Sacré-Cœur’s Light Amidst Paris’ Massive Blackout

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:15)

Last Friday, the 2024 Summer Olympics kicked off in Paris with an opening ceremony that appeared to mock The Last Supper. Christian leaders from around the world quickly spoke out against the performance as sacrilegious, while some voices on social media defended the drag queen studded event as “misunderstood,” that it was supposed to be a nod to Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and fertility. In my opinion, anyone familiar with da Vinci’s Last Supper could not interpret the display as anything other than a direct recreation, mocking it.

Regardless, it’s safe to say that the opening ceremony of the much-anticipated, weeks long event that’s meant to unite the world through a love of athletic excellence served to divide its audience. Many Christians took to social media Friday night, vowing to boycott the rest of the Olympics.

So, when a massive power outage struck Paris on Saturday and lasted into early Sunday morning—apparently affecting all of the city except the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus—it’s no surprise that many are citing the unusual occurrence as a sign of divine intervention.

The Catholic social media personality Paul J. Kim shared his thoughts on Twitter: 

The Christian thinker Benny Johnson spoke out as well:

Cyber-sabotage was initially suspected for the power outage but was quickly ruled out; heavy rains were considered to be the culprit as well. The French Energy provider Enedis told the news outlet Le Parisien that “a network incident due to a technical anomaly has caused power cuts in…Paris, affecting 85,000 customers.”

While the blackout isn’t mentioned on the basilica’s website, it should be noted that devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has been practiced since the 17th century in reparation of sins against God, humanity, and chastity. Over the past few years, Catholics have rallied to reclaim the secular “Pride” month of June as the month of the Sacred Heart, as that’s when its feast day falls, and the devotion’s redemptive action is a powerful remedy to the destructive nature of sin.

After the sacrilegious opening ceremony at the Olympics, many Catholic voices called on the faithful to offer prayers of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Below is one such prayer. Be sure to say it with the bright image of the basilica in mind, encouraged and resting assured that, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:15).

With a deep sense of the outrages that have been heaped upon Thee by my sins and the sins of others, I wish to make reparation to Thy most Sacred Majesty. It was our sins that filled Thy Heart with bitterness; it was the weight of our guilt that pressed down Thy Face to the earth in the Garden of Olives and caused Thee to die in agony on the Cross. But now, repentant and sorrowful, I implore Thy forgiveness.

For more prayers to the Sacred Heart, click here.

Photo: X via YouTube screenshot. “Paris Shocked by Power Outage” by Kap Chatfield.