Imagine being entrusted with a message that could change the world, but having absolutely no one believe you. This was the agonizing reality for Margaret Mary Alacoque in the early 1670s. Theologians dismissed her visions as an overactive imagination or demonic deception. Plunged into a dark night of the soul, terrified and exhausted by constant rejection, she heard an interior voice: “Have patience, and await my servant.” She trusted God would help her in His own time.In early 1675, a brilliant 34-year-old Jesuit priest, Claude de la Colombière, was assigned to Paray-le-Monial.
Known for his sharp intellect and deep holiness, he arrived to give a spiritual conference at the Visitation convent. As Margaret Mary sat in the pews, she heard a distinct voice from God whisper: *"Behold him whom I send thee."*With trembling hesitation, she poured out her soul to him, detailing the flaming heart and Christ's overwhelming requests.
Father Claude did not scoff. Drawing upon his Jesuit training, he looked past the extraordinary claims and saw the undeniable fruits of the Holy Spirit. He believed *"what passed in this dear Sister came from God,"* explaining to her superiors that the devil cannot produce humility, simplicity, and exact obedience. He assured Margaret Mary she had nothing to fear.Finally, she had an ally.
Father Claude became her spiritual director, and his written discernment deeply reassured her previously doubtful superior, Mother Greyfié. Jesus Himself validated this partnership, calling Father Claude His "faithful servant and perfect friend," commissioning him as the co-apostle of the Sacred Heart. This divine mission demanded a heavy cross.
Sent to England during intense anti-Catholic persecution, Father Claude was falsely accused of treason. Thrown into a freezing dungeon, brutal treatment destroyed his health. Banished back to France, he died a painful death on February 15, 1682, at just 41.Yet, from beyond the grave, an absolutely unforeseen event raised the veil on Margaret Mary's holy secret.
Two years after his death, his personal notes were discovered. They were so redolent of sanctity that the Jesuits published them under the title, *"Spiritual Retreat of Rev. Father Claude de la Colombière."* A copy was sent to the Paray convent, and the superior, Mother Melin, ordered it read aloud in the refectory to gratify the pious desires of the Sisters.The little volume excited veritable enthusiasm.
As Sister de Farges read to the community one day, she stumbled upon an electrifying passage. Father Claude had written of his resolve to promote devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, adding:*"I have recognized that God wishes me to serve Him by furthering the accomplishment of His desires concerning a devotion He has suggested to a person to whom He has communicated Himself very intimately, and to serve whom He has graciously pleased to make use of my weakness."*Sister de Farges read these words with ever-increasing devotion.
The secret was out. The entire community instantly understood who this unnamed "person" was. Margaret Mary's reputation for sanctity soared, and her novices began to suspect that it was not in books that she had learned of the Adorable Heart of Jesus. Father Claude's brilliant writings had vindicated the humble nun during his life, and his posthumous book ensured that devotion to the Sacred Heart would survive and flourish for centuries to come.
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