Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

We are Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat. 

Why are we named for the ‘Sacred Heart?’ The Sacred Heart is a longtime devotion of the Jesuit order, dating to the 1600s. A heart is an image of love. We see this on Valentine’s Day cards and in heart emojis. A heart means, “I love you.”

The heart of Jesus is an image of God’s love for us. Jesus has a risen body with a living, beating heart. His heart beats with love for us right now. 

In the Bible and Christian tradition, we see a spiritual understanding of the heart. God promised to write his law “upon our hearts” [Jer 31:33]. God says, “I will remove your heart of stone from and give you a heart of flesh” [Ezekiel 36:26]. 

Dramatically, we see the heart of Jesus pierced as he hangs upon the cross; after his death, the soldier pierces his heart; blood and water flow out [John 19:34]. Here we see an image of the sacraments of the Church, flowing from the Sacred Heart of Jesus: water symbolizes baptism, and blood is the Eucharist. For Jesuits, the Sacred Heart is a perfect name for a retreat house.

On retreat, we encounter the Heart of Jesus. On retreat, in the quiet, we can speak to the Lord from our hearts. So, too, we can ask Him to speak to our hearts. We love the Sacred Heart! And even more importantly, He loves us!

stained glass of jesus and his sacred heart
logo for the pope's worldwide prayer network

From the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network:

“O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day

for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart

in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world,

for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians,

and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month:
.

Amen.”