On this Sacred Heart Friday, I am relating to you something about the creation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is appropriate given that as this is posted, it is the Vigil of the Solemnity of the Annunciation.This comes from a private revelation, and thus is not binding on Catholics. However, my personal opinion regarding approved private revelations is that they are not binding on the faithful in much the same way that putting on a parachute is not binding on you when you jump out of a plane. You don’t have to wear one, but it’s a good idea anyway.
It comes from “The Mystical City of God,” by the Venerable Mary de Jesus de Agreda. Mary de Agreda was a Franciscan nun who served as abbess of a cloistered convent in Agreda, Spain, in the 17th Century. She experienced a series of visions during which the Blessed Mother communicated her life to the abbess. It’s the most complete biography of the Virgin Mary ever written and there are quite a lot of deep insights into theology and doctrine, as well as a host of mystical meditations and…. well, words don’t do it justice but the volumes are incredible and worth getting. “The Mystical City of God” comes in four volumes and is 2,700 pages long. Don’t let that intimidate you. If you read a lot, it’s like the equivalent of 8-10 books. You’re gonna read at least that many this year, ain’t you? Well, these are better! You can pace yourself, if needed. Eight pages a day will get you done in one year. One chapter a day (more sensible a task than 8 pages/day) will take you through it in seven months. They are available for sale through various publishers, as well as free PDFs online (the books are public domain.) I’ve read the four volume unabridged edition twice, and am embarking upon a third reread. (There is an abridged version.)
It happens immediately after Mary gave her consent for the Holy Spirit to overshadow her causing the Incarnation. Here is an image of the passage from “The Incarnation,” the volume from which it was taken (the “Incarnation,” the second of the four volumes.)
Three drops of blood from Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart gathered and deposited in her sacred womb. From this, Jesus drew His genetic material and His Sacred Humanity.
The issuing of the blood from her heart symbolized her Sorrowful Heart, which was to suffer much as prophesied by Simeon. So, there in a connection between her Sorrowful Heart and His Sacred Heart. This makes sense, given her sorrow was over His passion and death for the love of us that emanated from His Sacred Heart; and our devotion to the Sacred Heart serves as a reparation for sins committed against Him, and, by extension, Our Lady. When we make reparation to the Sacred heart, we are also consoling her.
The Solemnity of the Annunciation can be considered a celebration of the union of the Two Hearts – The Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Our Lady and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. (There is a devotion to the Two Hearts (as well as prophecies), which I’ll look into and write about later (May/June?)
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