It is hard to believe that we already have June. Spiritually speaking, what do we celebrate in this month? The Month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost.
In addition to the liturgical celebration, many devotional exercises are connected with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Of all devotions, devotion to the Sacred Heart was, and remains, one of the most widespread and popular in the Church.
It all started when St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received private revelations from Jesus Christ, later officially approved by Catholic Church.
Jesus spoke to her on June 16, 1675, and asked her specifically to promote a feast that honored his Sacred Heart:
“I ask of you that the Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi be set apart for a special Feast to honor My Heart, by communicating on that day, and making reparation to It by a solemn act, in order to make amends for the indignities which It has received during the time It has been exposed on the altars. I promise you that My Heart shall expand Itself to shed in abundance the influence of Its Divine Love upon those who shall thus honor It, and cause It to be honored.”
The feast of Corpus Christi has been celebrated after Trinity Sunday for many centuries and always falls during the month of June.
The precise date fluctuates each year, as it is determined by the celebration of Easter.
It took until 1856 for the feast of the Sacred Heart to be officially celebrated by the universal Church, and ever since then the month of June has been focused on devotion to the Heart of Jesus and his divine love for humanity.
Viva Cristo Rey!
Download: 2021-06-06 St Pats Bulletin