Month of the Sacred Heart
Behold
this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want
to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to
spread its love everywhere on earth."- Jesus to Saint
Margaret Mary
Highlights
Prayer of the Month
An Act of Consecration to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus
Most sweet Jesus, humbly kneeling at Thy feet, we renew the consecration
of our family to Thy Divine Heart. Be Thou our King forever! In
Thee we have full and entire confidence. May Thy spirit penetrate
our thoughts, our desires, our words and our deeds. Bless our undertakings,
share in our joys, in our trials, and in our labors. Grant us to
know Thee better, to love Thee more, to serve Thee without faltering.
Devotions to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus
Documents
The
Sacred Heart And The Eucharist — John A.
Hardon, S.J.
Doctrinal
Foundation of Devotion to the Sacred Heart
— John A. Hardon, S.J.
Worship
Of The Physical Heart Of Christ — Fr. Bertrand de
Margerie, S.J.
The
Revelation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Paral-le-Monial, France
— George Pollard
Devotion
To the Sacred Heart: Part I — Peter C. Milward, S.J.
Devotion
To the Sacred Heart: Part 2 — Peter C. Milward, S.J.
Websites
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Font of Love and Mercy.
The Month of June (Overview - Calendar) is dedicated to the Sacred Heart.
The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost.
In addition to the liturgical celebration, many devotional exercises
are connected with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Of all devotions,
devotion to the Sacred Heart was, and remains, one of the most widespread
and popular in the Church.
Understood in the light of the Scriptures, the term
"Sacred Heart of Jesus" denotes the entire mystery of
Christ, the totality of his being, and his person considered in
its most intimate essential: Son of God, uncreated wisdom; infinite
charity, principal of the salvation and sanctification of mankind.
The "Sacred Heart" is Christ, the Word Incarnate, Saviour,
intrinsically containing, in the Spirit, an infinite divine-human
love for the Father and for his brothers.
Excerpted from the Directory
on Popular Piety and the Liturgy
The feast of the Sacred Heart was approved for specified dioceses
by Clement XIII in 1765, and extended to the whole Church by Pius
IX in 1856. In 1889 Pope Leo XIII elevated it to the rank of first
class, and through an encyclical letter in 1899 dedicated the whole
Catholic world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart was also an essential
component of Pope John Paul II's hopes for the "new evangelization"
called for by the Church.
"For evangelization today," he said, "the
Heart of Christ must be recognized as the heart of the Church: It
is He who calls us to conversion, to reconciliation. It is He who
leads pure hearts and those hungering for justice along the way
of the Beatitudes. It is He who achieves the warm communion of the
members of the one Body. It is He who enables us to adhere to the
Good News and to accept the promise of eternal life. It is He who
sends us out on mission. The heart-to-heart with Jesus broadens
the human heart on a global scale."
Here are some of the relevant documents: Leo XIII
in his Encyclical Letter Annum
sacrum (1889) on the consecration of mankind to the Sacred
Heart; Pius XI in Caritate
Christi Compulsi (On The Sacred Heart) and Miserentissimus
Redemptor (On Reparation To The Sacred Heart); Pius XII in his
Encyclical Letter Haurietis
aquas; Paul VI in his Apostolic Letter Investigabiles
divitias Christi (1965) and John Paul II in Message
on the centenary of the consecration of mankind to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus (1999), in L'Osservatore Romano, 12 June
1999.
Jesus,
who is one with the Father (cf. John 10, 30), invites his disciples
to live in close communion with him, to model their lives on him
and on his teaching. He, in turn, reveals himself as "meek
and humble of heart" (Mt 11, 29). It can be said that, in a
certain sense, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a cultic
form of the prophetic and evangelic gaze of all Christians on him
who was pierced (cf. John 19, 37; Zac 12, 10), the gaze of all Christians
on the side of Christ, transfixed by a lance, and from which flowed
blood and water (cf. John 19, 34), symbols of the "wondrous
sacrament of the Church"(St. Augustine).
The Gospel of St. John recounts the showing of the
Lord's hands and his side to the disciples (cf. John 20,20), and
of his invitation to Thomas to put his hand into his side (cf. John
20, 27). This event has also had a notable influence on the origin
and development of the Church's devotion to the Sacred Heart.
These and other texts present Christ as the paschal
Lamb, victorious and slain (cf. Apoc 5,6). They were objects of
much reflection by the Fathers who unveiled their doctrinal richness.
They invited the faithful to penetrate the mysteries of Christ by
contemplating the wound opened in his side. Augustine writes: "Access
is possible: Christ is the door. It was opened for you when his
side was opened by the lance. Remember what flowed out from his
side: thus, choose where you want to enter Christ. From the side
of Christ as he hung dying upon the Cross there flowed out blood
and water, when it was pierced by a lance. Your purification is
in that water, your redemption is in that blood".
Excerpted from the Directory
on Popular Piety and the Liturgy
Devotion to the Sacred Heart is a wonderful historical expression
of the Church's piety for Christ, her Spouse and Lord: it calls
for a fundamental attitude of conversion and reparation, of love
and gratitude, apostolic commitment and dedication to Christ and
his saving work.
Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus are numerous.
Some have been explicitly approved and frequently recommended by
the Apostolic See. Among these, mention should be made of the following:
Personal
ConsecrationPersonal consecration, described by Pius XI as "undoubtedly the principal devotional practice used in relation to the Sacred Heart" (Miserentissimus redemptor).
Family
ConsecrationFamily consecration to the Sacred Heart, in which the family, by virtue of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony already participating in the mystery of the unity and love of Christ for the Church, is dedicated to Christ so that he might reign in the hearts of all its members (Aliae concessiones).
Litany
of the Sacred Heart of JesusThe Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, approved for the whole Church in 1891, which is evidently biblical in character and to which many indulgences have been attached (Aliae concessiones).
Act
of Reparation to the Sacred HeartThe act of reparation, a prayer with which the faithful, mindful of the infinite goodness of Christ, implore mercy for the offences committed in so many ways against his Sacred Heart (Aliae concessiones).
The
Practice of the First Fridays The pious practice of the first Fridays of the month which derives from the "great promises" made by Jesus to St. Margaret Mary. At a time when sacramental communion was very rare among the faithful, the first Friday devotion contributed significantly to a renewed use of the Sacraments of Penance and of the Holy Eucharist. In our own times, the devotion to the first Fridays, even if practised correctly, may not always lead to the desired spiritual fruits. Hence, the faithful require constant instruction so that any reduction of the practice to mere credulity is avoided and an active faith encouraged so that the faithful may undertake their commitment to the Gospel correctly in their lives. They should also be reminded of the absolute preeminence of Sunday, the "primordial feast" (Sacrosanctum Concilium), which should be marked by the full participation of the faithful at the celebration of the Holy Mass.
Excepted from the Directory
on Popular Piety and the Liturgy
In the apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Jesus gives these twelve promises for those who are devoted to His Sacred Heart.
- I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
- I will establish peace in their families.
- I will console them in all their troubles.
- They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of their death.
- I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
- Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.
- Tepid souls shall become fervent.
- Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
- I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
- I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts.
- Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced.
- The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under my displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.
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