Heart-to-heart - Marguerite Marie Alacoque

1647–90

At the age of ten, Marguerite took sick with rheumatic fever and was bedridden for about five years. She prayed fervently during these years, promising to become a nun if God would heal her. He did, and she did.

This time of intense spirituality surely paved the way for visions she had later in life. In these visions, she wrote, “He disclosed to me the marvels of His love and the inexplicable secrets of His Sacred Heart.” She reported that the Lord called for “a special Feast to honor [his] Heart.” There were various promises associated with devotional acts focusing on Jesus’ Sacred Heart—success in life and ministry, peace, and well-being. She said that Jesus wanted his people to be “abundantly enriched with those divine treasures of which this heart is the source.”

Marguerite had a hard time convincing the leaders of her convent and the church that these visitations from God were real, but eventually she won them over. After her death in 1690, the Jesuits picked up her cause. It was still controversial for a time, but eventually the Catholic church adopted many of the devotional practices Marguerite had called for. She was canonized as a saint in 1920.

Critics might question the validity of her visions or decry some of her recommended practices as superstition. But let’s dig down to something we can agree on: the importance of loving Jesus and receiving his love. According to a booklet based on Marguerite’s saying and published shortly after her death, “It is impossible to have a lively faith and live in innocence without being at the same time inflamed with a most ardent love of Jesus Christ, or at least with an ardent desire of loving Him.”

For some Christians, faith is in the brain. They learn the Bible and believe the truth about Jesus. Others are people of action. They don’t just listen to God’s Word, they do it. Their charitable acts are admirable. But Marguerite leads us into an emotional experience of God’s love. Several Scriptures invite us to love and honor God with our whole selves, which would include mind, body, and emotions. How complete is your love for Jesus? Does your heart connect with his heart?

When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion.

Luke 7:13