Translators Preface

The fact, that the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as it was first made known to the Venerable Mary Margaret, rests upon the foundation of a private revelation, can present no difficulty to the mind of any one, who reflects upon the wonderful condescension shown, in every age, by Almighty God, in His dealings with holy souls. Not to speak, in detail, of His communications with our first Parents, with the Patriarchs, with holy Job, with Samuel, David, Solomon, and with the Prophets in general; what a marvellous familiarity is implied in the account, given in Holy Scripture, of His intercourse with Moses; "the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man is wont to speak to his friend." (Exodus 33:11)

If such was His conduct under the Jewish Law, what might we not expect under the Law of Grace, which was to be delivered to man by the Incarnate Son of God with His own lips? This Law had been already characterized by the Prophet Joel, as a dispensation, in which such communications should be frequent. "It shall come to pass, after this, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." (2:28) This was verified, in the first instance, according to the explanation of Saint Peter, when the Holy Ghost came down in tongues of fire, on the day of Pentecost; we witness its further fulfilment in the lives of the Saints, throughout the subsequent history of the Church. It is enough, without entering into an enumeration, which might begin with the Apostolic age, and be continued to the present, to refer to the lives of Saint Theresa, Saint Bridget, Saint Mechtildis, Saint Gertrude. A well known spiritualist, Master John Avila, speaking of God's secret dealings with His servants, as far as they had come under his notice, says, that they are so wonderful, that, if published, they would hardly be believed.

Many of the devotions, most familiar to the Faithful, have taken their rise in private revelations. Two instances may be cited, which are familiar to all. The devotion to the Scapular of our Lady of Mount Carmel, which is so widely spread and so deeply rooted amongst the Faithful, owes its origin, as most Catholics are aware, to the apparition of our Blessed Lady, in the thirteenth century, to Saint Simon Stock, a countryman of our own, General of the Carmelites, to whom she communicated this holy badge of her servants. This apparition (to cite no other testimonies in its support) is spoken of, as well known, by Benedict XIV, no mean authority upon such a question. (De Canoniz. Lib. iv. P. 2. c. ix. § 10.) It is to a private revelation, that the Faithful are indebted for the Feast of Corpus Christi. In the year 1210, our divine Lord made known to Blessed Juliana His wish, that a special Feast should be instituted to honour His Sacred Body. Urban IV. alludes to this, in the Bull of the institution of that Feast; "We understood formerly," are his words, "whilst in an inferior rank, that certain Catholics had received a revelation from heaven, to the effect that such a Feast should be generally celebrated in the Church."

No objection, then, can be urged against the devotion to the Sacred Heart, on the ground of its resting upon a private revelation; as we see that Almighty God has been pleased so frequently to communicate in this manner with His servants, and that two devotions, so well known amongst Catholics, owe their existence to such an origin.

But it should never be forgotten that, though the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in the particular manner in which it is now practiced by the Faithful, dates from the revelation made by our divine Lord Himself to the Venerable Mary Margaret; still it rests, substantially, upon its own intrinsic grounds, irrespective of any particular revelation.

The Sacred Heart forms a part of the Sacred Body of our Blessed Lord; and, as such, by reason of its hypostatic union with the Eternal Word, claims, by its own right, our highest adoration. As such, it has been the object of the adoration of the Faithful, from the very beginning of the Church. Saints, in all ages, have adored the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saint Augustine, Saint Bernard, Saint Gertrude, recommend this devotion, in language which might be mistaken for that with which we are familiar, at the present day. Saint Gertrude was given to understand by our Divine Lord, that this same devotion, which she had so much at heart, was reserved by Him, to be revealed in a special manner, at a later time, as a last effort of His love. This revelation He has made, through the means of His servant, the Venerable Mary Margaret.

What, then, are the peculiar characteristics which distinguish the devotion to the Sacred Heart, as thus revealed? In the first place, our Blessed Lord has declared His wish, that such a devotion should be practiced by the Faithful; He has specified, in what manner He would have it practiced; He has expressed the end to which these practices should be directed; and He has attached to them the most abundant promises. "I ask," are His words, "that the first Friday, after the Octave of Corpus Christi, be set apart for a special Feast to honour my Heart, by making an act of reparation to it, and by receiving Holy Communion, on that day, in order to repair the indignities, which it has received, during the time that it has been exposed on my altars; and I promise, that my Heart shall dilate itself, to shed in abundance the influence of its divine love upon all who shall pay it this honour, or procure it to be paid." Our Blessed Saviour would have this honour paid to His Sacred Heart; and He would have it paid, in order to repair the indignities, which that Sacred Heart has met with at the hands of men, especially in the Blessed Sacrament.

The object, then, of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, as our Blessed Saviour has Himself declared, is the Sacred Heart itself; the end of the devotion is, to acknowledge the love of that Sacred Heart, and to make reparation to it.

Now; any honour which is paid to the Sacred Body of our Lord, or to any portion of that Sacred Body, has, for its ultimate object, the Person of the Eternal Word, to which the Sacred Body, and every portion of it, is hypostatically united. The devotion, then, to the Sacred Heart, as a portion of that Sacred Body, has, for its ultimate object, the divine Person of our Blessed Lord; the immediate object of this devotion is, if the material object be considered, the Sacred Heart itself; if the spiritual object, the love of our Blessed Saviour, shown especially in His Death, and in the Blessed Sacrament as a memorial of His Death. The Sacred Heart may be aptly regarded as the seat of this love, and it is also the symbol of it. As revealed to the Venerable Mary Margaret by Jesus Himself, how powerfully does it speak the tale of His love. The flames, which burst forth from the Sacred Heart, express the ardour of its divine love; the Cross, with which it is surmounted, and the crown of thorns which encircles it, are emblems of the Passion and Death of our divine Lord, by which His love has been especially shown for man. The end of the devotion, is to acknowledge this love, and to make reparation for the indignities which it has met with, especially in the Blessed Sacrament. The reward, attached to the practice of this devotion, is an abundant communication of divine grace.

The Month of the Sacred Heart is divided into thirty-three days; this number has been selected in order to honour the thirty-three years of our Blessed Lord's mortal life upon earth. Although this devotion may be practised, with advantage, during any period of the year, the Month of June is commonly chosen as the most appropriate, for honouring the Sacred Heart. It is the month, in which the Feast of Corpus Christi most frequently falls, and that of the Sacred Heart always. It follows, also, immediately upon the Month of May; and there can be no better introduction to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, than through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

A consideration is given for each day, together with a pious practice for the day, and an ejaculatory prayer. Those who join in the devotion of the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, are recommended to renew the Act of Consecration, at the beginning of the Exercises for each day; and to repeat the double invocation of the Sacred Hearts, three times, at the conclusion of the consideration.

A translation of this work appeared in English, several years ago; the author of the present translation became aware of the fact, only after the present translation had been completed.

It may be interesting to the reader to know, that the work, from which this translation is made, is held in high esteem on the Continent. It first appeared in 1836, and has already reached the eighteenth Edition; no fewer than 10,000 copies are sold annually.

- Stonyhurst
- Feast of the Invention of the Holy Cross, 1858