Today is the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Sacred Heart is depicted as flaming,
pierced and encircled with thorns, showing the great intensity of Christ's love for humanity, as well as the manner of death he willingly suffered to
save us from sin and death.
One of the leading figures in the history of devotion to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus is St. Mechtilde (d. 1298 AD), a great German mystic and
nun. St. Mechtilde was granted a number
of revelations, including some concerning the Sacred Heart, which were gathered
into a book called "The Book of Special Grace." This book, which was made public after St.
Mechtilde's death, had a profound influence upon, among others, the great
Italian poet Dante. The figure of
Matelda, who appears repeatedly in the Purgatorio and is described as "a
lady, solitary, beautiful, and gracious" is believed to be based on St.
Mechtilde.
The following is taken from St. Mechtilde's revelations:
"One day I saw the Son of God, holding in His Hand His
own Heart, which appeared more brilliant than the sun and which was casting
rays of light on every side; then, this amiable Saviour gave me to understand
that all the graces which God unceasingly pours forth on men, according to the
capacity of each, come from the plenitude of the Divine Heart."
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