The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-10-17
LOVE Of THE SACRED HEART.


Last Sunday the priest reminded us that to-
day Saturday commenHorated the feast of Bles-
sed Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom Christ APP
peared in vision, exposing his sacred heart. 1t
is related of this pious soul that she heard the
voice of the Savior lament the indgnities which
pierced his heart, consumed b. boundless love
for all creatures. The voice expressed a wish for
special devotion to the divine heart consisting of
acts of reparation for the wounds inflicted on it
| by sinners. Through such devotion the faithful
would enrich themselves by sanctfcation and the
soul would expand to heavenly desire. Nay, more,
| the promise was given Blessed Margaret that
no one observing this devotion would die in the
deplorable state of sin.
To Blessed Margaret Mary, them we owe this
devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus which has
souls to Christ than any other we can
imagine. 1t is easy to comprehend, so pleasing
to perform. The heart is the corresponding agent
of the invisible SOUL the source of love and hate,
it is the physiological motor of life. As God is all
love, and assumed human nature to attest that love
for mankind, even to death on the cross what more
natural than such affection should proceed from
the heart of the Son of God2 What more natural
than to apprehend God in the sacred heart Of
Christ, his son?
1t is easy, almost natural, for most of US to
forget that we live constantly in the presence of
God. Unless the mind is Illuminated by that in
terror worship which perceves God in everything
he has created, it is not easily influenced by per-
functory devotion, much wish it could be.
Sometimes we are awed at the majestic proper
tons of great mountain, enraptured over the
vision of beautiful waterfall. The wonder ceases
so soon as we turn our backs to these objects, yet
in sense we turn our backs to God. He speaks
to us through all these creations of nature but we
do not hear the voice. 1t is glorious sight these
autumn mornings, to watch the big red sun rising
over the Wasatch range, but it is the solemn
thought alone that dwells upon God directing this
source of light and heat. After ALL how common
place is man in the economy of the universe. Gre
ated for his pleasure and profit If all objects
created by God were endowed with the soul of man
and could speak with the tongue of man, fancy
that from man would proceed the least of thanks
givings for life and hopes of Immortality.
Yet God has pity for our poverty of compre
hension our helplessness to grasp spiritual things
Human nature is alone to blame. So we can i'm
agine the reason he appeared before Blessed
Margaret was to create devotion which could APP
human instincts of love- Therefore, as from the
heart proceeds love, through devotion to the Sa-
cred Heart we are united in love and the soul is
brought nearer to God 1t is then we hear his
voice from the mountain and from the cataract,
and we see his face in that of the sun. Then we
fully comprehend the sacrifice in the mass and
perceive the Real Presence in the host with that
faith the Apostles possessed at the Last Sup
per- Then we feel the solemnity of that Presence
wherever we may go, whatever we may do And
that little morning Offering comes as a benedic-
ton as well as an invocation because our work
becomes constant prayer and our troubles become
blessings if borne cheerfully. A great many of us
not able to do much for religion yet that little
is much if it is done we'll