Marian Helper Fall 2022

On the liturgical Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (June 24, 2022), the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade was overturned. Coincidence? Or divinely inspired? It certainly comes as no surprise, when you consider the history of papal invocations of the power of the Sacred Heart to change the world. A little less than a century before Roe v. Wade, Pope Leo XIII noted that there was “a sort of wall being raised between the Church and civil society.” What did the Vicar of Christ do? Leo XIII asked for the whole human race to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “Such an act of consecration, since it can establish or draw tighter the bonds which naturally connect public affairs with God, gives to States a hope of better things,” the Holy Father predicted in his 1899 encyclical letter Annum Sacrum. “The whole human race is most truly under the power of Jesus Christ.” Does this mean that after this consecration all evil in society was eradicated? The short answer is, of course, no. In fact, Pope Pius XI sought reparation (or restitution) to the Sacred Heart in his 1928 encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor. “Since in the last century, and in this present century, things have come to such a pass, that by the machinations of wicked men the sovereignty of Christ Our Lord has been denied and war is publicly waged against the Church, by passing laws and promoting plebiscites repugnant to Divine and natural law,” Pius XI observed. “Even now, in a wondrous yet true manner, we can and ought to console that Most Sacred Heart which is continually wounded by the sins of thankless men.” Good fruit So, was the consecration to the Sacred Heart useless if it didn’t seem to do much? Again, the short answer is no. Even though the early- and mid-20th century was wracked by war and assorted evils, the consecration to Christ’s divine and Sacred Heart did bear good fruit. We know this because a third pope, the successor of Pius XI (Ven. Pius XII), also wrote about the Sacred Heart. In his 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pius XII wrote, “The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has triumphed, so to speak, over the errors and the neglect of men.” When so many evils meet Our gaze — such as cause sharp conflict among individuals, families, nations and the whole world, particularly today more than at any other time —where are We to seek a remedy, venerable brethren? Can a form of devotion surpassing that to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be found, which corresponds better to the essential character of the Catholic faith, which is more capable of assisting the presentday needs of the Church and the human race? Certainly not. Pius XII cited two benefits of devotion and reparation to the Sacred Heart that have inspired the pro-life movement: Mary’s spiritual motherhood and Divine Mercy. Spiritual motherhood “Mary the beloved Mother of God and the most loving Mother of us all,” Pius XII wrote, “She who gave birth to our Savior according to the flesh and was associated with Him in recalling the children of Eve to the life of divine grace has deservedly been hailed as the spiritual Mother of the whole human race.” Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has fostered a spirituality and devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart, a mainstay of the pro-life movement. Women have a role model for authentic femininity and motherhood as they look to Mary and learn that they, too, are beloved daughters of the Father. Mothers look to howMary cared for Jesus when He was an infant in the womb. “The adorable Heart of Jesus Christ began to beat with a love at once human and divine after the Virgin Mary generously pronounced Her ‘Fiat,’” Pius XII wrote. Divine Mercy A second benefit that stems from devotion/reparation to the Sacred Heart is Divine Mercy. Divine Mercy affects pro-life work inasmuch as we show merciful love to the most vulnerable, those in the womb. “Christ Our Lord, exposing His Sacred Heart, wished in a quite extraordinary way to invite the minds of men to a contemplation of, and a devotion to, the mystery of God’s merciful love for the human race,” Pius XII wrote. He echoed the words of Pope Leo XIII, who wrote, “[T]here is in the Sacred Heart a symbol and a sensible image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ whichmoves us to love one another.” The defeat of Roe v. Wade on this year’s feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was no coincidence. May we continue to show gratitude and reparation to Christ’s most Sacred Heart, and continue to have the courage and fortitude to turn to the Sacred Heart in our upcoming campaigns for the sanctity of life at all stages. A century before Roe v. Wade, Pope Leo XIII asked for the whole human race to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Marian Helper • Fall 2022 • Marian.org 17

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==