Taking the Sacred Heart of Jesus

A quick Valentine for you!

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Jesus gave His Sacred Heart to Saint Catherine of Sienna
And He’ll give it to you too.

No, but seriously! This art illustrates a vision of St. Catherine of Sienna, in which she gave her heart to Jesus, and He gave to her in exchange His own Sacred Heart, which burnt in love.

Father John Croiset, S.J. wrote the following in his book, The Devotion to the Sacred Heart:

St. Catherine of Siena loved this devotion [of the Sacred Heart] to an extraordinary degree: she made an entire donation of her heart to her divine Spouse and she obtained the Heart of Jesus in exchange; from that time on, she endeavored to live and act only according to the movements and inclinations of the Heart of Jesus Christ.

The Devotion to the Sacred Heart, by Father John Croiset, S.J. (1691)

And so you’ll see Jesus giving to St. Catherine of Sienna, who is clothed in the habit of the Dominican order, His Heart in this picture.

His Heart, by the way, seems to be glowing, and this is no accident! Several mystics spoke of His Sacred Heart burning with love for us!

Of course, Saint Catherine of Sienna isn’t the only one to receive this vision. Several other saints have reported a similar exchange. Which sort of makes sense, in a way! After all, didn’t Jesus promise us that we would become united with Him?

This is a popular gospel reading for weddings — in fact, this is the gospel that I used in my own wedding! — and for good reason. It expresses the longing that Christ has that we may be united to Him, who is Love Himself. He is the Bridegroom and we, the Church, are the Bride, and He loves us more than we can possibly imagine.

And so, for this Valentine’s Day, as we exchange expressions of love with each other, may we also remember to give our hearts to Jesus Christ as well.

Happy Valentine’s Day!