Painting the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Sacred Heart of Jesus, burning with love of us, inflame our hearts with love of Thee.
Today, I’d like to share the first of three completed paintings in my Holy Family Heart series, the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
As I stare at the frayed ends of all my tiny detail brushes, I realize it’s time to call it quits on what has perhaps been the hardest paintings I’ve completed to-date. I repainted the flames on the Sacred Heart of Jesus four or five times. Maybe more…I honestly lost count as I added layer upon layer of paint. I probably spent more time painting just the flames on Jesus’ Heart than I did on the entire heart of Saint Joseph, lilies and all.
When I close my eyes and imagine the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the flames are what stand out the most in my mind. They aren’t busy and bursting like the first flames I originally painted over. They are calm, and peaceful. They draw me in. They make me want to rest my head upon Jesus’ heart just as Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque is said to have done so many years ago…
Those are the flames I was really hoping to convey here.
Flames that represent the sacrifice of all sacrifices. The ultimate burnt offering.
Flames that speak only of Love and Mercy.
Flames that are meant to spread to our own hearts…
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke?” Luke 24:32
Those flames…
I don’t think I could ever paint them as I see them in my head. And as I set down the last of my frayed detail brushes and lament that I could not possibly portray them as I had hoped, I’m reminded to step back and see the bigger picture.
The bigger picture being His Heart, of course, and all it represents. Not an angry heart. Not a judgmental heart. A purely sacrificial Heart that burns with love for us. A heart that desires to continually extend His Mercy despite our many failings. A Heart that desires to set our own hearts ablaze with love of Him in return.
How this Painting Came to Be
I’ve always been drawn to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, especially this past postpartum season after our third baby. All those hormones and emotions can feel downright overwhelming those first few months, and I found myself feeling entirely incapable of mothering three small children and practically begging Jesus for help.
And so each morning, I’d find myself at the kitchen table with a small tin of watercolors, bouncing a baby to sleep with one hand while attempting to paint elementary-styled watercolor Sacred Hearts over and over again to calm my anxieties. They weren’t masterpieces by any means, but they were probably the most comforting hours I’ve ever spent painting.
Like always, the postpartum stage was gone in the blink of an eye, and I was able to pick up the oil paints once my anxieties calmed down a bit. (And, in case you are wondering, I now LOVE being a mom of three. We’re getting this rodeo figured out!) As soon as I tried painting a more in-depth version of Jesus’ Sacred Heart, I simultaneously came across about 5 copies of Saint Faustina’s Diary in an old dusty bookstore. I took this as I sign that I needed to buy one, and though I’m only about half way through this MASSIVE book, I am blown away at the extent in which Saint Faustina describes Christ’s Mercy and Love.
“Your Mercy surpasses the understanding of all Angels and people put together; and so, although it seems to me that You do not hear me, I put my trust in the ocean of Your mercy, and I know that my hope will not be deceived.”
-Saint Faustina
“My daughter, speak to priests about this inconceivable mercy of Mine. The flames of mercy are burning Me—clamoring to be spent;I want to keep pouring them out upon souls; souls just don’t want to believe in My goodness.”
-Jesus to Saint Faustina
I am prone to imagining Our Lord looking down on me in quite the judgmental/disappointed way. But as I painted His Heart for hours on end, I began to realize that my perception of Him is all askew. I often unconsciously approach Jesus in prayer like that of 6th grader under the glare of a teacher…ashamed that she failed to turn in her homework on time.
But Jesus doesn’t necessarily work that way. He may be disappointed when I lose sight of Him, yes, but His mercy is boundless. And my confidence in this Mercy should give me the strength to get up faster than ever after my failings, knowing well that He is ready to shower me with the graces necessary to persevere.
Enough about me, though…
Symbolism behind the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is an iconic Christian symbol that has been around for centuries. It originated as a form of meditation on the Five Wounds of Christ and gained even more traction during the 17th century when Christ appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alocoque, requesting further devotion to his heart.
I feel entirely unqualified to type all this so I’m going to reference/link a few articles at the end which explain the symbolism and history of the Sacred Heart of Jesus better than I!
The Heart: So many different variations exist of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, from perfectly shaped Valentine-ish hearts to the actual muscle tissue. Most of the time, however, images of the Sacred Heart are portrayed somewhere in-between. I heard once that this mixed representation is in reference to Jesus being both human and divine. He loved us with a human heart, but is simultaneously divine, being God’s Son and the second Person of the Trinity.
The iconic “heart-shape” references His divinity while also drawing more attention to the immensity of His Love.
The veins (and occasionally addition of aorta) references His humanity. Our wonderful, powerful, infinite God chose to love us with a human heart…how amazing is that?
“It is not a reference to the actual muscle tissue of His physical heart but it is a reference to Christ Himself. The heart is synonymous with the totality of the person. Christ is offering you an intimate view of the interior reality of his life, which is all love.” (1)
Crown of Thorns: This references the crown of thorns which was mockingly placed on Jesus’ head during the crucifixion.
“Wrapping the crown around the heart emphasizes the fact that Christ felt His wounds to the depths of His heart.” (2)
The Spear: This references the spear which was thrust into Jesus’ side while on the cross, creating a fifth wound which poured forth blood and water.
The Rays of light: Most images of the Sacred Heart show rays or glowing light surrounding the heart. These are in reference to the book of Revelation regarding the end of time:
“The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb.” (Rev 21:23)
Jesus is indeed the light of the world!
The Cross: The cross often appears to be “planted” in Jesus’ Sacred Heart, as the crucifixion cannot be fully understood without also considering the loving Heart of Jesus which supported it.
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)
The Flame: The flame has multiple meanings, the most obvious being the intensity of Christ’s love burning for us.Furthermore, it is in reference to Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross:
“Christ’s self-offering on the cross was the one-time perfect consummation of all the sacrifices of the Old Testament. This necessarily includes burnt offerings, which were the highest form of sacrifices in ancient Israel.” (2)
I also love the imagery of the disciples who met our Resurrected Jesus on the Road to Emmaus. Upon realizing it truly was Jesus with whom they walked, they proclaim that their hearts were “burning within [them] as he spoke” (Luke 24:32). The more we meditate on Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, the more our hearts will burn for him in return. What a gift!
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There’s so much more I could write about, but I will let these paintings speak for themselves. I pray that you may know the depth of Christ’s love for you and that in difficult moments, you may seek to find comfort while resting your head on his Most Sacred Heart.
Peace to you and yours,
Haley
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*Paper Prints of my Holy Family Hearts Series are available to purchase individually or as a set.
*Originals are up for sale as a set.
* Canvas prints will only be made available after originals have sold.
Oh, Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.
References:
1.) https://welcomehisheart.com/the-symbols-of-the-heart-of-jesus
2.) https://aleteia.org/2018/06/08/explaining-the-strange-symbolism-of-the-sacred-heart/
Further information on the history of the Sacred Heart:
https://www.ncregister.com/blog/where-did-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus-come-from
