Look through an older Catholic home and you'll often find two images hanging side by side: the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. They look similar at first glance, and plenty of Catholics aren't quite sure how to tell them apart or why they so often appear together.

That's a fair question. Once you see what each devotion honors, the pairing of the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart makes a lot of sense.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus honors the love of God made man. It's the love that took flesh, walked among us, and was pierced on the Cross for our salvation.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary honors the love of the first and most faithful disciple. Mary's Heart was entirely given to God and entirely turned toward her Son.

The two devotions are deeply connected and also distinct. Jesus is God, and His Heart is adored. Mary is a creature, and her Heart is honored and venerated as the Heart that loved Him most perfectly. Every bit of Mary's love points back to her Son. That's why the Church places the two side by side: Mary's Heart helps us love His.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart centers on Christ's love for us. Pope Pius XII taught in Haurietis Aquas that His Heart is a sign of His divine love, the love of His human will, and His human, felt love. The devotion took its familiar shape through the apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque at Paray-le-Monial between 1673 and 1675. You can read that story in St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and the history of the Sacred Heart.

The central practices are reparation, Communion on the nine First Fridays, the Holy Hour, the June Solemnity, and the enthronement of the Sacred Heart in the home.

Devotion to the Immaculate Heart draws on St. Luke's Gospel, which tells us twice that Mary kept the events of her Son's life and "treasured all these words in her heart" (Luke 2:19, 2:51). Simeon told her that "a sword will pierce your own soul too" (Luke 2:35), and that prophecy came true at the foot of the Cross.

The Immaculate Heart is the heart of a mother who ponders, suffers with her Son, and intercedes for His brothers and sisters.

You can see her Heart at work at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11). Mary notices that the wine has run out, brings the need to her Son, and tells the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." That's the Immaculate Heart in a single scene: attentive to our needs and always sending us to Jesus.

Devotion to her Heart spread widely after the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima in 1917. On the 25th anniversary of those apparitions, in 1942, Pope Pius XII consecrated the Church and the human race to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

For a deeper look, see our earlier post, Decoding the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

At a glance, both Hearts often appear with flames and light. The details tell you which is which.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus usually shows:

• A crown of thorns encircling the Heart
• A cross rising from the top
• An open wound from the soldier's lance
• Flames of burning love

The Immaculate Heart of Mary usually shows:

• A sword, or sometimes seven swords, piercing the Heart, recalling Simeon's prophecy and her sorrows
• Roses encircling the Heart, often white for her purity
• Flames of love for God and for us

Each symbol in the Sacred Heart image traces back to St. Margaret Mary's own description, which we walk through in the meaning of the Sacred Heart image. The quickest way to tell them apart: thorns and a cross mean the Sacred Heart, and a sword and roses mean the Immaculate Heart.

The Church makes the connection plain in the liturgy. The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus falls on the Friday after the second Sunday after Pentecost. The very next day, the Church celebrates the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Friday honors the Son's Heart. Saturday, the day traditionally devoted to Our Lady, honors His Mother's. If you'd like to make the most of that pairing, our guide to the Feast of the Sacred Heart has ideas for both days.

The same pattern shows up in the monthly devotions.

The First Fridays come from Jesus' request to St. Margaret Mary in 1674: receive Communion on the first Friday of the month in reparation to His Heart. Traditionally, Catholics do this for nine consecutive months.

The First Saturdays come from Our Lady's request to Sister Lucia of Fatima at Pontevedra, Spain, on December 10, 1925. She asked for five consecutive first Saturdays of reparation to her Immaculate Heart, with Confession, Communion, five decades of the Rosary, and 15 minutes of meditation on the mysteries.

Because the first Friday and first Saturday of the month often fall on back-to-back days, many Catholics keep both. It's a beautiful monthly rhythm: Friday with the Son, Saturday with His Mother.

One of the best known sacramentals already joins the two Hearts. The reverse of the Miraculous Medal shows the Sacred Heart crowned with thorns beside the Immaculate Heart pierced by a sword. We compared the Miraculous Medal with other devotions in Miraculous Medal vs. other Marian medals.

You don't have to choose between these devotions. Here are a few ways to bring both into your week:

1. Pair your mornings. Offer your day to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. A sentence in your own words is enough.
2. Keep the monthly rhythm. Try one First Friday and one First Saturday this month.
3. Pray the Rosary with both in mind. The Rosary is a prayer to Christ through Mary. As you pray the Sorrowful Mysteries, think of His pierced Heart and her pierced soul at the Cross.
4. Display both images. If your family enthrones the Sacred Heart, many ceremonies include a consecration to the Immaculate Heart as well.
5. Ask Mary to show you her Son. When prayer feels dry, ask the Blessed Mother to help you love Jesus the way she does.

A rosary is the natural tool for this kind of prayer. Our Sacred Heart Rosary puts the Heart of Jesus at the center of your beads, and every Hail Mary on it asks His Mother to pray for you.

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