Happy Anniversary

June marked the One Year Anniversary of Two Hearts Ablaze

This web site was created to honor The Sacred and Immaculate Hearts

Tom and I have received special graces from these Two Hearts and we decided to give something back in return

We have been gathering links and images and all sorts of things pertaining to the Sacred and Immaculate hearts

We hope you have enjoyed this site and are able to use this for resources in the future

Thank You for visiting this site

Sacred Heart Articles

I was doing a little research and decided that I would put up this link to blogs and people who refer to the Sacred Heart for you to peruse
There are plenty here for you to check into:



HERE

Remember Our Lord's Sacred Heart in the month of June

Feast Of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Saturday after the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The feast springs from contemporary piety but has its roots in the Marian apostolate of St. John Eudes (1680), and outstanding apostle of devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. After repeated requests and repeated refusals between 1669 and 1729, on December 8, 1942, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the apparitions at Fatima, Pope Pius XII dedicated the Church and the human race to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He placed the feast on August 22 and extended it to the entire Latin Church. It has now been moved closer to the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus always falling on the Saturday after the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Devotion to the immaculate Heart of Mary is primarily based upon the Sacred Scriptures. In the New 'Testament, there are two references to the Heart of Mary in the Gospel according to St. Luke: .."Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart. " ( Lk 2: 19 ) and " His mother meanwhile kept all these things in her heart. " (Lk 2:51 ) In the Old Testament, the heart is seen as the symbol of the depths of the human soul, the center of its choices and commitments.

For all mankind, it is a symbol of love. In the Book of Deuteronomy we are told, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength." ( Dt. 6:5 ) When Our Lord Jesus Christ was asked by the scribes which was the first commandment, he answered them by quoting this verse to them. ( see Mk. 12:29-31 )

It was the Heart of Mary which expressed her "yes" to God. .This was her response to the message sent through the angel at the Annunciation. By her loving consent, Mary first conceived Christ in her heart and then in her womb. Our Lord Jesus, Himself: when reminded by a woman in the crowd how blessed was the womb which gave birth to Him, responds, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it." ( Lk. 11 :28 ) Pope John Paul li , in his first encyclical, REDEMPTOR HOMINIS, wrote "the mystery of Redemption was formed under the heart of the Virgin of Nazareth when she pronounced her 'fiat.'" ( R.H. #22 )

Historically, devotion to the Heart of Mary can be traced to the twelfth century with such writers as St. Anselm ( d. 1109 ) and St. Bernard of Clairvaux ( d. 1153 ) who is considered as one of the most influential writers in Marian devotion. St. Bernardine of Siena ( 1380- 1444) has been called the Doctor of the Heart of Mary due to his writings on Mary's heart. He wrote, "from her heart, as from a furnace of Divine Love, the Blessed Virgin spoke the words of the most ardent love." St. John Eudes ( 1601 -1680 ) helped by his writings to begin a renewal in this devotion. Both Pope Leo XIII and Pope St. Pius X called him, "the father, Doctor, and Apostle of the liturgical cult of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary." Even two decades before the first liturgical celebrations in honor of the Heart of Jesus, St. John Eudes and his followers observed February 8th as the feast of the Heart of Mary as early as 1643. Pope Pius VII ( d. 1823 ) extended its celebration to any diocese or congregation requesting it.

Devotion to Mary's Heart has a greater flowering following the manifestation of the Miraculous Medal to St. Catherine Laboure in 1830 and the Appearances of' Our Lady in Fatima. From May 13 to October 13, 1917, our Blessed Mother Mary appeared to three children, Jacinta and Francisco Marto and their cousin Lucia DosSantos in Fatima, Portugal. On July 13th, she told them: "to save poor sinners, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart." The entire Fatima message is one of prayer, penance and making sacrifices and reparation to God for the many offenses against Him.

In 1942, the twenty-fifth anniversary of Fatima, Pope Pius XII consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. That same year, he assigned the feast day to August 22, the octave of the Assumption. On May 4, 1944, he extended the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the Universal Church. With the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council in 1969, the feast was given a more suitable place on the day following the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. That is the Saturday after the second Sunday after Pentecost.

The opening prayer for the liturgical celebration helps us focus on the important message of this feast day. "God prepared the heart of Mary as a fitting home to the Holy Spirit. May we, His chosen people, become temples of His glory. We ask Mary to help us- her spiritual children, so dear to her heart, to stay ever united in friendship with her Son and never separate ourselves by sin."

The Most Sacred Heart Of Jesus

O my Most Loving and Gentle Jesus, I desire with all the affections of my heart, that all beings created and uncreated, should praise Thee, honor Thee, and glorify Thee eternally for that sacred wound wherewith Thy divine side was rent.

I deposit, enclose, conceal in that wound and in that opening in Thy Heart, my heart and all my feelings, thoughts, desires, intentions and all the faculties of my soul.

I entreat Thee, by the precious Blood and Water that flowed from Thy Most Loving Heart, to take entire possesion of me, that Thou may guide me in all things.

Consume me in the burning fire of thy holy Love, so that I may be so absorbed and transformed into Thee that I may no longer be but one with Thee.
Amen.

Hail, Heart most holy,
Hail, Heart most meek,
Hail, Heart most humble,
Hail, Heart most pure,
Hail, Heart most devout,
Hail, Heart most wise,
Hail, Heart most patient,
Hail, Heart most obedient,
Hail, Heart most vigilent,
Hail, Heart most faithful,
Hail, Heart most blessed,
Hail, Heart most merciful,
Hail, most loving Heart of Jesus and Mary;

Thee we adore,
Thee we praise,
Thee we glorify,
To Thee do we give thanks;
Thee we love,
With all our heart,
With all our soul,
And with all our strength;
To Thee we offer our heart,
We give it,
We consecrate it,
We immolate it;
Accept and posses it entirely,
And purify it,
And illuminate it,
And sanctify it;
that in it Thou may live and reign
both now and forever,
and in the age of ages.
Amen.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God,
Have mercy on us.

Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Formed by the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mother,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Substantially united to the Word of God,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Of Infinite Majesty,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Holy Temple of God,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Tabernacle of the Most High,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, House of God and Gate of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Burning Furnace of charity,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Vessel of Justice and love,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Full of goodness and love,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Abyss of all virtues,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Most worthy of all praises,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, King and center of all hearts,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, In Whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, In Whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Divinity,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in Whom the Father is well pleased,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Of Whose fullness we have all received,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Desire of the everlasting hills,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Patient and abounding in mercy,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Rich unto all who call upon Thee,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Fountain of life and holiness,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Atonement for our sins,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Filled with reproaches,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Bruised for our offenses,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Made obedient unto death,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Pierced with a lance,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Source of all consolation,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Our Life and Resurrection,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Our Peace and Reconciliation,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Victim for our sins,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Salvation of those who hope in Thee,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Hope of those who die in Thee,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Delight of all the Saints,
Have mercy on us.

Lamb of God Who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
Make our hearts like unto Thine.

Let us pray.

Almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of Thine most-beloved Son, and upon the praises and satisfaction He offers Thee in the name of sinners; and appeased by worthy homage, pardon those who implore Thy mercy, in Thy Great Goodness in the name of the same Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.

Jesus, who dost burn with love for us, humbly kneeling at Thy feet we adore Thee with the deepest veneration of our soul; and in order to make Thee recompense for the outrages which Thy Divine Heart daily receives in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar, we unite ourselves with the hearts of all those who love Thee and give Thee tender thanks. We love in Thy Divine heart this incomprehensible fire of love towards Thy Eternal Father; and we entreat Thee to inflame our hearts with ardent charity towards Thee and towards our neighbours.
Amen.

My most loving Jesus, my own heart is glad when I think upon Thy most Sacred Heart, all tenderness and sweetness for sinners, and I am filled with confident hope of Thy kind welcome. But O, my sins! how many and how great are they! Grieving now, like Peter and like Magdalene, I bewail and abhor them, because they are an offence to Thee, my Sovereign Good. O, grant me pardon for them all. Would that I might die before I offend Thee again! I pray Thee, by Thy Sacred Heart, that I may live only to requite Thy love.
Amen.

My Jesus, I bless Thy most humble Heart; and I give thanks unto Thee, who by making It my model dost not only give me strong and urgent inducement to imitate It, but also, at the cost of so many humiliations, dost vouchsafe Thyself to point out, and to smooth for me the way to follow Thee. Cool and ungrateful that I am, how have I wandered far away from Thee! Pardon me, my Jesus! Take from me all hateful pride and ambition, that with lowly heart I may follow Thee, my Jesus, amidst humiliations, and so obtain peace and salvation. Strengthen me, Thou who canst, and I will ever bless Thy Sacred Heart.
Amen.

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who glory in the Most Sacred Heart of Thy well-beloved Son, and call to mind the great benefits of His heavenly charity towards us, may be gladdened by the operation and fruit of those graces in our souls. Through the same Christ our Lord.

O Divine Heart of my Jesus! I adore Thee with all the powers of my soul; I consecrate them to Thee for ever, together with all my thoughts, my words, my works, and my whole self, and I purpose to offer to Thee, as far as I am able, acts of adoration, love, and glory, like unto those which Thou dost offer to Thine Eternal Father. I beseech Thee, make reparation for my transgressions, be the Protector of my life, my refuge and asylum in the hour of my death. By Thy sighs and by that sea of bitterness in which Thou wast immersed for me throughout the whole course of Thy mortal life, grant me true contrition for my sins, contempt of earthly things, an ardent longing for the glory of heaven, trust in Thy infinite merits, and final perseverance in Thy grace.

Heart of Jesus, all love! I offer Thee these humble prayers for myself and for all who unite with me in spirit to adore Thee; vouchsafe of Thy infinite goodness to receive and to answer them, and especially for that one of us who shall first end this mortal life. Sweet Heart of my Saviour, pour down upon him in the agony of death Thine inward consolations; receive him within Thy sacred wounds; cleanse him from every stain in that Furnace of Love, that so Thou mayest open to him speedily the entrance into Thy glory, there to intercede with Thee for all those who yet tarry in this their land of exile.

Most Holy Heart of my most loving Jesus, h purpose to renew these acts of adoration and these prayers for myself, miserable sinner, as well as for all who are associated with me in adoring Thee, and to offer them to Thee every moment while I live, down to the last instant of my life. I recommend to Thee, my Jesus, the Holy Church, Thy well-beloved Spouse, our own true Mother, all just souls, all poor sinners, the afflicted, the dying, and all men over the face of the whole earth: let not Thy Blood be shed in vain for them; and vouchsafe lastly to apply it to the relief of the souls in purgatory, and above all to those who in the course of their life were wont devoutly to adore Thee.

Most loving Heart of Mary, who, amongst the hearts of all creatures of God, art at once the most pure, most inflamed with love for Jesus, and most compassionate towards us poor sinners, gain for us from the heart of Jesus our Redeemer all the graces which we ask of thee. Mother of mercies, one sigh, one movement of thy heart inflamed with love towards the Heart of Jesus, has power perfectly to console us. Grant us, then, this favour, and then the Heart of Jesus, full of that filial love It had for thee and will ever have, will not fail to hear and answer our request. Amen.

The Traditional Feast Of The Most Sacred Heart

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus















ALTHOUGH many pious souls had been accustomed, in the silence of their secluded lives, to venerate the sacred Heart of Jesus with great devotion, still our divine Savior desired that the boundless love of His Heart might be known by all [people], and that a new fire of love should thereby be kindled in the cold hearts of Christians. For this purpose He made use of a frail and little-known instrument in the person of Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun of the Order of the Visitation, at Paray-le-Monial, France.


One day, when, according to her custom during the octave of Corpus Christi, [pre-vatican II article] she was deeply engaged in devotions before the Blessed Sacrament, the divine Savior appeared to her, showed her His Heart burning with love, and said: "Behold this Heart, which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love. In return I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrilege, and by the coldness and contempt they have for Me in this sacrament of love. And what is most painful to Me is that they are hearts consecrated to Me. It is for this reason I ask thee that the first Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi be appropriated to a special feast to honor My heart by communicating on that day and making reparation for the indignity that it has received. And I promise that My Heart shall dilate to pour out abundantly the influences of its love on all that will render it this honor or procure its being rendered."


Margaret obeyed, but met everywhere the greatest opposition, until finally, when she became mistress of novices, she succeeded, by the help of her divine Spouse, in animating her young charges to venerate the sacred Heart of Jesus. But this was not sufficient for her zeal. She persevered until she softened the opposition of the nuns, and kindled in all an equal devotion towards the most sacred Heart. Thence the devotion spread to the adjoining dioceses, where confraternities in honor of the most sacred Heart of Jesus soon sprung up. Pope Clement XIII, after having instituted a most rigorous examination of the whole affair, commanded that the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus should be solemnly celebrated throughout the whole Catholic Church every year, on the first Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi.

THE DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS.

Object of this Devotion.
In the divine Heart of Our Savior we must not imagine an inanimate heart, separated from the person of Christ, but the living heart of the God-Man, the center of all His affections, the fountain of all His virtues, the most touching emblem of His infinite love [for all]. The Church venerates the cross, the blood, and the wounds of the divine Savior, by feasts which have their proper masses and lessons, in order, by meditation upon these objects, to awaken in us a more fervent devotion to the Redeemer. How much more worthy, then, of our devotion is the sacred Heart of Our Savior, since all its thoughts, movements, and affections aim at our salvation, and it is always ready to receive truly penitent sinners, to pardon them, to restore them again to God's favor, and make them partakers of eternal happiness.
Liturgy [pre-Vatican II, compare the liturgy at the Eudist's site.]


" [This is quoted in the Introit (now called the entrance antiphon) of the mass for the Sacred Heart used in the church before the second Vatican Council. The following passages were also used in that Liturgy.]


Opening Prayer
Traditional
Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who, glorying in the most Sacred Heart of Thy Son, commemorate the chief benefits of His charity towards us, may equally rejoice in their acts and fruits. The the same Jesus Christ our Lord, etc.




Is. 12:1-6 This epistle is a song of gratitude for the deliverance of the Jews from the hands of their enemies, and at the same time a prophecy of the coming redemption of mankind from sin and death, through Jesus Christ. "You shall draw waters with joy out of the Savior's fountains." These fountains are the graces which Christ has obtained for us on the cross, but particularly, says St. Augustine, the holy sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. We should rejoice over these graces, particularly that the holy One of Israel, Jesus, the Son of God, is in the midst of... Church, in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, remaining there until the end of time.
Oh, let us often approach the ever-flowing fountain of all graces, the Most Holy Eucharist, and with confidence draw consolation, assistance, strength, and power from this fountain of love.

John 19:31-35
John 19:34 Douay-Rheims "But one of the soldiers with a spear opened his side: and immediately there came out blood and water." Compare the NAB and footnote 15.
According to the Jewish law, a criminal could not be put to death, nor could the body of one who had been executed remain on the place of execution, on the Sabbath-day. The Jews therefore, asked Pilate that the bodies of Jesus and the two thieves should be buried; but before this could be done, according to the Roman law, the legs of the crucified had to be broken with an iron mace: this the soldiers did to the two thieves, who were still alive; but when they found that Jesus was dead, one of the soldiers, whose name was Longinus, opened His side with a spear as had been predicted by the prophets. Jesus permitted his most sacred Heart to be opened - 1. To atone for those sins which come forth from the hearts of men, as Christ himself says, "For from the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies" (DR. Compare Matt. 15:19). 2. To show the infinite love with which he first loved us, and to which the spear should point us. 3. To show that there was nothing so dear to Him that He would not give it to us, since, for our salvation, He shed the last drop of His heart's blood.

To provide, as it were, an abode in His opened side, according to the words of St. Augustine: "The Evangelist is very cautious in his language; for he said, not the soldier pierced or wounded His side, but he opened it, that thereby there might be opened to us the door from which flow into the Church those holy sacraments without which we cannot enter into true life."
When temptation assails us, or sorrow depresses us, let us flee to this abode, and dwell therein until the storm has passed away; according to the words of the Prophet, "Enter thou into the rock, and hide thee in the pit" [DR but compare Isa. 2:10]. For what is the rock but Christ, and the pit, but His wound?

Offering to the Sacred Heart


"My loving Jesus, I (name) give you my heart; and I consecrate myself wholly to you out of the grateful love I bear you, and as a reparation for all my unfaithfulness; and with your aid I [intend] never to sin again."

Vigil Of the Feast Of the Sacred Heart

My most loving Jesus, my own heart is glad when I think upon Thy most Sacred Heart, all tenderness and sweetness for sinners, and I am filled with confident hope of Thy kind welcome. But O, my sins! how many and how great are they! Grieving now, like Peter and like Magdalene, I bewail and abhor them, because they are an offence to Thee, my Sovereign Good. O, grant me pardon for them all. Would that I might die before I offend Thee again! I pray Thee, by Thy Sacred Heart, that I may live only to requite Thy love.
From The Chaplet of the Sacred Heart from The Raccolta

Because the devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary are so closely linked (indeed St. Jean Eudes tells us that the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary are One), artists often execute matched sets of the Two Hearts in the same style. It just happens that the Immaculate Heart image that is the match for the above Sacred Heart is the one that was in my house when I was growing up:

Feast of Corpus Christi and First Friday

Devotion to the Sacred Heart and the Nine First Fridays

It was just as Jansenism was causing a "coldness" to enter into Catholic life in France, that the revelations to St Margaret Mary Alacoque, concerning devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, were made.

This was a devotion in which the heart symbolised Jesus' perfect love for mankind; it began to grow in importance in the eleventh and twelfth centuries and was later promoted by St Gertrude and St Bonaventure amongst others.

St Gertrude (died 1302) is said to have had a vision of St John the Evangelist on his feast day, where he told her that devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was reserved for subsequent ages, when the world would need to be reminded of his infinite love.

This devotion was very much a private affair until about the sixteenth century when it came more into the mainstream of Christian practice, particularly under the influence of writers such as St Francis de Sales and prominent Jesuits such as St Francis Borgia and St Peter Canisius.
It was still essentially a private devotion, though, until St John Eudes worked to establish a feast day, which was first celebrated in 1670. This feast of the Sacred Heart gradually spread to other dioceses in France and eventually coalesced with the devotion that began as a result of the apparitions of Jesus to St Margaret Mary, in the small town of Paray-le-Monial in central France.

Earlier in the seventeenth century France had been consecrated to Mary by Louis XIII, an example followed by a number of other nations including Portugal.
The first apparition took place on 27 December, the feast of Saint John the Evangelist, probably in 1673, while Margaret Mary was a nun in the Visitation convent at Paray-le-Monial. There is some uncertainty as to the precise dates of the apparitions, but not their content).

She related what happened to Fr. Claude de la Colombiere, who was in charge of the Jesuit house in the town, describing how she had a vision of Jesus during which she was given some idea of the greatness of his love for mankind. Jesus told her that he wanted her to tell the people of this love, and a similar theme was expressed during the second apparition, early in 1674, when Margaret Mary saw Jesus' Sacred Heart on a throne of flames, transparent as crystal, surrounded by a crown of thorns signifying the sins of mankind, with a cross above it.
Again Jesus told her of his infinite love for mankind and his desire that he should be honoured through the display of this image of his heart, with the promise that all who did so would be specially blessed.

The third apparition probably took place on 2 July 1674, while Margaret Mary was praying before the Blessed Sacrament exposed, that is the host consecrated during Mass which had become the Body of Christ. She saw a vision of Jesus in glory, with his five wounds shining like suns, and he then showed her his heart on fire with love for mankind, a love that unfortunately was often ignored or treated with contempt.

He asked her to make up for this coldness and ingratitude by receiving Holy Communion as often as she was allowed, and particularly on the first Friday of each month. This idea of making reparation for the sins of others is also prominent in the messages given by Mary to the children at Fatima in 1917.

The fourth apparition, which probably took place on 16 June 1675, was the most important. Again it happened as Margaret Mary was praying before the Blessed Sacrament, when he again showed her a representation of his heart, further complaining of the ingratitude and coldness of mankind towards him, and particularly when this was the case with those specially consecrated to him.

To make up for this he asked that the first Friday after the feast of Corpus Christi (Latin for the "Body of Christ"), should be dedicated as a feast in honour of his Sacred Heart, when people should receive Holy Communion in reparation.

The "Great promise" associated with this devotion applied to those who went to Communion on nine consecutive First Fridays: "I promise you, in the excess of the mercy of My Heart, that Its all-powerful love 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 Divine Heart becoming their assured refuge at that last hour."

These promises have been endorsed by successive Popes, and were explicitly mentioned in the bull of St Margaret Mary's canonisation authorised by Benedict XV. Obviously this last promise in particular is dependent on people adopting an interior attitude of love towards Jesus, and not abusing his goodness.

This promise is really one of the grace of final repentance, that is of dying in a state of grace, and so there is some similarity here to the promise attached to the brown scapular. If somebody dies in this state then although they may have to spend time in purgatory they will eventually get to heaven.

To qualify for this tremendous grace it is necessary to receive Holy Communion validly and worthily, that is not being in a state of mortal sin, on the nine consecutive first Fridays as stated. In addition the communicant must have the intention, at least implicitly, of making reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for all the sinfulness and ingratitude of mankind.
This promise is paralleled by the one made to Lucia, that of the Five First Saturdays, following the apparitions at Fatima.

This series of apparitions has been approved by the Church, which has vouched for their authenticity as far as is possible. The writings of Margaret Mary, which included these revelations and her letters, were examined during the process of her beatification, and she would not have been canonised, that is declared a saint, if they were not reliable.
Likewise, the popes have expressed their approval of these apparitions, with their essential content being included in the bull of canonisation by Pope Benedict XV in 1920, while the feast of the Sacred Heart has been established in the Church calendar as requested.

Enthronement Of Your Home To The Sacred Heart of Jesus
by The Very Father Roger J. Scheckel Spiritual Advisor for the Marian Catechists
March 1, 2003In one of the classes that I am attending during my study sabbatical in Rome, Italy, we were asked to read an article written by a priest from the Archdiocese of Cleveland, that concerns the spirituality of diocesan priests. One of the topics discussed in the article is the need priests have for an experiences of intimacy. The author states that without healthy experiences of intimacy, the priest will fail miserably in his vocation as a priest. Throughout the article some very valid points are made. But I was disappointed with his discussion concerning intimacy in the life of the priest, in that his understanding of intimacy focused exclusively on horizontal relationships (people to people) while never once mentioning the necessity to develop an intimate relationship between the priest and Jesus Christ.It is not only priests, but also every Christian believer who is in need of deep and satisfying personal relationships with other people, so long as the proper moral boundaries of these relationships are maintained. This is especially true of the need for intimacy between the believer and Jesus Christ. Each believer is invited and encouraged by Christ to come to know, love and serve him as an intimate friend and companion, (John: 15:15). This intimacy between Christ and the believer is built into each sacramental encounter, particularly at the Holy Mass during the reception of Holy Communion. In each of the sacraments there are words, gestures, and touch that communicate to the believer the intimacy that Christ seeks with each recipient. I can, to this day, vividly recall what passed through my mind and heart when Bishop John Paul laid his hands on my head to pray over me when ordaining me to the priesthood. When I felt the touch of the hands on my head I said interiorly, “Lord, it is you.”I believe that most believers have had moments such as my own during the celebration of the sacraments. The sacraments are purposely designed to communicate a personal and intimate presence of our Lord. However, the sacraments are not the only experience where Christ’s personal and intimate presence is made available to us. The devotional life also provides an important opportunity for an intimate experience with Christ. The sacramental and the devotional life should never be viewed as contrary to, or in competition with, one another. It is important that a balance and harmony between the two be established in the life of the believer. However there is a difference between the two of them that affects the experience of intimacy that the believer is able to encounter with our Lord, that being that the sacramental encounter is communal while the devotional is primarily but not exclusively, private.When considering the experience of intimacy in personal relationships, such as with a spouse or good friend, most of us are aware that an intimate encounter seeks situations where privacy, leisure and silence can easily be found and maintained. In this regard, the devotional life by its very nature lends itself to greater possibility for intimacy with Christ. This should not be misconstrued to mean that sacramental/communal experiences are devoid of leisure and silence. Almost every priest will admit that one of the continual challenges of sacramental ministry is to develop and maintain within the Sacred Liturgy a time and space for silence and leisure so that the worshiper can have some time to be with Christ “alone” in their mind and heart. I describe this aspect of sacramental ministry to be a challenge because so often the Sacred Liturgy has to “move along” in order to accommodate another schedule that serves the life of the parish. Also, I believe it more difficult (but not impossible) to experience intimacy with someone when surrounded by a large crowd than in the privacy of one’s home. It is on this particular point, namely, that our homes can become places where deep devotional intimacy is achieved, that I dedicate the remainder of this article. More specifically, I wish to commend to all readers the enthronement of their home and the consecration of their family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.The enthronement of one’s home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as well as the consecration of one’s family to that same heart underscores a basic teaching of our Catholic Faith, namely, that the family and home constitute the domestic Church. Jesus Christ desires to enter into our homes and our family life and be an active part of all that goes on there each day. The enthronement, preceded by proper preparation, is an explicit invitation on the part of the family to have Jesus as King and Friend of the family. In the act of consecration, the family seeks for Christ to rule in their hearts and home knowing that Christ’s Kingship is defined by service and love. The love founded in the service that Christ has for each family member is the love that each family member is to have for one another. Christ is asked to enter into the family’s everyday life, to be a true brother and friend. He is asked to provide protection to the home, preserving it from the evil that seeks to destroy the family. The consecration prayer speaks to Christ from the heart about one’s own heart. “Lord Jesus, to Your loving, glorified Heart, Your wounded Heart, we dedicate, we consecrate our weak, our selfish hearts” (Ceremonial for the Family, page 7). Throughout the consecration prayer the words chosen are thoroughly personal and intimate. When a family consecrates themselves and their home to the Sacred Heart it indicates that Jesus Christ is to be an intimate member of that family. That he will be included in the family conversations, that he will be consulted in prayer when there are important decisions to be made and that his image will have a prominent place in the family home indicating his role and place in the family.The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus provides a special opportunity to foster devotional intimacy. We are well aware that our personal relationship with Jesus Christ is founded on the reality that He is present to us spiritually (also substantially in the Holy Eucharist). It is a unique kind of relationship in that we don’t have a bodily person in front of us the way we do when we have a personal encounter with a spouse or friend. It can be daunting to enter into intimate conversation with Jesus Christ who is “hidden” from us by the glory that He shares with his Heavenly Father. Jesus knows well about this uniqueness. He entered into and continues to share our finite human nature. He knows the challenge that our finitude presents when seeking a personal relationship to the One who is infinite. By choosing to reveal the image of himself as the Sacred Heart to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, we are able to observe the love and understanding that Christ has for us. He knows that over time the human person needs to be able to look into the eyes and speak to the heart of the person we desire to love. And so he provided a privileged revelation to be given to Saint Margaret Mary that would help us in this regard. When a family member enters the room where the image of the Sacred Heart has been prominently displayed, it can offer the opportunity for that person to privately, in silence and leisure, speak heart to heart with Jesus Christ. This kind of intimate conversation is essential to the life of the believer.The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the enthronement of the home and the consecration of the family provides an important opportunity to enrich and deepen the saving grace that comes to our lives through the sacraments. The devotional life deepens and nourishes our Christian Faith allowing God’s saving grace to have an ever deeper and profound effect in our lives. Marian Catechists of the Diocese of La Crosee should have an appreciation of the devotional life in general, due to the formation program of Father John Hardon, S.J., and also an appreciation for the Sacred Heart Devotion, in particular, due to the initiatives within our Diocese that have been promoted by the leadership and service of our Diocesan Bishop, The Archbishop Raymond L. Burke. If you have not enthroned your home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus consider doing so and if you have, consider encouraging others to do the same.

Feast Of Corpus Christi

Daily Offering To the Sacred Heart
Domine Iesu Christe, in unione illius divinae intentionis, quia in terris per sanctissimum Cor tuum laudes Deo persolvisti et nunc in Eucharistiae Sacramento ubique terrarum persolvis usque ad consummationem saeculi, ego per hanc diem integram, ad imitationem sanctissimi Cordis beatae Mariae semper Virginis immaculatae, tibi libentissime offero omnes meos intentiones et cogitationes, omnes meos affectus et desideria, omnia mea opera et verba.
Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, in union with that divine intention wherewith on earth Thou didst offer to God Thy praises through Thy Most Sacred Heart, and dost now offer them in the Sacrament of the Eucharist everywhere on earth even to the end of time, I most gladly offer Thee throughout this entire day, all my thoughts and intentions, all my affections and desires, all my words and deeds, in imitation of the most sacred Heart of the blessed and ever Virgin Mary Immaculate.
Amen.

Act Of Sorrow And Contrition

My adorable and dearest Jesus, behold at Thy feet a person who has caused so much sorrow to Thine amiable heart. O my God, how could I wound Thy heart, which hath loved me so much, and has spared nothing to make Itself loved by me? But console Thyself, I will say to my Savior, for my heart, having been wounded with Thy grace and most holy love, now feels regret for the offenses that I have committed against Thee. Please give me, my Jesus, the sorrow for my sins which Thou hast felt for them in Thy life! Eternal Father, I offer Thee the sorrow Thy Son felt for my sins. I ask Thee to give me a great sorrow for the offenses I have committed against Thee so that I may live a life that no longer despises Thy friendship.

My Lord Jesus, from this day forward, give me a horror of sin, that I may despise even the slightest faults, considering that they displease Thee. My beloved Lord, I now detest everything that displeases Thee, and in the future I will love only Thee, and love only that which Thou lovest. Oh help me, give me the strength, give me the grace to call upon Thee constantly, O my Jesus, and always to repeat to Thee this petition: My Jesus, give me Thy love, give me Thy love, give me Thy love.

Most holy Mary, obtain for me the grace to pray to thee continually and to say to thee, O my Mother, make me love Jesus Christ.

Prayers To the Sacred Heart

From the Raccolata

June Is Devoted To the Sacred Heart

Today is not only the beginning of the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, it is also the First Friday of June. In tribute to one of the two patrons of this blog, however imperfectly we maintain it (Ginny has just awful computer problems, and I have a lot of distractions just keeping my own blog up and running), I would like to present a photo-essay of holy card images of the Sacred Heart.