From the desk of the Tar Heel disciple:
June 17, 2026 (#107)
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
The first liturgical observance of the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, approved by the local bishop, took place in Rennes, France in 1670. It had been promoted by St. John Eudes. This was some three years before St. Margaret Mary Alacoque experienced her first vision of Jesus in the chapel of the Visitation Sisters at Paray-le-Monial, France, in which he asked, "that the first Friday after the octave of the Blessed Sacrament be dedicated to a particular feast to honor my heart, by receiving communion on that day and making reparation to it by honorable amends, to repair the indignities it received during the time it was exposed on the altars".
At first, the Holy See was reluctant to establish such a feast and Mass under this title. But finally, in 1856, at the petition of the French bishops, Blessed Pope Pius IX instituted the feast for the entire Latin Church, designated for the Friday following the octave of the feast of Corpus Christi. In 1928, Pope Pius XI extended the celebration of the Sacred Heart with its own octave, writing that “The veneration of the Sacred Heart is a summary of all our religion and, moreover, a guide to a more perfect life. It more easily leads our minds to know Christ the Lord intimately and more effectively turns our hearts to love Him more ardently and to imitate Him more perfectly.” That octave was suppressed, however, along with many others, at the time of the liturgical changes of 1955. With the calendar reform of 1969, the feast was established as a “solemnity,” which is how it is observed today. Since 2002, this day has also been designated by the Holy See as special day of prayer for the sanctification of priests.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the feast by Pius IX, on May 15, 1956, Pope Pius XII issued an encyclical, Huarietis aquas (in English, “You will draw water,” with reference to Isaiah 12:3) to promote devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to forcefully respond to critics of the same. Already by this time, several years prior to Vatican Council II, many voices within the Church had dismissed this devotion as too individualistic and antiquated considering the needs of the time. Pius XII’s defense of the devotion to the Sacred Heart is still worthy and deserving of study and deep reflection.
Perhaps some might wish to utilize the text for extended meditation and in times of Eucharistic adoration? https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_15051956_haurietis-aquas.html
