If the Church was splitting apart, what would be the answer?

Unfortunately this was reality for people living in the 1600s. The Protestant Reformation had fractured the Christian world. Where there had been one, unified faith in communion with the Pope, there were now dozens of competing doctrines, faiths, and heresies. There were even wars fought for religious reasons.

What could possibly heal the Church?

The Church needed a renewal of faith, zeal, and unity. The devotion to the Sacred Heart was the perfect remedy. The 18th-century Society of Jesus (known as the Jesuits) rose to the challenge.

It was Fr. Claude de la Colombière, a Jesuit priest, who became St. Margaret Mary Alacoque’s spiritual director and the first major promoter of the Sacred Heart. From there, the Jesuits took up the devotion with passion. They taught it in their schools, defended the devotion against doubters, and offered it as the Church’s answer to coldness, fear, and division. In all their work, they preached devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and brought it to the ends of the earth.

The Sacred Heart was the perfect symbol to respond to the Protestant Reformation. It was not abstract doctrine, but the living, incarnated love of Jesus. A Heart pierced, but still burning with mercy. A Heart that unites.

A Heart that is still with us today!

PRAY WITH US AT 7 PM CT

Whether your home feels divided, your prayer life feels cold, or your Church community feels tired, the Heart of Jesus offers a way back. So make Jesus’ Sacred Heart welcome in your home. Hang the image if you haven’t done so already, and join us tonight at 7pm CT for the Family Rosary Across America.

And now, you can also join our Family Rosary Across America text group by texting “PRAY” to 914914 for updates and reminders to pray with us during this novena.

See you at the Rosary!