Hajja Salesjana

The Sacred Heart of Jesus endures as a beloved devotion rooted in Salesian spirituality. As you enter Don Bosco’s Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Valdocco, the Sacred Heart greets you in the first chapel on the left. Originally, the Sacred Heart was venerated in the second chapel, until 1890 when Blessed Michael Rua rededicated it to St. Francis de Sales. In 1954, this chapel was rededicated yet again, this time to Domenic Savio, as we see it today. That this chapel was home first to the Sacred Heart, then to St. Francis andfinally to Domenic suggests the enduring power of the Sacred Heart up and down the ages to draw human hearts into deep intimacy with the divine Heart. As we celebrate the fourth centenary of Francis de Sales birth into heaven, this reflection will focus on our patron’s intuitions on the Sacred Heart. Scriptural basis to the Devotion of the Sacred Heart The Scriptural roots of the devotion to the Sacred Heart run deep. For Francis de Sales, the Gospel of John presents Jesus’ heart as the fountain of life. At the Last Supper, John reclined and rests his head on Jesus’s heart (Jn 13:23-25). From the pierced side of the Crucified Christ flowed blood and water (Jn 19:34), an image for the sacraments in the economy of salvation. Finally, in his autobiographical reference, Jesus offers his heart as the model for every disciple:“learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29) The Sacred Heart in Catholic tradition Throughout the middle ages, especially in Franciscan and Dominican preaching, devotion to the sacred heart centred on the five wounds of the Crucified Christ, most notably his pierced side. In the 17th c., St. Margaret Mary, a Visitation Sister to whom Jesus chose to reveal his Sacred Heart with depth, clarity and intensity, became the catalyst for the devotion that still moves hearts today. This tradition, characterized by a worldview of interconnected human and divine hearts flows from the intense spiritual bond shared by St. Francis de Sales (1567- 1622) and St. Jane Francis de Chantal (1572- 1641) who shared “one heart and one soul” in their collaborative ministry. 26 hajja Views from Valdocco Fr. Mike Pace, SDB, Vice-Director, Casa Don Bosco Museum, Turin THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS IN SALESIAN SPIRITUALITY Ottubru - Diċembru 2022 hajja