France has been called the Eldest Daughter of the Church, and her people recently showed that, at least when it comes to one movie, that's still true.
In the heart of Paris, sitting high above the city on a hill, sits Sacré-Cœur, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On the street below, a chocolate shop wafts delicious scents through the air, and a few cafés serve tourists winded from climbing several flights of stairs to reach the great doors.
Inside, the church -- inspired by what a bishop in 1870 saw as a moral decline in his country -- offers Mass and Adoration for devout tourists looking past the historical allure to the spiritual reality.
The Sacred Heart devotion to which the basilica is dedicated began in France in the 17th Century. It's still alive there today, as depicted in the new French docudrama Sacred Heart: His Reign Has No End from Saje Productions,
On June 9, 11, and 14 (dubbed in English), and June 10 (dubbed in Spanish), Fathom Entertainment releases the film in U.S. theaters, as the U.S. Bishops consecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Sacred Heart explores the roots of this unique devotion. Viewers come to understand the intense, pure love of French nun and mystic St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, and how she introduced this devotion to the world.
The film comes to America after being a surprise hit in its native land. From EWTN News (UK):
Even before its release, the film was scorned by part of the French cultural elite, provoking either mockery or indignation towards content deemed to be overly proselytizing. Even France’s state-owned railway companies refused to advertise the film.
As the box-office numbers show, these efforts did little to dissuade the public. On the contrary: Sacré-Cœur: son règne n’a pas de fin (“Sacred Heart: His Reign Is Endless”), directed and produced by [former boy-band member] Steven Gunnell and his wife Sabrina Gunnell, has become the cinematic surprise of the year
Between late December, 1673, and June, 1675, Jesus appeared in a series of apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque at her convent in Paray-le-Monial, in Burgundy, and requested that she make known in a special way the beauty of His heart of love.
The film depicts the depth of her mysticism, especially her love for Jesus. In one vision, she asked that her heart become like His, and it was miraculously transformed: Her heart would burn, often painfully, with the love of God throughout her daily life.
Through her writings, the convent at Paray-le-Monial became a hub for devotion to the Sacred Heart. Later on, countless pilgrims have also encountered Jesus’ love at the Basilica in Paris that was subsequently erected for the devotion.
The film intertwines St. Margaret Mary’s story with testimonies of healing and the love of God from priests, nuns, historians, and theologians, who share insights about the beauty of Jesus’ message. It also delves into the the role of the Virgin Mary, who, as a result of the Incarnation, became the first vessel of Jesus’ Sacred Heart.
The film also explains how the Eucharist -- the wafer that, after being consecrated by a priest, becomes the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ -- offers us an intimate experience of His divine love.
I enjoyed the combination of historical context, live-action storytelling, and pilgrims’ testimonies about the transforming power of the Heart of Jesus in their lives.
It becomes clear that not only was this devotion a great blessing for the 17th-Century Church, but also, it remains alive now.
As an American, I was heartened to learn of large pilgrimages of French Catholics flocking to Paray-le-Monial even today. The power of Our Lord is still strong and beautiful in its healing capacity. It is not outdated; it is both ever ancient and ever new.
While St. Margaret Mary’s mystical, cloistered intensity may not be accessible to the average layperson, the love of Jesus, which she made known to the world, is available to each one of us now.
June, the month of the Sacred Heart, is the perfect time to consecrate yourself and your family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in conjunction with the consecration of America.
Image: Fathom Entertainment
Sophia Sariego is a Los Angeles native working in the pro-life movement. She loves Eucharistic Adoration, making music, and hitting the beaches in her spare time.
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