No mas amor que el tuyo - The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Philippines
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| The original image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Intramuros |
In every Filipino Catholic home, images of the Sacred Heart made from myriad of different materials is the most prominent image in the altars. Almost all Churches and Chapels in the country have an image of Him venerated in its own altar and the First Friday devotions are strictly observed and several parishes were dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as its Principal Patron. These and other practices that revolves the devotion became part of our Catholic lives since it arrived in the country during the Spanish period and it continues to evolved today.
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| The Sacred Heart of Jesus |
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross, and bleeding. Sometimes the image is shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart.
The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love. This depiction was based from the apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque where Jesus showed her the Sacred Heart with these words: "Behold the Heart that has so loved men. ...Instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of humankind) only ingratitude."
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| The apparition of the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque |
Devotion to the Sacred Heart can be seen as early as the second century with St. Justin Martyr and in the 7th century with Pope Gregory the Great. Writers throughout these centuries emphasized the pierced side of Christ as the inexhaustible source from which all graces flow upon mankind and the blood and water as symbols of the sacraments of the Church. With the coming of St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Anselm in the 12th century, there was a sudden increase in direct reference to the love of the Sacred Heart for every person redeemed by His Passion and Death. Several Saints like Sts. Gertrude the Great, Mechtilde and John Eudes were notable on their contributions to the devotion to the Heart of Jesus.
The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in its present form was from Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), a nun of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, who have received apparitions of Jesus Christ in 1673 - 1674 revealing the form of the devotion, the chief features being reception of Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month, Eucharistic adoration during a "Holy hour" on Thursdays, and the celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart. She said that in her vision she was instructed to spend an hour every Thursday night to meditate on Jesus' Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. With the help of her confessor, St. Claude de la Colombière SJ, the devotion spread all over France and other parts of Europe.
In 1765, Pope Clement XIII approved an Office and Mass in honor of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus while years later, Pope Pius IX extended the Feast to the universal Church.Ever since that time, this cult of the Sacred Heart, like an overflowing stream sweeping away all obstacles, has spread abroad throughout the world. At the dawn of the twentieth century, after he had proclaimed the Jubilee, Pope Leo XIII desired that the whole human race should be consecrated to the Sacred Heart. This Consecration, which was made with great solemnity in all the churches of the Catholic world, brought about an immense increase of the devotion. It won nations as well as single families; those that consecrated themselves to the Divine Heart and submitted to Its royal empire were innumerable and Pope Pius XII raised the Feast with an Octave.. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was beatified in 1864 and was canonized in 1920 while St. Claude de la Colombière was beatified in 1929 and later canonized in 1992. |
| The image of Sagrado Corazon de Jesus by Manuel Flores that was destroyed during the Second World War |
The devotion to the sacred Heart of Jesus was introduced to the Philippines by the Jesuit Order in 1856 and the Church of San Ignacio in Intramuros became the center of Friday devotions to the Sacred Heart. The first locally made image of the Sacred Heart was carved by Manuel Flores and was prominently enshrined in San Ignacio Church's side altar and numerous miracles were attributed to the Sacred Heart. However, during the Liberation of Manila from the Japanese forces in the 1940's the Church of San Ignacio was completely destroyed, along with the revered image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. One of Ateneo's well known alumnus, Dr. Jose Rizal was known to carve an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus during his student days in Ateneo Municipal in Intramuros and years later, before his execution, he saw the image again and venerated it. The image at present is located in the Archives of Ateneo de Manila University.
Years later, in 1872, the devotion was further propagated when the Apostleship of Prayer was established in the country years after it was founded in France in 1884 to “Offer everything you are doing each day in union with the Heart of our Lord for what He wishes, the spread of the Kingdom for the salvation of souls.” as described by its founder, Rev. Fr. Francis X. Gautrelet, SJ. The first three centers of the Apostleship, namely Ateneo de Manila, Sta. Isabel College and the Colegio de la Concordia, all located in Manila. Since then, the Association has expanded its network and membership throughout the entire archipelago.
The first parish dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was first established in Santa Mesa, Manila first as a chapel in 1903 then became a parish in 1911. It was first administered by the Franciscan Capuchin Friars for 50 years until it was turned over to the Archdiocese of Manila in 1955.
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| The National Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus |
The Church of San Ignacio might have been destroyed, the devotion continued to flourished, this time in the modern city of Makati centuries later where the current National Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is located. The story of the Sacred Heart Shrine began in 1955 when a small group of people in Barangay San Antonio was looking for a common place for worship. At that time, San Antonio was a sparsely populated village surrounded by cogon and rice fields. Deeply religious the people celebrated fiestas and held masses in makeshift chapels and later moved to a property owned by Ayala Corporation and a chapel was established in 1971. Through the help of Father Pedro Verceles SJ, who was then national director of the Apostleship of Prayer, he kindled the community's devotion to the Sacred Heart. Eventually, the AP Center 1226 was established in Barangay San Antonio on June 19, 1957.
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| The altar image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the main altar of the National Shrine by Fr. Armand Tangi SSP |
In 1960s, the growing community felt the need to move on to a bigger chapel. Thus, they built a larger one on an idle land that was owned by Ayala Corporation that was later donated to the Archdiocese of Manila in 1981. The chapel's construction took three years to complete. Finally, on December 18, 1971, the Sacred Heart Chapel, borne out of the community's collective effort, was blessed by Bishop Amado Paulino, then Auxiliary Bishop of Manila. The community's persistent search for a permanent home finally ended. The chapel was later became a parish in 1976. A few weeks later, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) led by Julio Cardinal Rosales moved for the designation of the parish as the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart and on February 14, 1976, the Parish was elevated to the status as the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The devotion continues
There are two things that must always be found together in the devotion to the Sacred Heart: Christ's Heart of flesh and Christ's love for us. True devotion to the Sacred Heart means devotion to the Divine Heart of Christ insofar as His Heart represents and recalls His love for us.
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| The statue of the Sacred Heart carved by Dr. Jose Rizal during his student days at Ateneo Municipal de Manila |
When we speak of the Sacred Heart, we mean Jesus showing us His Heart, Jesus all love for us and all lovable. Jesus Christ is the incarnation of God's infinite love. The Human Nature which the Son of God took upon Himself was filled with love and kindness that has never found an equal. He is the perfect model of love of God and neighbor.
As we end this blogpost dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, here are the indulgenced invocations to the Sacred Heart of Jesus that gives us a gist of the promises and the summation of his promises that He made to all who will be devoted to His Sacred Heart.
Merciful Jesus, I consecrate myself today and always to Thy Most Sacred Heart.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus I implore, that I may ever love Thee more and more.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I believe in Thy love for me.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Thy Kingdom Come.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, convert sinners, save the dying, deliver the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us!
References:
Apostleship of Prayer, Retreived from: http://www.cbcplaiko.org/members-directory/affiliate- national-lay-organizations/apostleship-of-prayer/.
Badillo, Victor SJ, (2011), Jose Rizal's Statue of the Sacred Heart, Springs for The Source, Steps to The Summit, Retreived from: http://fonsetculmen.blogspot.com/2011/06/jose-rizals-statue-of-sacred- heart.html.
History of Ateneo de Manila University, Retrieved from: http://www.ateneo.edu/history.
History of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, (2012), Retreived from: http://www.sistersofreparation.org/history-of-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart.html.
Journey to the Sacred Heart Shrine, (2007), Retreived from: http://nsshph.blogspot.com/2007/04/journey-of-sacred-heart-shrine.html.
1956 Centenary Feast of the Sacred Heart, (2013), Retreived from: http://philphilately.blogspot.com/2013/01/1956-centenary-feast-of-sacred-heart.html.
Miller, Jennifer, (2015), Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Retreived from: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/blog/index.cfm?id=206.
Sugon, Quirino M. Jr (2009), "No mas amor que el tuyo”: a Filipino song for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Retrieved from https://aboutphilippines.ph/files/No-mas-amor-que-el-tuyo-songtext.pdf.
thank you. i appreciate your blog as i am looking for writings about the devotion to the sacred heart of Jesus and the apostleship of prayer.
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