Divine Mercy: The Heart of the Gospel

60 Divine Mercy: The Heart Of The Gospel Thus, it is absolutely necessary that the faithful venerate and honor this Heart, in the expression of their private piety as well as in the services o f public cult, for of His fullness we have all received; and they must learn perfectly from Him how they are to live in order to answer the demands of our time.6 Finally, in 1994, the new Catechism o f the Catholic Church, promul­ gated by Pope John Paul II, contains the following remarkable statement about the importance o f the symbol of the Heart of Jesus (no. 478): The Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our sal­ vation, “is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of t h a t ... love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings” without exception.7 We need not belabor the point. Suffice it to say that for over a centu­ ry now, the successors o f St. Peter have repeatedly exhorted the faithful to honor the Heart o f Jesus, and to practice this devotion with love and zeal. The popes have good reason for this recommendation, for the devo­ tion to the Heart o f Jesus has an impressive pedigree. It is rooted in the Gospels, in our Lord’s call: “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11: 28-29). Again, our Lord cried out on the feast of the tabernacles: “If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and d r ink ... as the scripture has said ‘Out o f His Heart shall flow rivers o f living water’ ” (John 7:37-38). In the Heart of Jesus, therefore, we can find rest for our soul’s weariness, and refreshment for our soul’s thirst. All this was made manifest on the Cross, when His side was opened by the lance, and out of His Heart flowed streams o f water and blood (John 19:34), symbolic o f all the graces o f Baptism and the Eucharist. Many great saints have had a special devotion to the Heart o f Jesus, including St. Bernard o f Clairvaux, St. Albert the Great, St. Bonaventure, St. Lutgard, St. Gertrude the Great, St. Peter Canisius, St. Francis De Sales, St. John Eudes, St. Claude De La Colombiere, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Madeleine Sophie Barat and Bl. Dina Belanger. The greatest impetus toward the spread o f this devotion, however, came