Jesus, Mercy Incarnate

Him in the work of redemption. He was consoled by the sight of such as St. Francis of Assissi, St. Benedict Joseph Labré, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Gemma Galgani. A similar perspective can be found in Louis Vereheylezoon, S.J., Devotion to the Sacred Heart (cited above), p.88. He saw the lov- ing intention to make amends or reparation to our Savior as hav- ing a real, retroactive effect upon the Heart of Jesus: The fruit of this reparation is not lost for Jesus. Our mak- ing amends consoled and rejoiced His Heart during His mor- tal life. That we were able to do so, before we existed, is owing to His prescience, His foreknowledge of the future. Theologians hold for certain that by the infused prescience with which God invested His soul, Jesus knew all that was in any way connected with the work of Redemption. He foresaw, then , all the good and evil which would occur in the course of time, and hence also whatever would be done for or against Him. He knew then, in particular, how men would repay His love. One may even say that this prevision was one of the causes of His deadly sorrow at Gethsemane. But at the same time He foresaw the tokens of love which He would receive from His faithful followers, and particularly the reparation they would make to Him for the ingratitude of others. It can- not but be that this prospect consoled, encouraged, and forti- fied Him, and helped Him to give Himself up to suffering and death in spite of His prevision of the ingratitude of so many. Whenever, then, we pay to Jesus some homage of reparation, we may cherish the gratifying conviction that, especially dur- ing His agony in the Garden, He saw us in the far off distance of time, that He gratefully looked upon us, and that our repa- ration really soothed His sorrow to some extent, and comfort- ed and strengthened Him in His agony. For a full treatise on this matter see Angelico Koller, S.C.J., Reparation to the Sacred Heart : Theology of Consolation (Hales Corners, Wisconsin: Priests of the Sacred Heart, 1971). For a full history of this matter, including a response to Karl Rahner’s critique of this devotional tradition, see my doctoral thesis for the Angelicum in Rome. 96 Jesus, Mercy Incarnate