—the source of mercy, tenderness, and love that beats for each of us.
While the Feast of the Sacred Heart is celebrated in June, St. Margaret Mary’s feast day in October invites us to return to the origin of that devotion. It reminds us that the Heart of Jesus is not bound by a single month or feast, but is the living pulse of our faith—a flame of divine love that never ceases to call us back.
A Love Written Into Creation
From the very beginning, God’s love has been expressed through His Heart.
In the Garden of Eden, when God formed Eve from Adam’s side, He revealed something profound: love is born from the heart. Adam’s joy at seeing Eve was a reflection of divine joy—an image of communion that foreshadowed Christ’s own love for His Bride, the Church.
Centuries later, on Calvary, that symbol reached its fulfillment. The side of the New Adam, Jesus Christ, was opened by a soldier’s lance, and from His Sacred Heart flowed blood and water. In that moment, God’s plan of love was made visible. From His Heart came life: the sacraments, the Church, and the grace that still pours out for us today.
The Humble Nun Who Heard His Heartbeat
More than sixteen centuries after that moment on Calvary, a Visitation nun named Margaret Mary Alacoque knelt in her convent chapel in Paray-le-Monial, France. It was there, in the quiet of adoration, that Jesus appeared to her—His Heart visible, aflame, encircled by thorns, and shining with love.
He said to her:
“Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming Itself, in order to testify Its love.”
Over the course of several visions, Our Lord revealed His desire that His Sacred Heart be honored by a special feast day, acts of reparation, and devotion. He asked Margaret Mary to tell the King of France to consecrate the nation to His Heart and to build a chapel in Its honor.
Though her message was not immediately heeded, the devotion began to spread quietly through faithful hearts and holy lives. Eventually, it blossomed into one of the Church’s most beloved devotions, a source of consolation and renewal for souls across the world.
The Heart That Never Stops Loving
The revelations given to St. Margaret Mary remind us of one unshakable truth: the love of Christ is personal, inexhaustible, and alive. His Heart still burns with love for sinners. He still seeks hearts willing to make reparation for the coldness and indifference of the world.
When we honor the Sacred Heart, we are not simply remembering a pious symbol—we are responding to a Person. Jesus invites us to enter into His love, to console His Heart, and to trust that nothing we suffer is unseen by Him.
He also made twelve promises to those who would honor His Sacred Heart, among them peace in families, consolation in trials, and the grace of final repentance. They are assurances that the Heart of Christ is not distant or abstract—it is the steady refuge of the weary and the sinner, the wounded and the faithful alike.
A Message for Our Time
The world of St. Margaret Mary was one of luxury and unrest, not unlike our own. Faith was fading in France; devotion had grown cold. Today, we too live in a time of distraction, division, and spiritual weariness. The Sacred Heart offers the same remedy it always has: love that purifies, heals, and restores.
In the Heart of Christ, we find what the world cannot give—mercy that never runs out, peace that passes understanding, and a love that calls us to conversion. To enthrone His Sacred Heart in our homes, to spend time in adoration, to receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays—these are ways of opening the door of our hearts so that His Heart may dwell within them.
“Learn from Me,” He tells us, “for I am meek and humble of heart.” (Matthew 11:29)
Living Devotion Today
Each October, as we remember St. Margaret Mary, we can renew our own love for the Sacred Heart. Place an image of His Heart in your home, wear a medal close to your own heart, or pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart as a family.
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Small acts of devotion awaken in us what the world tries to numb: the awareness that we are loved beyond measure.
Heart to Heart
The feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque reminds us that devotion to the Sacred Heart is not a relic of the past—it is an invitation for today. Jesus continues to whisper through the centuries, offering His Heart to every soul willing to receive it.
This October, take time for that heart-to-heart with the One who loves you infinitely.
Let His Heart be the source of your strength, the refuge of your soul, and the flame that lights your way home.
