Sacred and Immaculate Hearts-Jesus and Mother Mary
Although not explicitly Franciscan in origin, the contemporary
devotion to the Twin Hearts on the Friday and Saturday following the Solemn Feast
of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, is deeply Scriptural and resonates
within Franciscan spirituality. In his encyclical Dilexit Nos, Pope
Francis points out the theological contributions of Saint Bonaventure in
paragraphs 106-108. He writes that Bonaventure “presents the heart of Christ as
a source of the sacraments and of grace and urges that our contemplation of
that heart become a relationship between friends, a personal encounter of love.”
In paragraph 110 when writing about feminine encounter with
Christ, Pope Francis includes the Franciscan Saint Angela of Foligno (3rd
order). “A number of holy women, in recounting their experiences of encounter
with Christ, have spoken of resting in the heart of the Lord as the source of
life and interior peace.” In paragraph 177 he quotes Saint Bernard, “in
exhorting us to union with the heart of Christ, draws upon the richness of this
devotion to call for a conversion grounded in love.”
This year the optional Saturday memorial of the Immaculate
Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) falls on June 13th, which is
the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua. It thus bumps St. Anthony into an optional
status as well, as two extremely popular devotional saints vie for attention,
so to speak. Just an example of how several devotional items or issues can “stack
up” on any particular day. That is especially true of Saturdays, which are
traditionally devoted to BVM. Or when the Sunday celebration “overtakes” the
date of a saint. Whatever choices are made, our eyes ultimately (should) land
on Jesus, the source of all holiness and grace. Or as I saw it put into a slogan: "Two Saints. One Mission. Lead Souls to Jesus."
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