Sacred Heart/Divine Mercy: Different or the Same?

By John D. O’Brien S.J. 

The Sacred Heart by Michael O'Brien

Catholic devotions: why do they matter, what are they made of, what are they are not. In a strong and prescriptive phrase in his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola wrote “we ought to praise not only the building and adornment of churches, but also the images and veneration of them according to what they represent.” He seemed to press the point further, writing “we should show our esteem for the relics of the saints by venerating them and praying to the saints. We should praise visits to Station Churches, pilgrimages, indulgences, jubilees, crusade insults, and the lighting of candles in churches.” He was a man for devotions.

For some, these devotions are the spiritual life-blood of the believing Church; for others they may seem simplistic or quaint. But in the spirit of our founder, we too seek to explore and understand the powerful role of devotions in Church life today. 

There is no Catholic devotional image more widespread world-wide today than the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Statues, holy cards, even graffiti and tattoos – the iconic representation of a pierced heart on fire has captured the religious imagination of all strata of society and cultures. And with reason. The burning heart of Christ is an aptly powerful symbol of the God who is Love, the Christian God.

Ever since St. Claude la Columbière, S.J. counselled St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th Century, Jesuits have continuously promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This continues today through the Apostleship of Prayer and the Eucharistic Youth Movement. They promote discovery of the heart of God as an essential part of the mission of the Church and of Christian spirituality. Here’s why:

According to the popes of the last 100 years, understanding the Sacred Heart of Jesus is of the highest importance. Pope Leo XIII consecrated the entire world to the Sacred Heart and called it “the greatest act of my pontificate”. Pius XI wrote that the devotion was “the summary of our religion”. Pius XII wrote an encyclical on the Sacred Heart named Haurietis Aquas (1956) and was even more effusive:

It is altogether impossible to enumerate the heavenly gifts which devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has poured out on the souls of the faithful, purifying them, offering them heavenly strength, rousing them to the attainment of all virtues. Consequently, the honour paid to the Sacred Heart is such as to raise it to the rank – so far as external practice is concerned – of the highest expression of Christian piety.

After Vatican II, Paul VI urged the Church not to forget this devotion, which perhaps had suffered from popular association with saccharine piety, writing “it is absolutely necessary that the faithful venerate and honour this Heart.” When the Catechism of the Catholic Church was issued in 1994, it contained the following statement:

The Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation “is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that… love with which the Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings” without exception. (CCC 478).

During the 20th Century, another devotion arose that has almost eclipsed the Sacred Heart. The newer image features a full-length Jesus in the standing position, one arm raised, and two dramatic streams of light, red and white, issuing forth from his heart. The phrase “Jesus I Trust in You” is written at its base. Believers will often pause at three o’clock in the afternoon and pray what known as the Divine Mercy chaplet, which repeats these words on beads: “For the sake of his sorrowful passion/Have mercy on us and on the whole world.” The Divine Mercy devotion has truly become a global phenomenon. I've seen it practiced in parishes and homes in Canada, Italy, Jamaica and Venezuela. It has gotten widespread traction.

Divine Mercy originated in Poland through private revelations given to the religious sister, now St. Faustina. Although they did not know each other, Karol Wojtyla (the future John Paul II), St,. Maximilian Kolbe, and Sr. Faustina were Polish contemporaries. Together they would impress upon the world the essential importance of God’s mercy in our time. It was a needed message to a century so characterized by horrors, trauma and disbelief. It is no accident that John Paul II was himself canonized on Divine Mercy Sunday.

A frequent question is whether Divine Mercy has rendered the more traditional devotion to the Sacred Heart obsolete -- has it been replaced? After all, they seem similar. What might be the relationship between the two “heart-streams” of spirituality in the Church today? Are they in competition, or is there room for both?

I believe they are inseparable, and for sober theological reasons. St. John Eudes (1601-80), a pioneer in the liturgical worship of the Sacred Heart wrote: “Of all the divine perfections mirrored in the Sacred Heart of our Saviour, we should have a very special devotion to divine mercy.” In Dives in Misericordia (1980) John Paul II wrote: “The Church seems in a special way to profess the mercy of God and to venerate it when she directs herself to the Heart of Christ. In fact, it is precisely this drawing close to Christ in the mystery of His Heart which enables us to dwell on… the merciful love of the Father”.

Simply put, the Sacred Heart and the Divine Mercy are inseparable because Jesus only has one heart! And God’s love always takes the form of merciful love. As the Psalmist writes: “His tender mercies are over all His works” (Ps 144:9). Let us recall that the heart is that hidden centre of our being, our core where our deepest thoughts, feelings and desires are, and known only to the Spirit of God. God wants us to know that his heart is passionately in love with his people, and this is why he revealed himself to both St. Margaret Mary and St. Faustina as a heart on fire.

In short, devotion to the Heart of Jesus is devotion to the person of Jesus, who saved us and continuously saves us from our sins, and draws us to fullness of life. This is why God wants us to have “hearts of flesh”. The Sacred Heart and the Divine Mercy are about allowing our hearts to be transformed to resemble the heart of God.