The Devotion and Office of the Sacred Heart of the Lord Jesus Christ/Part 1

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The Devotion and Office of the Sacred Heart of the Lord Jesus Christ
by François Joseph Gaston de Partz de Pressy

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4028640The Devotion and Office of the Sacred Heart of the Lord Jesus Christ — Part the firstFrançois Joseph Gaston de Partz de Pressy

THE

DEVOTION

TO THE

SACRED HEART OF JESUS.

PART THE FIRST.

CHAP. I.

Of the Nature of the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.

To satisfy the enlightened reader on this important point of our work, it will he necessary to begin by making two essential observations.

1. An object, which, considered precisely in itself, is not worthy of certain honours, may, by an intimate union with another object, to which they are due, become entitled to them. Thus the sacred humanity of Jesus Christ, as a created object, is not worthy of the adoration of Latria, the supreme worship. but becomes worthy of it by its intimate union with the divinity, so that by a single act we adore indivisibly the humanity and divinity, as all divines teach after St. Thomas, p. 3. 1. 25. art. 2, 3. The same may be said of all natural objects. The human body, by its union with the soul, acquires a right to all those honours which are paid to the soul; equal honour is paid to both these objects, which is equally referred to body and soul; it is a general maxim, that a spiritual object communicates its dignity and excellence to the material object to which it is united, and in this state renders it worthy of the honours which are paid to itself.

2. In every devotion and every festival which regards the sacred humanity of Jesus Christ, there are two objects, the one sensible and material, the other spiritual and invisible, which are closely united and indivisibly honoured, from the communication we have just now mentioned. But it is the sensible material object which gives the denomination to a devotion or festival. A few examples will make this clear.

Let us take the devotion to the cross of Jesus Christ, to his wounds, to his name, which the church has made so many festivals. What is the object of the feast of the cross? It is two-fold: there is a material object, which is the cross itself, and there is a spiritual object, namely, Jesus Christ crucified, and consummating on the cross the sacrifice of our redemption. The spiritual object communicates to the cross its dignity, and by its union renders it worthy of the great honours which are solemnly paid to it by the church. But the festival does not take its name from this spiritual object, but from the material, and it is called the feast of the cross. In like manner the devotion to the wounds of Jesus Christ, has two objects indivisibly united! the wounds themselves, which are a sensible object, and the sufferings of Jesus Christ, caused by those wounds, and the mystery of love therein contained, which form a spiritual object. The devotion takes its name from the wounds, the sensible object; but it is the spiritual object, or the mystery of the sufferings and love of Jesus Christ, that renders these wounds so venerable and amiable. The same may be said of the festival of the holy name of Jesus: the name itself exhibited to the faithful is the sensible object; the spiritual objects are the mysteries contained in this name, which expresses all the grandeur of a Man-God. What we have said of these three devotions may be applied to all others. I now come to the subject before us, and I will endeavour to give you a clear and distinct idea of the devotion of which we treat.

If we would enter into the designs of Jesus Christ, we need look no farther for this idea of the devotion to his sacred heart, than to the revelation which gave rise to it; and since it has pleased our divine Redeemer to explain himself on this subject, his own words will furnish the best idea we can form of it; as he has spoken so plainly that he cannot be misunderstood. We will lay this part of the revelation before our readers. But since the church has delivered no opinion on this revelation, nor on the sanctity of the person who received it, I must conform to the wise regulations of the Holy See, by declaring that I deliver it only as an historical fact, well enough grounded to deserve the assent and belief of the faithful. I speak of it as the revelation of Saint Juliana, which gave occasion to the festival of the Body oj Christ , as was spoken of at the time. I claim no other authenticity for it, than was formerly allowed the revelations of Saint Magdalen de Pazzi, and St. Catherine of Sienna, &c., before they were canonized. Having made this declaration, I proceed to the revelation itself.

On a certain, day, that had fallen within the octave of Corpus Christie Jesus Christ appeared to the mother, Mary Margaret, a holy nun in the convent of the visitation of our Blessed Lady at Paroy, in the province of Burgundy, and spoke thus to her: — "You cannot festify your love for me better, than by doing what I have so often asked at thy hands; (here disclosing his sacred heart,) he said Behold this heart, which has loved mankind so tenderly, and spared nothing, even to the wasting and consuming itself, in testimony of its love; and yet in return I generally meet with nothing but ingratitude, contempt, sacrileges, irreverences, and coldness even in the very sacrament of my love; and what still more sensibly affects me is, that I receive this usage from hearts peculiarly consecrated to my service. Wherefore I demand of thee, that the first Friday after the octave of the blessed sacrament, be consecrated to a special feast in honour of my heart; that a solemn reparation of honour, and a public act of atonement, be offered to it on that day, and holy commonion received, with an intention to repair by it, as far as possible, all the injuries and affronts it has received when exposed on the altars; (t and I promise it shall dilate itself to pour profusely the gifts of divine love on all such persons as shall pay to it this homage, and induce others to the performance of the same religious office. Address thyself to my servant N. and bid him from me, to do all he can to establish this devotion.”