Sacred Heart of Jesus

June is set apart in a special way for devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. When Jesus hung on the cross and they pierced his side with a lance, blood & water poured out for us. Today, the water symbolizes baptism & the blood symbolizes the Holy Eucharist. Both of them are the outpouring of his love for us.   Traditionally, the Sacred Heart of Jesus is shown outside of his body, surrounded by thorns & flaming, showing his burning love for mankind.

Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and asked that the Feast be celebrated after Corpus Christi in reparation for our ingratitude for his sacrifice.  The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus usually falls in June as well — it is 19 days after Pentacost Sunday.

Prayers & Novenas

You might consider adding one of the following prayers to your prayer time this month.   If you are looking for something short, you can try:

Invocation to the Sacred Heart

O Heart of love, I put all my trust in Thee; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness. Amen.

Or this prayer is beautiful, too:

Prayer to the Sacred Heart

Hail! O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quickening source of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and burning furnace of divine love. Thou art my refuge and my sanctuary, O my amiable Savior. Consume my heart with that burning fire with which Thine is ever inflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Thy love, and let my heart be so united with Thine, that our wills may be one, and mine in all things, be conformed to Thine. May Thy divine will be equally the standard and rule of all my desires and of all my actions. Amen.

You could also say a Novena to the Sacred Heart – found here.

Devotions

There are several common devotions to the Sacred Heart.

Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

First is the Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  This is the one I have been most struggling with since reading Apostolate of Holy Motherhood.  It sounds so simple to do, but I can never seem to get it done.  And I want to.

To Consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart, you need to:

  • Receive Communion frequently
  • First Fridays: go to Confession and receive the Eucharist on the first Friday of each month for nine consecutive months. Many parishes will offer public First Friday devotions; if they do, you must perform First Fridays publicly. If it isn’t so offered in your parish, you can do this privately, going to Confession, receiving the Eucharist, and offering your prayers for the intention of the Holy Father.
  • Holy Hour: Eucharistic Adoration for one hour on Thursdays (“Could you not watch one hour with me?”). Holy Hour can be made alone or as part of a group with formal prayers.
  • Celebrating of the Feast of the Sacred Heart.

How hard is that, really?   4 hours a week, plus 1-2 hours per month, depending on how long it takes to go to Confession.   And I love going to adoration!   But getting out the door and getting on a schedule with hubby’s work hours as they are feels impossible to me right now :(.

For these acts of reparation, He makes the following promises:

  • He will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
  • He will establish peace in their homes.
  • He will comfort them in all their afflictions.
  • He will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
  • He will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
  • Sinners will find in His Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
  • Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
  • Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
  • He will bless every place in which an image of His Heart is exposed and honored.
  • He will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
  • Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in His Heart.
  • In the excessive mercy of His Heart that His all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in His disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. His divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

Have you come up with ways to make this happen even with small children?   I’d love to hear it!!

Sacred Heart Badge

Another one is the Sacred Heart Badge.   Several years ago our priest handed these out during the month of June.   You have probably seen one — they are a cloth or plastic emblem with a picture of Christ with his heart on one side, and an image of the Heart of Jesus alone on the reverse.   The badge may be worn inside one’s clothing or carried in one’s purse or wallet.

The Badge reminds us of the reparation by which we accept our share in the sufferings of Christ & cooperate in the work of the redemption of mankind.  By accepting the obligations of God’s commandments, our fidelity to the daily tasks of our state in life, patient acceptance of the trials, disappointments, and crosses thrust upon us each day, we help in that mission.

In addition, there is also a partial indulgence granted to those who wear the badge and pray daily one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.

Enthronement to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Our priest is offering to come to each families home to perform the enthronement of the family to the sacred heart of Jesus.   To see the details of what it involves and what is done, visit this comprehensive article about the Enthronement to the Sacred Heart at Catholic Culture.

 

You can also read more about the Sacred Heart at my favorite site – FishEaters.com here.

 

Do you do anything special to commemorate the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in your home?

Jen S.

 

 

 

1 Comment on June Devotion – Sacred Heart of Jesus

  1. Maurice P. Simmons
    23 June 2013 at 3:29 PM (11 years ago)

    This act is required by the very object of the devotion, since devotion to the love of Jesus for us should be pre-eminently a devotion of love for Jesus . It is characterized by a reciprocation of love ; its aim is to love Jesus who has so loved us, to return love for love . Since, moreover, the love of Jesus manifests itself to the devout soul as a love despised and outraged, especially in the Eucharist , the love expressed in the devotion naturally assumes a character of reparation , and hence the importance of acts of atonement , the Communion of reparation , and compassion for Jesus suffering. But no special act , no practice whatever, can exhaust the riches of the devotion to the Sacred Heart. The love which is its soul embraces all and, the better one understands it, the more firmly is he convinced that nothing can vie with it for making Jesus live in us and for bringing him who lives by it to love God , in union with Jesus , with all his heart, all his soul , all his strength.
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