These saints were each graced with a visual encounter with the Heart of Jesus.
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These visions have been recognized by the Church as authentic. While the faithful are not obliged to believe in them (as is true of any personal revelation), the Church finds merit in these visions and the devotions surrounding them because they reflect “the entire mystery of Christ, the totality of his being, and his person considered in its most intimate essential: Son of God, uncreated wisdom; infinite charity, principal of salvation and sanctification of mankind. The ‘Sacred Heart’ is Christ, the Word Incarnate, Savior, intrinsically containing, in the Spirit, an infinite divine-human love for the Father and for his brothers.”
Here is a brief list of four visionaries along with the messages they received.
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1. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
In 1673, a French Visitandine (Visitation) nun named Margaret Mary Alacoque had visions of Jesus, wherein he asked the Church to honor his Most Sacred Heart. Among the promises he communicated, Jesus said to St. Margaret Mary, “In the excess of the mercy of my heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.”
