The Power of the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary

The devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary with the Sacred Heart of Jesus found its inception with St. John Eudes, who is credited with establishing the devotion to the two hearts, in the 1600’s.  The devotion received a modern sanction during the preparation for the Miracle of Fatima in 1916.   According to Sister Lucia the Angel of Portugal appeared to her, Francisco and Jacinta at Fatima during the summer of 1916. During this apparition the Angel said “Pray, pray very much! The most holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High. Make of everything you can a sacrifice, and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners…” 

On his next apparition he said the following prayer as he placed down before a chalice which he had brought with him. “Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference with which He himself is offended. And through infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners.”  The heavenly messenger continually mentioned the power of the Two Hearts in their work in the conversion of sinners. The Angel also mentioned the need for the reparation of sins by which God is greatly offended.

Meanwhile in Hungary Sr. Maria Natalia received visions and messages from the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In one of the apparitions He requested all to pray the Double Great Novena for nine consecutive First Fridays and First Saturdays. Jesus said “As the Father entrusted all things to Me, so I give My victorious power over the world and sin to the Immaculate Heart of My Mother… Through My daughter (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque), I gave the world great promises, but because of My infinite Goodness, now, I give much more. If people wish to gain the benefits of promises, they must love and venerate the Immaculate Heart of My Mother. The greatest sign of this veneration will be to receive Holy Communion on nine consecutive First Saturdays, and in the same way, on nine consecutive First Fridays, after a preparation and true repentance. Their intention must be to console My Heart and, at the same time, Immaculate Heart of My Mother.”

 Catholicism recognizes a “profound mystical union” between the hearts of Jesus and Mary, which manifests in the work of redemption.  The union is said to have begun when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary conceived the heart of Jesus beneath her own heart.  It is consummated when at one and the same time these Two Hearts are immolated for our salvation.  And now, in Heaven, it continues forever  as the sole source of mankind’s salvation and sanctification.  The Church also teaches that Biblical passages and previous teachings are significant, as they suggest that the “Admirable Alliance of Hearts” worked toward the salvation of the whole world.  The Heart of Jesus suffered to the point of being pierced so as to pour forth upon all who believe in Him the grace of the Spirit, which allows them to partake of the Holy Eucharist in the communion of fellowship in the Catholic Church.  The Heart of Mary, which was always focused on her Divine Son, which was predestined by God to suffer for the salvation of mankind.

Nowhere is the deep and profound between the two hearts better depicted than in the following prayer;

Remember, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, what ineffable power thy Divine Son hath given thee over His Own adorable Heart. Full of trust in thy merits, we come before thee and beg thy protection. O heavenly Treasurer of the Heart of Jesus, that Heart which is the inexhaustible source of all graces, which thou mayest open to us at thy good pleasure, in order that from it may flow forth upon mankind the riches of love and mercy, light and salvation, that are contained therein; grant unto us, we beseech thee, the favors which we seek ... We can never, never be refused by thee, and since thou art our Mother, O our Lady of the Sacred Heart, graciously hear our prayers and grant our request. Amen. 

In this prayer we see the full power of Mary being the ultimate intercessor on our behalf.  No power in Heaven is denied to Mary and this prayer shows us how to unlock and access the power of Jesus-directly.  Mary is a key to the power of Jesus, which is also the power of the Kingdom of God.  Mary opens our way to Kingdom.  Moreover, by her own role in Salvation, Mary is the vessel and our conduit to the love and mercy of Our Lord.