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Devotion to
the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Early Church, Middle Ages up to
St. Margaret Mary
By Brother Craig
 Devotion
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has an ancient history. At the beginning of devotion to the
Sacred Heart we find references of the Fathers of the Church to the Sacred Wound of the
Side of Jesus. In time devotion to this Sacred Wound led to devotion to the Sacred Heart.
From this Sacred Wound, with the Blood and Water, the Church and the Sacraments were born.
The Blood symbolized the Holy Eucharist and the Water symbolized Baptism. As St. Ambrose
(d.397) stated: "The Water cleanses us, the Blood redeems us." This was also the
teaching of St. John Chrysostom (d.407).
Another theme that the Fathers of the Church
contemplated was that, at the Last Supper, St. John leaned upon the breast of Our Lord and
thereby received Divine Wisdom. St. Augustine (d.430) explains that St. John drank in
"sublime secrets from the innermost depths of Our Lord's Heart." St. Paulinus of
Nola (d.431) taught that this was how St. John received the wisdom to write His Gospel and
the Apocalypse.
In a later age another theme that was considered by
William of St. Thierry (d.1148) was that we should spiritually "enter wholly into the
Heart of Jesus, into the Holy of Holies." St. William's friend, the great St. Bernard
(d.1153) explained that the piercing of Our Blessed Lord's side reveals His goodness and
the charity of His Heart for us. Another writer of the Middle Ages, Richard of St. Victor
(d.1173) taught that no sweetness or tenderness could be found that could be compared to
that of the Heart of Jesus.
The earliest known hymn to the Sacred Heart,
"Summi Regis Cor Aveto" is believed to have been written by the Norbertine,
Blessed Herman Joseph (d.1241) of Cologne, Germany. This hymn begins beautifully with,
"I hail Thee kingly Heart most high."
St. Lutgarde (d.1246) the Cistercian mystic of
Aywieres, Belgium had visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. When once asked by Our Lord
what gift she wanted, she replied: "I want Your Heart." To which Jesus
responded: "I want your heart." Then Our Blessed Lord granted the Saint a very
special grace. He mystically exchanged hearts with her. St. Lutgarde is the first known
mystic to receive this grace.
Of St. Clare (d.1253) we read that she greeted many
times a day the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. St. Bonaventure
(d.1274), the Franciscan and a great theologian, wrote: "Since we have reached the
most sweet Heart of Jesus, and it is good for us to abide in It, let us not readily turn
away from It. How good, how sweet it is to dwell in Thy Heart, O good Jesus! Who is there
who would not desire this pearl? I would rather give all else, all my thoughts and all the
affections of my soul in exchange for It, casting my whole mind into the Heart of my good
Jesus." St. Bonaventure also wrote: "Who is there who would not love this
wounded Heart? Who would not love, in return, Him Who loves so much?"
St. Gertrude the Great (d.1301 or 1302) is a very
important saint in the history of devotion to the Sacred Heart. She was born on the Feast
of the Epiphany, January 6, 1256. She joined the Benedictine Nuns as a boarding student at
Helfta, Germany at a very early age and later became a nun there. She was blessed to have
as her friend in the community, St. Mechtilde of Hackeborn (d.1298). The community at
Helfta was Benedictine—however they followed customs of the Cistercians—hence
sometimes St. Gertrude is said, incorrectly, to have been a Cistercian.
St. Gertrude was a Saint blessed with many mystical
experiences and her devotion to the Sacred Heart was so great that she truly is the St.
Margaret Mary of the Middle Ages. St. Mechtilde of Hackeborn also had a very special
devotion for the Sacred Heart.
So great was St. Gertrude's love for the Sacred Heart
that once, when St. John the Apostle appeared to her, she asked him why he did not write
of the Sacred Heart. He replied, "Because I was charged with instructing the
newly-formed Church concerning the mysteries of the Uncreated Word." St. John then
told St. Gertrude that the grace of learning of the Sacred Heart was reserved to her
century, to rouse it from its lethargy so that it would be inflamed with the great worth
of Divine Love.
St. Gertrude prayed: "Through Thy Wounded Heart,
dearest Lord, pierce my heart so deeply with the dart of Thy love that it may no longer be
able to contain earthly things but may be governed by the action of Thy Divinity
alone."
Once, when St. Gertrude's friend, St. Mechtilde, was
praying for a woman who was suffering, Our Blessed Lord said to St. Mechtilde that the
woman should, with childlike simplicity, bring each of her troubles to Him and that she
should seek consolation in His Compassionate Heart. St. Mechtilde taught that Jesus has
given us the gift of His Sacred Heart so that, when suffering, we can seek our refuge and
our consolation there.
Let us now consider three hymns from the Middle Ages.
One, by the Franciscan Jacopone da Todi (d.1306), refers to Christ writing the names of
devout souls upon His Heart. Another hymn, written by the English hermit, Richard Rolle
(d.1349?), speaks of how it was for us that Our Lord's Heart was pierced. And in a hymn of
one of Richard Rolle's followers we read of "Jesus, Sweetheart," and then the
hymn explains that the Lord "carest for naught but love of me."
Two of the mystics from the group known as the
"Rhineland Mystics" in Germany referred to Our Lord's Heart. The Dominican
Johannes Tauler (d.1361) encourages one to take refuge in this sweet Heart which is open
to those who give their hearts to Jesus. Blessed Henry Suso (d.1366), also a Dominican,
once had a vision of an Angel taking his heart from him and uniting it in rapturous love
to the Heart of Jesus.
The Carthusian monks were among the earliest religious
orders to be devoted to the Sacred Heart. The Carthusian, Ludolph of Saxony (d.1378),
wrote: "Our Lord's Heart was wounded with the wound of love for our sake, so that,
loving Him in return, we might enter through that open wound into His Heart and there live
inflamed with His love, just as iron cast into the fire becomes incandescent."
The great Dominican mystic, St. Catherine of Siena
(d.1380), one day said to Our Lord: "Sweet, Spotless Lamb, You were dead when Your
Side was opened. Why, then, did You allow that Your Heart should be thus wounded and
opened by force?" Our Lord answered: "For several reasons, of which I will tell
you the principal. My desires regarding the human race were infinite and the actual time
of suffering and torture was at an end. Since my love is infinite, I could not therefore
by this suffering manifest to you how much I loved you. That is why I willed to reveal to
you the secret of my Heart by letting you see It open, that you might well understand that
It loved you far more than I could prove to you by a suffering that was over."
Julian of Norwich (d.1416), the English anchoress and
mystic, tells us of the following vision she had: "Then Our Lord looked into His Side
and rejoiced. By this sweet look He had me gaze within this Wound. He showed me a fair,
delectable place, and large enough for all mankind that shall be saved to rest in peace
and in love. And therewith He had me recall His dear-worthy Blood and precious Water which
He let pour out for love and He showed His blissful Heart."
A Carthusian, Dominic of Treves (d.1461), wrote:
"In this most sweet Heart of Jesus, is found all virtue, the source of life, perfect
consolation, the true light that enlightens every man."
The Italian Poor Clare Nun Blessed Baptista Varani
(d.1527) honored and also shared in the sufferings of the sorrow-filled Heart of Jesus.
When she asked Jesus how great was the sorrow of His Heart His answer was: "as great
as the love which I bear toward my creatures." Our Blessed Lord told Blessed Baptista
that the sorrows of His Heart were so great because so many people are in mortal sin.
The Carthusian, called Lansperguis (d.1539),
recommended that people have a picture of the Sacred Heart to foster their devotion. He
encouraged that the picture be placed where it would be easily seen so that by seeing it
holy love would be kindled in the soul. He also encouraged that this picture be kissed
with affection. This is perhaps the first reference to encouraging people to have a
picture of the Sacred Heart.
St. Teresa of Avila (d.1582), the great Spanish
Carmelite mystic and "Doctor of Prayer," explained that we should make the
Sacred Wound our place of refuge as also did the Spanish Dominican, Venerable Louis of
Grenada (d.1588).
Another reference from the 1500's to an image of the
Sacred Heart is by the daughter of the English martyr, Sir Thomas Percy, who founded an
abbey for English Benedictine Nuns at Brussels in 1596. Lady Mary Percy had the image of
the Sacred Heart of Jesus placed over the door of the abbey. Years later, this abbey was
to have the first altar in Belgium dedicated to the Sacred Heart.
St. Francis de Sales (d.1622), who with St. Jane de
Chantel (d.1641) founded the Visitation Nuns, explained that this congregation was truly
"the work of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary." And St. Jane, herself, stated:
"May God give us the grace to live and die in the Sacred Heart."
In 1629, Mathias Hejnal published a book about the
Sacred Heart and Gospor Drusbichi, in 1662, published another one. In 1642, the Puritan
Protestant, Thomas Goodwin, published a book about the Sacred Heart which was later, in
1819, reprinted by John Wesley, the founder of the Methodists.
St. John Eudes (d.1680) was a great apostle of devotion
to both the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In the religious
community that he founded, the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, he brought about—for
the first time ever—the celebration of a feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and one
for the Immaculate Heart of Mary. St. John Eudes taught that the Sacred Heart is a Furnace
of Divine Love. Those who desire to be united to this most loving Heart are purified,
inflamed and transformed by this Divine Fire.
(All quotations in the above section are taken with
permission from "The Sacred Heart in the Life of the Church" by Mother Margaret
Williams, R.S.C.J. published by Sheed & Ward, New York and "Devotion to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus—The Doctrine and Its History" by Father J. V. Bainvel,
S.J. published by Burns & Oates Ltd., London.)
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Saint Margaret Mary, was born on July 22, 1647 at
Lautecour in the province of Burgundy, France. She was christened Margaret. Her father was
a royal notary and also served as a judge. Margaret's godmother was a lady of the nobility
proving that her family was held in high esteem.
 At the age of four Margaret was sent to her godmother's castle
where whe lived for some time. The castle had a chapel and here the pious child spent long
hours kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament. Margaret's love for the Holy Eucharist was so
great that when she could not be found in the castle one need only look in the chapel to
find her. Margaret also had a tender devotion to Our Blessed Mother and prayed her Rosary
fervently.
When she was eight years old Margaret returned home.
Soon after her return her father died and Margaret was sent to a boarding school run by
the Poor Clare Nuns. It was here that she made her First Holy Communion at the age of
nine. Here also Margaret began to desire to become a nun. However Margaret had to leave
this convent school and return home because of illness. She suffered from rheumatism,
which kept her bedridden for four years. When Margaret promised Our Lady that if she were
cured she would become one of Her daughters, that is, a nun, she was instantly cured.
The next few years were filled with suffering for
Margaret; her mother became ill and several relatives who lived in the same house made
life difficult for Margaret and her mother. These relatives remained in charge of the
house until one of Margaret's brothers was old enough to take over.
During these years of suffering Margaret sought
strength and consolation from prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. At times Margaret
received a very special grace—Our Blessed Lord would appear to her. Margaret
dedicated herself to the instruction of poor children in the catechism and taught them
their prayers. In 1669 Margaret received the Sacrament of Confirmation and added the name
Mary.
On May 25, 1671, when Margaret Mary was 23 years old,
she entered the Visitation Nuns at Paray-le-Monial, a place that would one day become a
great shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Visitation Nuns were founded by St. Francis
de Sales and St. Jane de Chantel in 1610. After three months Margaret Mary received the
habit on August 25, 1671. Immediately she began receiving special graces. She saw and
heard Our Blessed Lord; she felt Him close beside her.
On November 6, 1672 Sister Margaret Mary made her vows.
She was an excellent religious and was perfectly obedient. At times during her life as a
religious Sister Margaret Mary worked in the infirmary and also was in charge of the
little girls who attended the school at the convent. Along with her intense spirit of
prayer was a great amount of penance. She fasted much. She mortified her thirst. She put
pieces of wood and even pieces of broken pots in her bed.
Sister Margaret Mary's great love was the Blessed
Sacrament. The sisters always knew where to find her—before the tabernacle. On
Sundays and feasts, when she had more free time, she spent almost the entire day kneeling,
immobile before the Blessed Sacrament.
Surely Sister Margaret Mary's intense life of prayer
and penance was preparing her for her mission, one of the greatest missions given to
anyone! This mission began on the Feast of St. John, the Beloved Apostle, December 27,
1673.
The Saint herself related: "One day, having a
little more leisure, for the occupations confided to me left me scarcely any, I was
praying before the Blessed Sacrament when I felt myself wholly penetrated with that Divine
Presence, but to such a degree that I lost all thought of myself and of the place where I
was and abandoned myself to this Divine Spirit, yielding up my heart to the power of His
love. He made me repose for a long time upon His sacred breast, where He disclosed to me
the marvels of His love and the inexplicable secrets of His Sacred Heart, which so far He
had concealed from me. Then it was, that, for the first time, He revealed to me His Divine
Heart in a manner so real and sensible as to be beyond all doubt, by reason of the effects
which this favor produced in me. . . It seems to me that this is what took place: `My
Divine Heart,' He said, `is so inflamed with love for men, and for you in particular that,
being unable any longer to contain within Itself the flames of Its burning Charity, It
must spread them abroad by thy means and manifest Itself to them [mankind] in order to
enrich them with the precious treasures which I reveal to you and which contain graces of
sanctification and salvation necessary to withdraw them from the abyss of perdition. I
have chosen you for the accomplishment of this great design.'
"After this He asked me for my heart, which I
begged Him to take. He did so and placed it in His own adorable Heart where He showed it
to me as a little atom which was being consumed in this great furnace and withdrawing it
from His Heart it was like a burning flame in the form of a heart, He restored it to the
place where He had taken it saying: `See, My well-beloved, I give you a precious token of
My love, having enclosed within your side a little spark of its glowing flames, that it
may serve you for a heart and consume you to the last moment of your life; its ardor will
never be exhausted. . . As a proof that the great favor I have done for you is not of your
imagination, and that it is the foundation of all those which I intend further to confer
upon you, although I have closed the wound in your side, the pain will always remain. If
before you have taken only the name of My slave, I now give you that of the beloved
disciple of My Sacred Heart.'"
The second great revelation of the Sacred Heart
occurred sometime in 1674. We do not know the exact date. St. Margaret Mary states:
"On one occasion, while the Blessed Sacrament was exposed, feeling wholly withdrawn
within myself by an extraordinary recollection of all my senses and powers, Jesus Christ,
my sweet Master, presented Himself to me, all resplendent with glory, His Five Wounds
shining like so many suns. Flames issued from every part of His sacred humanity,
especially from His adorable breast, which resembled an open furnace and He disclosed to
me His most loving and most amiable Heart, which was the living source of these flames. It
was then that He made known to me the ineffable marvels of His pure love and showed me to
what an excess He had loved men, from whom He received only ingratitude and contempt. 'I
feel this more,' He said, 'than all that I suffered during My Passion. If only they would
make me some return for My love, I would think but little of all I have done for them and
would wish, were it possible, to suffer still more. But the sole return they make for all
My eagerness to do them good is to reject me and treat me with coldness. Do you at least
console me by supplying for their ingratitude, as far as you are able.' On my representing
to Him my inability, He replied: 'Behold, this will supply for all that is wanting to
you.' And at the same time, His Divine Heart being opened, there issued from It a flame so
ardent that I thought I should be consumed, for I was wholly penetrated with it, and being
no longer able to bear it, I besought Him to have pity on my weakness. 'I will be your
strength,' He said to me, 'fear nothing, but be attentive to my voice and to what I shall
require of you that you may be in the requisite dispositions for the accomplishment of my
designs. In the first place you shall receive me in Holy Communion as often as obedience
will permit you. You shall, moreover, receive Holy Communion on the First Friday of each
month. Every night between Thursday and Friday I will make you share in the mortal sadness
which I was pleased to feel in the Garden of Olives, and this sadness, without your being
able to understand it, shall reduce you to a kind of agony harder to endure than death
itself. And in order to accompany me in the humble prayer that I then offered to my Father
in the midst of my anguish, you shall rise between eleven o'clock and midnight and remain
prostrate with me for an hour, not only to appease the divine anger by begging mercy for
sinners, but also to mitigate in some way the bitterness which I felt at that time on
finding myself abandoned by my apostles, which obliged me to reproach them for not being
able to watch one hour with me. During that hour you shall do what I shall teach you. But
listen, my daughter, believe not lightly and trust not every spirit, for Satan is enraged
and will seek to deceive you. Therefore do nothing without the approval of those who guide
you; by being under the authority of obedience, his efforts against you will be in vain,
for he has no power over the obedient.'"
It was after this revelation that St. Margaret Mary was
to meet and be guided by the great Jesuit priest, St. Claude de la Colombiere.(d.1682) He
would be the first, after St. Margaret Mary, to respond to these requests of the Sacred
Heart. Our Blessed Lord, in speaking to Sister Margaret Mary, even called him His
"perfect friend." Later, when his notes called the "Spiritual Retreat"
were published after his death, he aided the promotion of devotion to the Sacred Heart by
referring to this devotion and to a certain chosen soul, who we know was St. Margaret
Mary.
It was in June of 1675 that the third revelation took
place. St. Margaret Mary wrote: "Being before the Blessed Sacrament one day of Its
octave [the eight days after the Feast of Corpus Christi], I received from my God special
tokens of His love, and felt urged with the desire of making Him some return and of
rendering Him love for love. 'You cannot make me a greater return of love,' He said, 'than
by doing what I have so often asked of you.' Then, revealing to me His Divine Heart, He said: 'BEHOLD THIS
HEART, WHICH HAS LOVED MEN SO MUCH, THAT IT HAS SPARED NOTHING, EVEN TO EXHAUSTING AND
CONSUMING ITSELF, IN ORDER TO TESTIFY TO THEM ITS LOVE AND IN RETURN I RECEIVE FROM THE
GREATER NUMBER NOTHING BUT INGRATITUDE BY REASON OF THEIR IRREVERENCE AND SACRILEGES AND
BY THE COLDNESS AND CONTEMPT WHICH THEY SHOW ME IN THIS SACRAMENT OF LOVE. BUT WHAT I FEEL
THE MOST KEENLY IS THAT IT IS HEARTS WHICH ARE CONSECRATED TO ME THAT TREAT ME LIKE THIS.
THEREFORE, I ASK OF YOU THAT THE FRIDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI BE SET APART
FOR A SPECIAL FEAST TO HONOR MY HEART, BY RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION ON THAT DAY AND MAKING
REPARATION TO IT BY A SOLEMN ACT IN ORDER TO MAKE AMENDS FOR THE INDIGNITIES WHICH IT HAS
RECEIVED DURING THE TIME IT HAS BEEN EXPOSED ON THE ALTARS. I PROMISE YOU THAT MY HEART
SHALL EXPAND ITSELF TO SHED IN ABUNDANCE THE INFLUENCE OF ITS DIVINE LOVE UPON THOSE WHO
SHALL LIKEWISE HONOR IT AND CAUSE IT TO BE HONORED.'"
The rest of Sister Margaret Mary's life was spent all
for the honor and glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1664 she was appointed Novice
Mistress and her novices joined with her in honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The
novices arranged an altar with an image of the Sacred Heart and there they, along with
Sister Margaret Mary, consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Sister Margaret Mary desired pictures to be made of the
Sacred Heart. In this she was helped by other Visitation Nuns. An oil painting was made,
then pen-and-ink copies, then a picture was printed for distribution. The Superior of the
Visitation Nuns at Semur had a statue of the Sacred Heart made. Two booklets about the
devotion were printed. Then the Sisters at Paray-le-Monial had a chapel of the Sacred
Heart built which was completed in 1688. This chapel was soon followed by another, at
Bois-Sainte-Marie, built by one of Sister Margaret Mary's brothers. Each Visitation
convent was soon to have its own Sacred Heart Chapel. Permission to celebrate the Feast of
the Sacred Heart was granted to the Visitation Nuns of Dijon in 1689. Later, in 1729, the
permission was granted to Poland, to France, to the entire Order of Visitation Nuns and
also to the Archconfraternity of the Sacred Heart. Then, in 1856, Pope Pius IX gave the
Feast of the Sacred Heart to the entire Church.
A very special achievement was the book of Father Jean
Croiset, S.J., who was the spiritual director of St. Margaret Mary after St. Claude. This
book entitled, "Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus" was written at the
request of Our Blessed Lord to Sister Margaret Mary asking that Father Croiset write this
book. The Saint assured the good priest that he would receive special assistance. When the
book was near completion Sister Margaret Mary told Father that it was so completely in
accordance with the will of Our Blessed Lord that it would never be necessary to make any
changes in it.
Sister Margaret Mary had completed her mission:
devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was established in the Church. She stated: "I
no longer wish for anything but to procure the glory of the Sacred Heart. How happy I
should be if, before I die, I am able to do something to please Him!" And, "I
can hardly express my joy at seeing the increase of devotion to the Sacred Heart of my
Savior. I seem to live for that alone. Sometimes such an ardent desire to make It reign in
all hearts is kindled within me that there is nothing I would not do and suffer to bring
this about." On October 17 in 1690 at seven in the evening Sister Margaret Mary died
while pronouncing the Holy Name of Jesus. The Apostle of the Sacred Heart passed on to
Eternity.
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The following are quotations of St. Margaret Mary about devotion to the Sacred Heart:
"The Sacred Heart is a hidden and infinite
treasure desiring to manifest Itself, to be poured out and distributed so as to alleviate
our distress."
"Our Lord Jesus Christ desires that we should, by
sanctifying ourselves, glorify His All-Loving Heart; for it was His Heart that suffered
the most in His Sacred Humanity."
"This Divine Heart experienced all the interior
sufferings of the cruel torment of the Cross, and, for this reason, God wishes It to be
honored by a special worship in order that mankind may thereby atone by their love and
homage for the bitterness and anguish caused by their offences."
"The devotion to His Sacred Heart contains
ineffable treasures which He wishes to bestow upon all hearts of goodwill; it is a last
effort of the love of Our Lord towards sinners to draw them to repentance and give them in
abundance His efficacious and sanctifying graces."
"There is nothing sweeter and milder, and, at the
same time, stronger and more efficacious than the gentle action of the burning charity of
this lovable Heart to convert the most hardened souls and to penetrate the most unfeeling
hearts."
"This Feast [of the Sacred Heart] is a day of
salvation and of eternal blessing for all who honor It with a humble and sincere heart.
Let us, then, love this Divine Heart and in all things try to conform ourselves to
It."
"O Sacred Heart of my Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials and
sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and
glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all
for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee.
"I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object
of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my
frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure
refuge at the hour of my death. . . I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but
placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope for all from Thine infinite
goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so
deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee. I beseech Thee,
through Thine infinite goodness, grant that my name be engraved on Thy Heart for in this I
place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted
servants. Amen.
(All quotations above are taken from the
"Autobiography of St. Margaret Mary" and "Thoughts and Sayings of St.
Margaret Mary.")
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The Twelve
Promises of Our Blessed Lord to St. Margaret Mary for those who are devoted to His
Sacred Heart (taken from her autobiography and letters)
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their
state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. They shall find in my Heart an assured refuge during
life and especially at the hour of death.
5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their
undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and
infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great
perfection.
9. I will bless the homes in which the image of my
Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most
hardened hearts.
11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their
name written in my Heart and it shall never be effaced.
12. 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 the
Sacraments; my Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.
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Novena
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
1. O my
Jesus, you have said: " Truly I say to you, ask and it will be given you, seek and
you will find, knock and it will be opened to you". Behold, I knock, I seek and ask
for the grace of . . . ……..
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be to the Father.
"Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my trust in you."
2. O my
Jesus, you have said: " Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my
name, He will give it to you. " Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace
of . . . . .
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be to the Father.
"Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my trust in you."
3. O my
Jesus, you have said: " Truly I say to you, Heaven and earth will pass away but my
words will not pass away. " Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the
grace of . . . . .
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be to the Father.
"Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my trust in you."
O
Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted,
have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the
sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender mother and ours.
Say the Hail
Holy Queen and add " St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us."
N.B.
This novena prayer was recited every day by
Padre Pio for all those who asked his prayers.
O most holy Heart
of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore Thee, I love Thee and with a lively sorrow
for my sins, I offer Thee this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and
wholly obedient to Thy will.
Grant, good
Jesus, that I may live in Thee and for Thee. Protect me in the midst of danger;
comfort me in my afflictions; give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, Thy
blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Within Thy Heart I place
my every care. In every need let me come to Thee with humble trust saying, Heart of
Jesus help me.
One of the 12
promises made by Our Dear Saviour to St. Margaret Mary reads: "Those who propagate
this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart never to be blotted
out." Let us tell every one to recite these prayers daily
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Merciful
Jesus, I consecrate myself today and always to Thy Most Sacred Heart.
Most Sacred
Heart of Jesus I implore, that I may ever love Thee more and more.
Most Sacred
Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee.
Most Sacred
Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
Sacred Heart
of Jesus, I believe in Thy love for me.
Jesus, meek
and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.
Sacred Heart
of Jesus Thy Kingdom Come.
Most Sacred
Heart of Jesus, convert sinners, save the dying, deliver the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
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Litany
of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
V/ Lord, have mercy.
R/ Lord, have mercy.
V/ Christ, have mercy.
R/ Christ, have mercy.
V/ Lord, have mercy.
R/ Lord, have mercy.
V/ Jesus, hear us.
R/ Jesus, graciously hear us.
R/ for ff: have mercy on us
God, the Father of Heaven,
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God, the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, One God,
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father.
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother,
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God,
Heart of Jesus, of Infinite Majesty,
Heart of Jesus, Sacred Temple of God,
Heart of Jesus, Tabernacle of the Most High,
Heart of Jesus, House of God and Gate of Heaven,
Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity,
Heart of Jesus, abode of justice and love,
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love,
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues,
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise,
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts,
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father was well pleased,
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received,
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills,
Heart of Jesus, patient and most merciful,
Heart of Jesus, enriching all who invoke you,
Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness,
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins,
Heart of Jesus, loaded down with opprobrium,
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our offenses,
Heart of Jesus, obedient to death,
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance,
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation,
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection,
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation,
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins,
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in you,
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in you,
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the Saints,
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world.
R/ spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world,
R/ graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world,
R/ have mercy on us.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
R/ Make our hearts like to yours.
Let us pray. Almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of your most
beloved Son and upon the praises and satisfaction which he offers you in the name of
sinners; and to those who implore your mercy, in your great goodness, grant forgiveness in
the name of the same Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you forever and
ever.
R/ Amen.
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Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O Sacred Heart
of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by my ingratitude, pierced by my sins, yet
loving me still - accept the consecration that I make to You of all that I am and all that
I have. Take every faculty of my soul and body. Draw me, day by day, nearer and nearer to
your Sacred Heart, and there, as I can bear the lesson, teach me Your blessed ways. Amen.
Act of Reparation
Sacred
Heart of Jesus, animated with a desire to repair the outrages unceasingly offered to Thee,
we prostrate before Thy throne of mercy, and in the name of all mankind, pledge our love
and fidelity to Thee!
The more Thy mysteries are blasphemed, the
more firmly we shall believe them, O Sacred Heart of Jesus!
The more impiety endeavors to extinguish
our hopes of immortality, the more we shall trust in Thy Heart, sole hope of
mankind!
The more hearts resist Thy Divine attractions,
the more we shall love Thee, O infinitely amiable heart of Jesus!
The more unbelief attacks Thy Divinity, the more
humbly and profoundly we shall adore It, O Divine Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy holy laws are transgressed and
ignored, the more we shall delight to observe them, O most holy Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy Sacraments are despised and
abandoned, the more frequently we shall receive them with love and reverence, O most
liberal Heart of Jesus!
The more the imitation of Thy virtues is
neglected and forgotten, the more we shall endeavor to practice them, O Heart, model of
every virtue!
The more the devil labors to destroy souls, the
more we shall be inflamed with desire to save them, O Heart of Jesus, zealous Lover of
souls!
The more sin and impurity destroy the image of
God in man, the more we shall try by purity of life to be a living temple of the Holy
Spirit, O Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy Holy Church is despised, the more
we shall endeavor to be her faithful children, O Sweet Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy Vicar on earth is persecuted, the
more we will honor him as the infallible head of Thy Holy Church, show our fidelity and
pray for him, O kingly Heart of Jesus!
O Sacred Heart, through Thy powerful grace, may
we become Thy apostles in the midst of a corrupted world, and be Thy crown in the kingdom
of heaven. Amen.
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