Today is the Feast of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, the French nun of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, who received apparitions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ in the Burgundian village of Paray-le-Monial beginning in 1673.
Father Todd Koenigsknecht, Pastor of Sacred Heart, Hudson, and Saint Mary on the Lake, Manitou Beach, now reflects upon the message of Saint Margaret Mary for each of us in contemporary society. In short: put down your phone and pray! Father Koenigsknecht writes:
The most famous of Jesus’ words to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque when He revealed to her His Sacred Heart and asked her to spread devotion to His heart were these: “Behold this heart which has so loved men”. A simple request describing what prayer should be. Yet simple shouldn’t be equated with easy!
The statistics tell us that the average American spends roughly eight hours a day consuming media in one form or another. More than likely, for most of us, the time we spend on media dwarfs the time we spend in prayer on a daily basis. That should be simultaneously embarrassing and convicting!
What and who we spend time with will always transform us. With all the distractions the world can offer right at hand, devotion to the Sacred Heart is something we need more than ever.
On this, Saint Margaret Mary's feast day, may we celebrate by simply doing what Jesus asked us to do, to spend time beholding His Heart. In the end may our media time match our prayer time and not the other way around! Then we will be transformed.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, pray for us.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.