Why do Catholics use images of Jesus’ heart?
We are used to seeing the heart as a symbol for love. It should be no surprise that it has a similar meaning in Christian devotion, demonstrating the love of Jesus for us and allowing us to respond with love and affection in kind. But some are put off by the gritty realism that many of the images of the Sacred Heart have. This realism is part of the symbolic depth of the devotion, though.
In contrast to a generic red, heart-shaped Valentine’s card, most traditional depictions of the Sacred Heart show the real, natural heart of Jesus. This detail affirms the reality of the incarnation. God’s love is not abstract or symbolic, but it led to the Son uniting Himself to our humanity — every part of it, right down to the internal organs!
Yet not just any human organ would serve as an object of devotion. The heart symbolizes the entire person. As Pope Francis observed in his final encyclical: “Devotion to the Sacred Heart is not the veneration of a single organ apart from the Person of Jesus. What we contemplate and adore is the whole Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man….” The heart represents the physicality of the human being, but also our different human faculties like our mind, our will, our emotions and our freedom. All of these are united to God in Jesus.
If the Sacred Heart represents the entirety of Jesus, then naturally Jesus’ divinity is also represented. Jesus’ heart is frequently depicted as being on fire, even surrounded entirely by flame. This fire shows the burning passion of Jesus’ divine love. Only divine love could burn so completely and without destruction, just as in the burning bush. This completes the incarnational symbolism of the Sacred Heart, showing both the complete humanity and divinity of Jesus in one image.
Finally, it is good to note how the Sacred Heart shows the cost of Jesus’ love as well. In many images, Jesus is depicted as holding His heart in front of His chest, offering it to us. By exposing His heart to us in this way, He makes Himself supremely vulnerable, as love always does. By loving in such a complete way, His heart becomes vulnerable to hurt and rejection. In this way the image recalls the passion of Jesus, even showing on the side of the heart the wound where the spear pierced His side at the crucifixion. The perfection of human and divine love leads out of encasing walls and “safety” in order to connect to the beloved, even at great cost.
In this way, it is good that the image of the Sacred Heart unsettles us. It depicts a reality far deeper and more radical than what we are used to in our everyday, “polite” interactions. And that is exactly what makes it such a powerful and fruitful object of devotion. It summarizes the entire mystery of Christ’s incarnational love in one image, calling us out of complacency and into adoration.
Father Chris Schroeder is senior associate pastor of St. Charles Borromeo and St. Peter parishes in St. Charles.
