Heart of Jesus
Discovering the Heart of Jesus: How a Single Encyclical Transformed My Faith and Family Life
When I was first married, I sincerely wanted to live my Catholic faith.
The problem was that I didn't really know what that looked like.
I attended Mass every Sunday, but I was also attending Protestant Bible studies and prayer groups because that was what I knew. I loved Jesus and wanted to follow Him, but I was still learning what it meant to think, pray, and live as a Catholic woman.
Humanae Vitae
A few years into our marriage, Steve and I had been trying to conceive for over two years.
A Catholic friend invited us to attend a Natural Family Planning class. In the packet they handed us was a document I had never heard of before:
Humanae Vitae ("On Human Life") by Pope St. Paul VI.
That encyclical changed something in me.
It was beautiful.
It was biblical.
It was compassionate.
And for the first time, I understood why the Catholic Church teaches what she does about marriage, intimacy, and openness to life.
At the time, I was carrying a lot of emotions about infertility, charting, and uncertainty about the future. But Humanae Vitae helped me see that God's plan for marriage was bigger and more beautiful than I had imagined.
That single document opened the door to a lifelong love of reading the wisdom of the Church.
If I wanted to imitate Christ, I needed to learn how Christ thinks.
Years later, while homeschooling our daughter, I realized something important:
If I wanted to imitate Christ, I needed to learn how Christ thinks.
And if I wanted to think like Christ, I needed to understand His teachings.
I didn't know what a truly Catholic family looked like, so I began reading.
That's when I discovered the writings of Pope St. John Paul II.
I devoured Familiaris Consortio, Veritatis Splendor, and Evangelium Vitae. Through those writings, I began to understand marriage, family life, truth, freedom, and human dignity in an entirely new way.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Then God introduced me to another devotion that would profoundly impact my life: the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
When we moved to Virginia, I noticed that many faithful Catholic families had beautiful images of the Sacred Heart displayed in their homes. Our homeschool community gathered for First Friday Masses, and devotion to the Sacred Heart seemed woven into the fabric of their family life.
I was curious.
So I went looking for answers.
At a Pauline bookstore, I found Pope Pius XII's encyclical Haurietis Aquas ("You Shall Draw Waters"), one of the Church's most beautiful reflections on devotion to the Sacred Heart.
What struck me was this:
If Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, then every part of Him deserves our love and adoration.
Yet it was His Heart that was pierced for us.
His Heart that poured out blood and water.
His Heart that continues to burn with love for every soul.
I was captivated.
I began reading about St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the saint to whom Jesus revealed the promises of the Sacred Heart. I read Pope St. John Paul II's Meditations on the Litany of the Sacred Heart.
And little by little, devotion became relationship.
The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart
Not long afterward, I joined the Legion of Mary.
One of the beautiful works of the Legion is helping families enthrone the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart in their homes.
When my birthday came around, I asked Steve for something unusual:
I asked for our home to be enthroned to the Sacred Heart.
The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a beautiful ceremony in which a family publicly acknowledges Jesus as King of their home and invites Him to reign over every aspect of family life.
Over the years, I have witnessed incredible fruits from this devotion:
- Marriages restored
- Family members returning to the Church
- Deep healing within families
- Renewed peace in difficult circumstances
What place does the Heart of Jesus have in your own life?
June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
This month, Catholics around the world will celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart and renew their trust in the limitless love of Christ.
And perhaps that raises a question for you:
What place does the Heart of Jesus have in your own life?
Maybe you've never heard of this devotion before.
Maybe you've seen images of the Sacred Heart but never understood their significance.
Maybe you're feeling drawn to learn more.
Or maybe you're carrying something heavy right now and wondering where God is in the middle of it.
Wherever you find yourself, I want you to know this:
Jesus is not afraid of your questions.
He is not afraid of your confusion.
He is not afraid of your wounds.
His Heart burns with love for you exactly where you are.
I'd be honored to accompany you.
If you are struggling with something in your life right now-whether it's your faith, your marriage, your emotions, your purpose, your identity, or simply feeling stuck-I would be honored to walk with you.
As a Catholic Womanhood Coach, I help women process their thoughts, emotions, and life circumstances through the lens of Catholic truth so they can move forward with greater clarity, peace, and confidence.
If that sounds like what your heart has been longing for, I invite you to schedule a complimentary discovery call.
You don't have to figure everything out alone.
Jesus often heals through relationship, conversation, and accompaniment.
I'd be honored to accompany you.
May the Sacred Heart of Jesus draw you close this month and fill you with His peace, mercy, and love.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.
Many blessings
To Jesus through Mary
Mama Jane
The Catholic Womanhood Coach
