Christ gave each of His followers a cross. Suffering was the ticket to Heaven. Often still is–the right kind of suffering. It is a test of life, which itself is one constant test.
But the Blessed Mother is always there and, as Margaret Mary Alacoque of the Sacred Heart revelations said, Mary never refused her encouragement. She never refused her help. The tougher the times and the more meaningful the times, the more conspicuous Mother Mary is.
For eighteen centuries there had been a build-up and now, in 1673, came the revelation.
The visions took place for nearly two years at a monastery in Paray-le-Monial, eastern France. During this time, Alacoque learned how to venerate the Sacred Heart of Christ, and in 1675, Jesus told her that He wanted a Feast of the Sacred Heart to be celebrated on the Friday after Corpus Christi.
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The devotion to the Sacred Heart emerged from earlier devotions to the Holy Wounds, particularly the wound on Jesus’ side. Initial signs of this devotion trace back to the eleventh and twelfth centuries, primarily within the devout settings of Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries. Pinpointing the earliest texts or identifying the earliest followers is challenging.
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Bernard of Clairvaux (died 1153) noted that Christ’s pierced side exposed his benevolence and his heartfelt love for humanity. One of the earliest hymns dedicated to the Sacred Heart, “Summi Regis Cor Aveto,” believed to have been composed by Herman Joseph (died 1241), a Norbertine from Cologne, Germany, opens with the line: “I hail Thee kingly Heart most high.”