The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a central theme throughout the Bible. It is not a reference to the actual muscle tissue of His physical heart but it is a reference to Christ Himself. The heart is synonymous with the totality of the person. Christ is offering you an intimate view of the interior reality of his life, which is all love.
His Heart is exposed, not hidden, meaning that His life is exposed to us to live with Him. Those who think that you have to be holy to “find the secret” of life are mistaken. Jesus is not a secret. The Lord is saying, I am revealing my life so everyone can see it, and can come to Me as they are with all of their sins and weaknesses. Jesus will transform your life and free you from your chains – over time.
What does the Crown found around the heart of Jesus mean?
The Sacred Heart of Jesus has the crown of thorns wrapped around it. This is a reminder that His life, not his head, was crowned with these thorns. If you take a moment and reflect on this, of all the crowns we have been blessed with in this life, the one that I and all of humanity gave to Jesus was one of pain. I could have given Him the crown of my talents, my wealth, my hands, or my service. But we gave Him a crown of thorns, which He graciously accepted. He has taken the pain of our separation from God into His own Heart and transformed it into the gift of Eternal Life.
Why is there a flame? The next thing that catches people’s eye is the flame that engulfs the heart. This flame is the fire of Divine love. It’s not a fire that destroys, but is a fire that purifies. Every step we take in the spiritual life will become more purified and result in a deeper union with Jesus.
When a family does the Enthronement to the Sacred Heart, the family is purified. It is the beginning of eternal life and friendship with the Trinity.
What is the Significance of the Cross?
The cross that surmounts the overall depiction of the heart signifies the throne we made for our Heavenly King. But Christ changed this throne of pain into a sign of His love. If you want intimacy with Jesus, you have to have the humility to embrace the crown of thorns for your purification and the cross for your forgiveness. Through the cross, you can experience the life-saving reality of the sacrament of confession. Knowing that you have been forgiven will give you the humility to fall in love with Him. The Cross is no longer a sign of pain; it is a sign of love. It is a symbol to inspire us to bind our wounds to the wounds of Jesus. It is an invitation to union with Jesus.
The Wound of Christ- The Sacred Heart of Jesus always has a small gash in the side of Christ’s heart and often times a drop of blood dripping down. This points to the reality that Jesus’ heart was pierced after His death. We read in the Scriptures- Jn 19 33-37 “But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows* that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may [come to] believe. For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fulfilled. “Not a bone of it will be broken. And again another passage says: “They will look upon him whom they have pierced.”
-This post is based on an interview with Fr. Stash Dailey, Spiritual Director of the Sacred Heart Enthronement Network
To learn more about Enthronement to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, watch our video series: To Whom Do You Belong: https://welcomehisheart.com/videos-on-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus
