June: The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

“Behold this Heart which has so loved men.” — Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Each year, as the Church journeys through the liturgical calendar, the month of June stands apart as a time set aside for special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the blazing warmth of early summer, the Church turns its gaze to the burning furnace of Christ’s divine love—a Heart pierced, outpoured, and still beating for humanity. But how did June become the month of the Sacred Heart? And what does this devotion mean for Catholics today?

The Historical Roots of the Devotion

While devotion to the Heart of Christ is as ancient as Christianity itself, the formal dedication of June as the Month of the Sacred Heart began to take shape in the wake of deeper theological reflection and private revelation.

The devotion found its earliest expressions in the writings of St. John, who leaned upon the breast of Jesus at the Last Supper (cf. Jn 13:23), and in the Church Fathers who meditated on the blood and water flowing from Christ’s pierced side (cf. Jn 19:34). St. Justin Martyr, St. Augustine, and St. Chrysostom all wrote of the wounded side of Christ as the font of sacramental life and the birth of the Church.

In the medieval period, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Gertrude the Great, and St. Mechtilde offered mystical insights into the love of the Heart of Jesus, seeing in it a divine sanctuary of mercy and union.

But it was in the 17th century that the devotion crystallized with the visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation nun in Paray-le-Monial, France. Between 1673 and 1675, Christ revealed to her the “excessive love” of His Heart for mankind and lamented the indifference and ingratitude of so many souls. He asked for a feast in honor of His Sacred Heart and for reparation to be made through acts of love, prayer, and Eucharistic devotion.

These revelations were met with skepticism at first, but with the spiritual support of St. Claude de la Colombière, and later theological affirmation by figures such as Blessed John Henry Newman, the devotion spread rapidly. In 1856, Pope Pius IX extended the Feast of the Sacred Heart to the universal Church. By the early 20th century, Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius XI not only endorsed the devotion but also encouraged the consecration of families, parishes, and nations to the Sacred Heart. It was Pope Leo XIII, in his 1899 encyclical Annum Sacrum, who consecrated the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, calling it “the greatest act of my pontificate.”

It is from this momentum that June became traditionally regarded as the Month of the Sacred Heart—a time of renewal, reparation, and surrender to the divine love poured out for us.

The Theology of the Sacred Heart

Theologically, the devotion to the Sacred Heart is deeply rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation. The Heart of Jesus is not a symbol apart from His humanity or divinity. It is the human heart of the Second Person of the Trinity—the physical and spiritual center of Christ’s person, representing His total self-giving.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of this love in paragraph 478:

“Jesus knew and loved us each and all during His life, His agony, and His Passion, and gave Himself up for each one of us: ‘The Son of God… loved me and gave Himself for me’ (Gal 2:20). He has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, ‘is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that… love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings’ without exception.” (cf. Pius XII, Haurietis Aquas)

This is not a mere sentiment. The love of Christ’s Heart is dogmatic, grounded in both Christology and soteriology: it is a love that redeems, transforms, and calls us to conversion.

Consecration to the Sacred Heart

To consecrate oneself to the Sacred Heart is to place one’s entire being—soul, mind, will, family, work, and possessions—into the Heart of Jesus. It is an act of total trust and self-abandonment to divine mercy.

This act was especially encouraged by Pope Pius XII in his landmark 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, which means “You will draw water.” He wrote:

“Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus… is nothing else than the giving of oneself to Jesus Christ, as far as possible, in an entire and total way, through a surrender and giving of oneself, so that our whole being may be subject to His dominion.”

Traditionally, this consecration has taken place in homes and families, where an image of the Sacred Heart is enthroned, echoing the words of Joshua: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh 24:15).

Living the Devotion Daily

The month of June, then, is not simply about sentiment—it is about forming the heart to love like Christ. Here are several ways Catholics can enter more deeply into the spirit of this month:

1. Attend daily Mass or make a special effort to go on Fridays, especially First Fridays, which are tied to the promises of the Sacred Heart.
2. Pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart, which meditates on the many attributes of Christ’s love.
3. Practice acts of reparation, especially for the sins of indifference, sacrilege, and irreverence toward the Eucharist.
4. Make a personal or family consecration to the Sacred Heart using the traditional formulas found in devotional handbooks or papal documents.
5. Meditate on Christ’s Passion, particularly the moment of His side being pierced, as a revelation of divine mercy (cf. Jn 19:34).
6. Display an image or statue of the Sacred Heart in your home, as a visible reminder of Christ’s presence and kingship.

The Heart That Burns for Us Still

The Church teaches that even now, the glorified Body of Christ retains the wounds of His Passion (cf. CCC 645). That means His Heart still beats for us, still intercedes, still loves without limit. St. John Eudes, one of the great promoters of this devotion, called the Sacred Heart “the summary of all the mysteries of our faith.”

To embrace the month of June as a time of devotion to the Sacred Heart is to accept Christ’s personal invitation:
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29).

May this month not pass as just another turning of the calendar, but be a time of spiritual renewal—a time to enthrone Christ not only in our homes, but in the very core of our hearts.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

 God Bless