The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is traditionally celebrated by the Church the Friday following Corpus Christi. This date was chosen because of Christ's request to St. Margaret Mary that a feast be held in reparation for mankind's ingratitude for His life-giving sacrifice upon the cross. The Sacred Heart is meant to be a visible reminder of Christ's intense love for mankind which caused Him to shed His blood for us on the cross. It's an invitation for us to surrender ourselves more fully to His merciful love.
On the feast of the Sacred Heart, a partial indulgence is granted to any faithful who sincerely recites the below acts of reparation while a full plenary indulgence is granted if the prayer is recited publicly on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. If you are unfamiliar with plenary indulgences, you can learn more about them here.
Requirements for obtaining a plenary indulgence:
- Do the work while in a state of grace
- Receive sacramental confession within 20 days of the work (several plenary indulgences may be earned per reception)
- Receive Eucharistic communion (one plenary indulgence may be earned per reception of Eucharist)
- Pray for the pope’s intentions (an Our Father and Hail Mary, or another appropriate prayer, is sufficient)
- Have no attachment to sin (even venial) — i.e., the Christian makes an act of the will to love God and despise sin.
- Pray to the Sacred Heart using something similar to the one provided by Franciscan Media
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!