Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Jules Chevalier and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart All in a nameOur Lady of the Sacred Heart was the title that our founder, Fr Jules Chevalier, used to honour Mary. His entire understanding of the person and role of Mary was summed up in the name he gave her. To understand fully the meaning of this title one should read it backwards, so to speak. The important part of the title is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He is the centre. Mary is the mother who offers him to us, who desires that we enter into union with him, who longs to form us as she formed her Son Jesus, so that all humanity may discover the tenderness, compassion, mercy, strength, power, fidelity and constancy of the love of God revealed in the human heart of God’s own Son.
Our title for Mary, therefore, is essentially Jesus-centred. It is she who leads us to him and who offers him to us.
Mary is the mother who gives, who offers and who surrenders her Son so as to make us sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.
The importance of relationships
 Through the lifelong process of deepening his understanding of God and the spirituality of the Heart, Jules Chevalier gradually discovered the true place of Mary in his life. Even though at first, as a child of his time, he centred his attention on the power of Mary’s intercession, little by little he began to focus on the relations existing between her and the Trinity, between her and her Son, and between her and us.  Mary, in pointing to the Heart of her Son, reminds us of the deep and intimate union and relationship that she had with him. Through her union with him, she knows his Heart intimately and wants to lead us to him, who is the source of a limitless love that gives birth to a new world.
She is intimately associated with the mystery of his Heart and she encourages us to work in the very same mission of her Son for the good of humanity. Mary is close to a world of injustice and need and shares in her Son’s concern for that world. Her song of praise in the Magnificat (Luke1:46-55), the story of the wedding feast at Cana (Jn. 2:1-11) and her standing at the foot of the cross accompanying the suffering of her Son for all (Jn. 19:25-37), are all significant proofs of her preoccupation with suffering humanity.
 Statue of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the Crypt of the Basilica in Issoudun next to the tomb of Fr Jules Chevalier MSC Prayer to Our Lady of the Sacred HeartPrayed daily by MSCs for the intentions of our benefactors, friends and supporters
Remember,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart,
the great things the Lord has done for you.
He chose you for His mother,
He wanted you close to His cross,
He gives you a share in His glory,
He listens to your prayer.
Offer Him our prayers of praise and thanksgiving;
present our petitions to Him.
Let us live like you in the love of your Son,
so that His Kingdom may come;
Lead all to the source of living water
that flows from His heart;
spreading over the world hope and salvation,
Justice and peace.
See our trust in you, answer our prayer;
show yourself always our Mother.
Amen. |
