Yesterday the Roman Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This was an ancient Christian devotion but one revived and popularized by the French visionary St Margaret Marie Alacoque and from the very beginning had a very strong connection with monarchy and more than possibly any other devotion came to be associated with counterrevolution and Catholic monarchy. When St Margaret Marie had the visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus she actually went to King Louis XIV of France to ask him to emblazon the image on his coat of arms; which he did not do. When the Revolution came to France, and barbaric, atheistic republicanism with it, the loyal Catholic monarchists who rose up against the revolutionary regime wore the Sacred Heart as their badge and this was often their only item of uniform.
Perhaps because of this, the Sacred Heart became a very common symbol in royalist and counterrevolutionary movements across the world. Even in the 20th Century, when Catholic traditionalists in Mexico rose up against persecution the Sacred Heart was one of their most prominent symbols. It was also extremely widespread in Spain among the Catholic monarchists in the Carlists wars it was very common and in the Spanish Civil War amongst the Carlist and some of the nationalists the Sacred Heart was everywhere; on flags, banners, badges and even carved or painted onto rifles and military vehicles. The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart was instituted by Blessed Pope Pius IX who was a great defender of monarchy, an enemy of revolutionary republicanism and was the last papal monarch prior to the signing of the Lateran Treaty with Italy.
Monarchists and Catholic monarchists in particular of course, should be on the lookout for images of the Sacred Heart. If you see someone wearing a Sacred Heart medal or badge; they just might be on your side!
Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAlso let's not forget the famous Ecuadorian leader, G.G. Moreno, who was strong enough to make his legislature consecrate the country to The Sacred Heart.
This is a little known chapter in the history of the Americas.
It's quite a chilling one because of what happened right after what should seem like an innocuous deed: he was killed by masonic lodges which are always against Catholics - Orthodox too.
If one is brave enough to tackle this charged subject, take a look at his biography, or glance at a very brief summary at this page:
http://www.ourladyofgoodsuccess.com/frames-3-4-2005/book-advertisement-moreno.html
[On this site are fascinating articles about the Truth behind St Padre Pio's shrine.
And most of all, explanations about the fast-expanding devotion to "Our Lady of Good Success" and the nun who received those incredible apparitions in the early 1600s,
Venerable Mariana de Jesus Torres.
Recommend the unbelievably powerful two book series if anyone is very deeply interested "The Admirable Life of Mother Mariana" by a Franciscan friar to whom she appeared while he was still in the Portuguese Army. ]
Back to The Sacred Heart, this consecration was unique in all of history, for any country!
This rare leader was able to get the State to take a back seat while promoting the Church.
He had visited France in the early 1850s to understand the anti-monarchical upheaval of 1848.
Perhaps from Visitation nuns or others, he heard the story about the King of France having disobeyed the request to put the Sacred Heart on his arms.
Moreno may have thus resolved to at least ensure that his own country would one day be dedicated to the Sacred Heart - my guess here, as I haven't read his entire life story.
Too bad there was never an Ecuadorian Royal Family to carry on the changes after his death, for the country was a Republic after seeking independence from Spain. Helps to have local Royals to stabilize and unify nations in perilous eras like then and now!
If I remember right Moreno had actually planned to make Ecuador a monarchy with an imported Spanish prince as king but was murdered before he could do it. The Emperor Napoleon III also had a plan to set up a 'Kingdom of the Andes' in the area of Ecuador had things in Mexico been the sweeping success he had hoped.
ReplyDeleteThat is fascinating. I'm going to look up more about that Kingdom of the Andes.
ReplyDeleteIf only Mexico had worked and Ecuador too.
Our Lady of Good Success of Quito would have been venerated worldwide by now easily.
She did predict so many problems for the Church at this exact time period.
Those books are worth a read to pick out those accurate prophecies about life of today, made 400 years ago in the Conceptionist Order's convent in Quito.
That was originally a Royal convent, with this Mother Mariana as one of the Founding Mothers.
Another Mariana was the first Abbess.
All 7 of these nuns who voyaged from Spain under royal charter were found to be incorrupt, too.
They were found incorrupt and can be venerated by pilgrims today.
This is not the same, however, as St. Mariana, the Lily of Quito, a younger nun at the same miraculous convent.