The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a symbol of God’s infinite love. This love became visible in Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. Devotion to the love of Jesus traces back to the beginnings of the Church, but it was St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 1600s who received visions of Christ revealing more about His Sacred Heart.
Heart: Humans have long associated the heart with love, and so this message of Christ’s love is shown in His heart.
Fire: The fire symbolizes Jesus’ infinite love for us. This love cannot be contained within the heart and so bursts through like flames. This explosion of the fire shows us how intense His love for us is.
Rays of Light: The light surrounding the Sacred Heart shows Jesus as the light of the world who revealed the love of God to us.
Crown of Thorns/Spear: These images are reminders of the torture Jesus endured at the crucifixion. Jesus did not endure this suffering for His own benefit, but for ours. They are also a reminder that each of our own sins causes Jesus deep pain.
Cross: The cross sitting on top of the heart of Jesus is another reminder of the pain Jesus suffered for us. It is very intentional that the cross is sitting on the heart; this is because it was Jesus’ love for us which gave Him the strength needed to hang on the cross.
A special devotion to the Sacred Heart was revealed to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. In this, Christ made several promises to those who faithfully practice this devotion to help them live a holy life and grow closer to Him.