The Sacred Heart of Jesus has long been a place of respite and comfort in my life. I will admit it did not begin with theological understanding, but rather the impressions of safety and care left by the parish community of my childhood, Sacred Heart Parish in West Des Moines, Iowa. Being surrounded by images of the Sacred Heart and uttering a prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus every school day from kindergarten through eighth grade left me with the deep belief that Jesus’ love will be with me always, wherever I go. While the full words of that elementary school prayer now escape me, I do remember how it ended: “Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like your heart.”

One of my childhood classmates is an artist, and I am fortunate enough to own one of her Sacred Heart of Jesus icon tiles. It sits in my bedroom reminding me daily that Jesus’ heart is open and accessible to me, and that imitating His heart is my life’s purpose. Jesus’ arms are particularly inviting in this icon – one outstretched with an open palm, reaching out to me, and the other pointing back directly to His heart. In this beautiful image, flecks of gold highlight Jesus’ palm wounds, His halo, and the traditional cross, thorns, and fire surrounding His heart. 

Sacred Heart of Jesus Tile by White Gate Studio

I see in this image several aspects of Jesus’ heart worth contemplating. Compassion – He willingly embraced suffering for our sake and does not leave us alone in the inescapable pain of life. Mercy – His arms outstretched, ready to embrace, regardless of our worthiness. Passionate love – the fire of Jesus’ love burns for each of us. No one escapes His notice and attention. He longs for each person on this earth to know His love. As Mother Teresa so beautifully reminded us, Jesus thirsts for us. 

The beauty of a devotion with this level of physicality is that our prayer can take on a quality beyond words. I can gaze at this icon of the Sacred Heart, place a hand over my own heart, and rest in Jesus’ love, allowing Him to gaze at me and inviting Him to touch broken places in my heart and bring His healing there. Saint Margaret Mary, who promoted the Sacred Heart devotion, detailed twelve promises Jesus made to those who practice this devotion. They are worth reading in full, but a few that have always stood out to me are: “I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life; I will establish peace in their homes; I will comfort them in all their afflictions.” Imagine a world in which every home had peace, each person felt supported in their particular vocation, and everyone knew the comfort of Jesus.

As my husband and I attempt to raise our three children to be followers of Jesus, I find the Sacred Heart to be so helpful. Every child seems to intuit that the heart is the seat of emotions, wisdom, and love within them. My children’s drawings for me always include hearts. As I ask them to focus on being like Jesus, they can come up with the values that define Jesus’ heart: kindness, forgiveness, respect, and care. Together we can pray for our hearts to be more like Jesus’ heart.

When we pray for our hearts to be like Jesus’, we are asking for compassion, mercy, and passionate love. We know that Jesus desires these things in us too, so we better be prepared to receive these qualities! How ready am I to embrace my own suffering and that of others? If compassion means “suffering with,” then we cannot ignore or look away from the suffering that we encounter. My brother-in-law is in the middle of intense chemotherapy treatments for leukemia. As he loses weight and hair, energy and vitality, will I draw close to support him, or shrink away from his suffering? Or perhaps you notice a person begging every day on your route to work. Do you make eye contact with them as you pass, or pretend not to see them? It seems to be easier not to think of the poverty of others, to avoid the realities of hunger, housing insecurity and lack of affordable healthcare. If our hearts were truly like Jesus’, it would not be enough to simply notice. The love of Jesus calls us to action, particularly on behalf of the poor and vulnerable. 

I believe the world is in particular need of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also as technology reaches every corner of our world and our lives move more online. The Sacred Heart is a “fleshy” devotion. Jesus took on our human form, endured the pain of having a body and the pain of loving deeply. As we seem to forget our embodiment, neglecting the spiritual and physical elements (and inherent dignity) of the people we interact with online, how might the Sacred Heart of Jesus call us back to our shared humanity? Our humanity which was made more divine by virtue of Jesus’ taking it upon himself. The heart of Jesus reminds us of our uniquely human capacity for love.

Jesus, bring us ever closer to your heart. Set our hearts on fire with love for your people. Embolden us to bring your mercy and compassion to every place and person. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like your heart.

Pope Leo XIV's Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (June 2025)

Lord, I come to your tender heart today,
to you who have words that set my heart ablaze,
to you who pour out compassion on the little ones and the poor,
on those who suffer, and on all human miseries.
I desire to know you more, to contemplate you in the Gospel,
to be with you and learn from you
and from the charity with which you allowed yourself
to be touched by all forms of poverty.
You showed us the Father’s love by loving us without measure
with your divine and human heart.

Grant all your children the grace of encountering you.
Change, shape, and transform our plans,
so that we seek only you in every circumstance:
in prayer, in work, in encounters, and in our daily routine.
From this encounter, send us out on mission,
a mission of compassion for the world
in which you are the source from which all consolation flows.
Amen.