It was there that Margaret Mary received a series of visions of Our Lord between 1673 and 1675. Jesus revealed to her His Sacred Heart, aflame with divine love and surrounded by a crown of thorns, symbolizing the sorrow caused by humanity’s ingratitude and sin. Through these revelations, she understood that she had been entrusted with the spiritual mission of making known to the world the immense love of Christ and encouraging a response of loving devotion, reparation, and gratitude.
Her mission was not simply to promote a new devotion, but to call Christians to a deeper personal relationship with Jesus. She was particularly concerned that the love of Christ, so generously offered in the Blessed Sacrament, was often met with indifference. Our Lord therefore called her to encourage frequent Holy Communion, devotion on the First Fridays of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour, especially as acts of love and reparation for sins committed against Him.
During the great revelation of 1675, Margaret Mary understood Christ’s desire for a special feast honouring His Sacred Heart. This feast would invite the faithful to contemplate His wounded Heart as the enduring sign of His love for sinners. Her mission also emphasized the importance of consecrating oneself to Christ and responding to His mercy through prayer, repentance, and works of charity.
The path was far from easy. Some of her fellow religious sisters questioned her experiences, and she endured misunderstanding and opposition, but her spiritual director, the Jesuit priest St. Claude de la Colombière, recognized the importance of her mission and helped promote devotion to the Sacred Heart. Through perseverance, humility, and obedience, Margaret Mary continued the work entrusted to her.
She died on October 17, 1690, and was canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. Her spiritual legacy continues to teach us that devotion to the Sacred Heart must lead beyond outward practices, into a genuine conversion of heart. Through her witness, Christians are invited to receive Christ’s love with gratitude, make reparation through prayer and sacrifice, and reflect His merciful love in their lives.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst reveal unto thy holy Virgin Margaret Mary the unsearchable riches of thy Sacred Heart: grant us, by her merits and example, to love thee in all things and above all things, and to find in thy loving Heart an everlasting habitation; who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.