Encounter the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat in Sedalia, CO was named in honor of the Heart of Jesus. 

This began at our founding in 1959. This classic Jesuit devotion dates to the 1600s and continues to the present day. St Claude Colombiere SJ was a friend of St Margaret Mary Alacoque VHM in France in the 1600s. She was a religious sister who experienced powerful visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Inspired, but confused, by her mystical visions, she consulted Fr. Claude for advice. He confirmed that her visions were from God. In her journal, she writes: 

“He told me to behold His heart which so loved humanity. Then He seemed to take my very heart from me and place it there in His heart. In return He gave me back part of His flaming heart.”

These images are profound and almost beyond comprehension. Jesus is showing us that our hearts belong with His Heart; there we find our lasting home. Further, He wants to love others through us– touching the hearts of our friends, families, and those most in need of His love. 

I have a heart, you have a heart, Jesus has a heart. This simple truth touched my heart as a boy at Sacred Heart parish in St Louis, MO. I looked at the Sacred Heart statue over the high altar. I was young and small, but I knew that I had a heart. It beat fast when I was running down the field in a soccer game. My heart was filled with love during family celebrations. His Heart was much bigger, stronger, and more powerful. His Heart is big enough to receive all of our hearts. When I hugged my parents or grandparents, I could feel their hearts beating next to mine. In prayer, in the Eucharist, and in our relationships, we can encounter the Heart of Jesus; there He renews and strengthens our hearts. 

“Behold the Heart that has loved you so much!”

Fr. Joe Laramie SJ, Director