In one event, Christ is comforted in his pain on the eve of His death; in the other, the suffering caused by the sins of humanity. These two examples from the Gospel help us to understand Jesus' appeal made in 1675 to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque:
"Behold this Heart, which so loved men. I receive nothing but ingratitude, contempt, outrage, sacrilege, and indifference. Behold, I ask that the first Friday after the octave of the Blessed Sacrament (Corpus Christi) be dedicated to a special feast to honor My Heart, communing on this day, and giving it due reparation through an act of reparation for the indignities he received during the time he was exposed on the altars. I promise you that My Heart will expand to pour out in abundance the influences of His Divine Love upon those who will tax you this divine honor and seek that it be lent to you."
St. John Paul II has always cultivated this devotion and has always encouraged it for those who wish to grow in friendship with Jesus. In 1980, on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, he stated: “the liturgy of the Church is concentrated with particular adoration and love around the mystery of the Heart of Christ. Today, therefore, anticipating this day and this feast, already, together with you, I wish to turn the eyes of our hearts to the Mystery of that Heart. It has spoken to me ever since my youth. Every year I return to this mystery in the liturgical rhythm of the time of the Church.
The 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque:
1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will establish peace in their homes.
3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
5. I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
6. Sinners will find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9. I will bless every place in which an image of My Heart is exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart.
12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in My disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
Fonte: Canção Nova, Brazil
