Spreading the Love of the Sacred Heart Involved “Sisterly” Teamwork
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While many in the Church look forward to the feast of St. Margaret Mary Alocoque, few people know of the close friendship the saint had with a little-known Visitation Nun who played a key role in spreading the devotion to the Sacred Heart.
Sr. Jeanne Madeleine Joly inherited this devotion from St. Margaret Mary, and with the permission of her Superior, wrote a litany, Mass, and Office of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Upon seeing the book containing these prayers, St. Margaret Mary exclaimed, “It is true My dear sister, you are of the number of true lovers of the Heart of our kind Jesus.” Although she never learned to draw, Sr. Jeanne Madeleine was inspired to create a picture of the Sacred Heart in which a skilled painter could find no flaw to edit.
The two women would correspond to each other. In one letter to Sister Jeanne Madeleine, St. Margaret Mary wrote of their common goal:
“The adorable Heart of Jesus wishes to establish His reign of love in the hearts of all, to destroy and bring to ruin the kingdom of Satan. It seems to me He has so great a desire of doing this that He promises great rewards to men of good will who work for it with all their heart according to the strength and lights He gives them.
“Do not be afraid, then, of the difficulties and sufferings you will have to put up with in this holy undertaking. Rather we ought to think ourselves fortunate that He considers us worthy to work for so noble a cause.
“We must love this divine Heart, beloved Sister, in such a way that we no longer live except for Him and through Him. I always say I do not want to write any more, but I cannot help doing so when there is question of speaking of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. I must confess that, outside of this, everything torture. But in this divine Heart everything, even the bitterest suffering, is changed into love. Let us make there our real and continual dwelling.”
In our Living Jesus Chat Room this Sunday, we will discuss these points:
- How can devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus affect others? Do we always see the results of our devotions?
- Sister Jeanne was not particularly learned, but she was obedient. What can we learn from this?
- Sister Margaret Mary references Jesus’ reign of love in her writings. Why is Satan so opposed to love, and why are people hesitant to accept it?
We will discuss these topics during Sunday’s chat, which are taken from the article, “Oct. Mystic: A Friend of St. Margaret Mary – Sr. Jeanne Madeleine Joly”.
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