Guard of Honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

St. Margaret Mary writes to Mother Sumaise at Dijon, February 17, 1687.

St Margaret Mary is well aware that the one who will obstruct the devotion to the Sacred Heart is Satan. But what does this mean? Devotion to the Sacred Heart? Is it simply having a picture in our room? Or a statue of the Sacred Heart? St. Margaret Mary makes it clear when she writes to Mother Sumaise: “the souls of the many who consecrate themselves completely to him, and love, honour, and glorify Him, will be saved… by this devotion to this loving Heart.” These are powerful words. The Heart of Jesus, the Blessed Sacrament, are inseparable from our salvation. But St. Margaret Mary writes, “completely” consecrate themselves. In other words, we cannot be lukewarm in our devotion, but “completely,” to love, honour, and glorify” Jesus.

Giving ourselves totally to the Sacred Heart of Jesus because His Heart saves. We know that the Sacred Heart of Jesus is offered to us in the Blessed Sacrament that we receive, and adore, and our personal preparation is an act of faith knowing we receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord.

Our devotion to the Sacred Heart cannot be lukewarm, but an act of truth, since Jesus offers Himself to us in truth, in His heart on the Cross and in truth in the Blessed Sacrament at Communion. Love is driven by truth because we can only love what is true, namely God and the good and holiness in each person. We can never love errors or wickedness as this will lead us to loving evil and false gods. When St. Margaret Mary speaks of Satan, this is precisely what Satan sets out to do, to lead us away from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, turn us away from the truth, just as Satan had done with the first man and first woman. Salvation by the Sacred Heart means to be saved by the love of Jesus, truth and holiness, Jesus who is the way the truth and the life.