Monday, June 8, 2026

It is the 8th of June 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 

A very happy Monday to you- summertime, at least according to the high holy calendar of the public school system, is upon us… as we often do, we head to the mailbag to answer a question from a listener. You can send me your questions at danv@1517.org.

 

Steven is from Columbus, Nebraska, where they eat chili on cinnamon rolls- but I covered that town last time he wrote a question, so he told me that he is from Jackson, Michigan, and went to the same high school as Tony Dungy… the town is named after Andrew Jackson… founded in 1829. It’s the home of the major prison in Michigan, and they’ve got a public unsolved homicides directory. Cool.

 

He wrote: “For these first 2 days of June, the local Roman catholic radio network has run TV ads proclaiming that June is devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I do not know what that means or how it started. I know there are "Sacred Heart" high schools. I don't think I want to research this, but I will listen to it on CHA if you are interested.”

He’s practically begging me… so how could I not? It’s actually pretty interesting stuff. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a particular icon- you’ve probably seen it. The most famous version is by Pompeo Batoni in 1767- you’ve got Jesus, head slightly tilted and staring directly at the viewer. He is holding a heart in his hand at the center of his chest that is emanating light- it has a crown of thorns around it, flames, and a cross. It is one of the most reproduced images in the Catholic Church.

The image of a body part of Christ goes back to medieval iconography and poetry- think of the devotions to the head, the hands, the feet… “O Sacred Head Now Wounded,” which we recently discussed, is part of a much longer hymn that praises different parts of Christ.

In the 1600s, there was a nun in France named Margaret Mary Alacoque- she is said to have had a series of visions in which she was shown the heart of Christ as depicted in the image- the thorns, cross, and flames. In it, she says that Jesus told her to set apart a special feast day. After much lobbying, the feast was granted- in 1765, Pope Clement XIII granted that this would be a feast and granted it to Poland and France.

There’s a story that links the feast of the Sacred Heart to this month- soon after the feast was granted, the French Revolution began with its massacre of many priests and church leaders. One Jesuit, Alexandar Lanfant, who was killed, had put out a pamphlet calling for 40 days of prayer and penance culminating in a prayer of consecration of the Sacred Heart in June, which was made in 1790.

In 1856, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the whole church and called for the first Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi for a devotion to his heart. Remember Corpus Christi? The Thursday after Trinity Sunday. It doesn’t have an Octave anymore (that’s 8 days of celebration), so it’s the third Friday after Pentecost. This will most likely always be in June, and so June has been set apart as the month for Catholics for special devotion to the Sacred Heart. While Vatican II did away with some of the obligations and certain feast days (like the Octave of Corpus Christi), the Feast of the Sacred Heart remains a solemnity- that is what the old “First Class” days are now called.

The devotion to the Sacred Heart draws together a particular iconography but also a desire to link worship to the corporeal. The Heart of Jesus would be both a regular human heart and also divine. As the heart is understood as the center of love, it would make sense that the heart of Jesus would be especially filled with love. One can see this as all of a part of the move against gnosticism- the idea that matter, well… doesn’t matter. From a Protestant perspective, it can be seen as more medieval excess- but if you were looking for something to meditate on, something corporeal (physical), the heart of Jesus certainly is preferable to the fingers and toes of saints.

The centrality of this feast (which is the last one to be counted from Easter) has led it to be a popular one for naming, such that, as you noted, Steven- “Sacred Heart” is a very common name given to Catholic institutions, from schools to hospitals to initiatives in the month of June.

Hope that helps! Send me your questions at Danv@1517.org.

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and from Psalm 199:

May your unfailing love come to me, Lord,
 your salvation, according to your promise;

42 then I can answer anyone who taunts me,
 for I trust in your word.

43 Never take your word of truth from my mouth,
 for I have put my hope in your laws.

44 I will always obey your law,
 for ever and ever.

45 I will walk about in freedom,
 for I have sought out your precepts.

46 I will speak of your statutes before kings
 and will not be put to shame,

47 for I delight in your commands
 because I love them.

48 I reach out for your commands, which I love,
 that I may meditate on your decrees.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 8th of June 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man with his own personal public unsolved homicide directory… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who sees that Steven is a Tigers fan… and like me, an Angels fan, is waiting for Football season- I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.