Guard of Honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

In March, 1687, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque writes to her brother, James; he is parish priest at Bois-Sainte-Marie. From this letter we discover what sanctity looks like, both in how we desire for ourselves, but also for others to grow in sanctity as Saint Margaret Mary clearly desires for her brother.

The only thing that matters to Margaret Mary for her brother is the “advancement in holy love…correspond perfectly with the designs of God.” Margaret Mary does not talk about income, or career, or even “whatever makes you happy.” Only one thing matters: holiness, after all, this is the design of God for each of us.

As God calls us all to sanctity, just as Margaret Mary desires for her brother, we cannot be “complacent,” either. How can God achieve the perfection he wants us to strive for if we are complacent? To do “violence to oneself,” as Margaret Mary acknowledges in her brother’s case, means simply to suffer as we strive for what is true, good, and holy. 

Margaret Mary points out that the things of the world are “perishable pleasures” and “empty things,” that at the end, simply leave us with a troubled conscience, as Margaret Mary points out with pleasure, one “craves” to always have more. 

Margaret Mary also asks her brother to make it known to her what can help her in her conversion. She is consistent in her desire to suffer, and in this letter to her brother she informs him that she wants to “suffer properly.” Margaret Mary requests that the sacrifices of her brother’s’ Masses will help her in this suffering. She has discovered that Jesus wants her to love Jesus in her suffering. And so, Margaret Mary, to love Jesus in suffering, thirsts for the Cross.