The Friday after the Feast of Corpus Christi is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Saturday after is the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. These two days are very dear to me, for I am the only priest of our diocese who has been the pastor of Sacred Heart in Bellevue, and Immaculate Heart of Mary in Burlington.
    
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a feast designated to express the tender and passionate love of Jesus. At times people have imagined Christ as the angry judge of the world. In that image, Jesus is very hard to feel close to. He is seen as having come to die for us but also to be quick to condemn us when we fail Him. 
    
The image of the Sacred Heart portrays Jesus standing, facing us. His right hand is held up blessing us, while His left hand points toward His visible heart. Fire comes from His passionate heart, and the heart is surrounded by a crown of thorns. The fire and the crown and the Cross above the heart represent the fact that Jesus loves us so much that He suffers for us.
    
The love that Jesus has for us is not just a warm and gentle love. It is passionate and it burns in its desire for us. We reflect on the Sacred Heart to try to understand how deeply and powerfully He loves us.
    
The image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is very similar in appearance but has a very different meaning. Her heart is surrounded not with thorns, but with a crown of roses. Fire emerges from her heart, showing the depth of her love for Christ. Often it is also portrayed pierced with seven swords, representing the seven sorrows (or dolors) of Mary.
    
Jesus’ Heart is about the immense love that Jesus has for us, and Mary’s Heart is about the love that we are called to have for Christ. The great love exchanged between Jesus’ Heart and our own visualizes the entire spiritual life, the passionate love between Jesus and ourselves.