Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus | 2016

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, June 3, 2016 

I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my 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 my disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

— Our Lord to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Only the Heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father's love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way (Catechism 1439).

The prayer of the Church venerates and honors the Heart of Jesus just as it invokes his most holy name. It adores the incarnate Word and his Heart which, out of love for men, he allowed to be pierced by our sins. Christian prayer loves to follow the way of the cross in the Savior's steps (Catechism 2669).

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the Infinite Love of Christ

The Church has always attested to the infinite love of our Savior who died on the cross for all men. The institution of the feast of the Sacred Heart was soon to contribute to the creation among the faithful of a powerful current of devotion which since then has grown steadily stronger. The first Office and Mass of the Sacred Heart were composed by St. John Eudes, but the institution of the feast was a result of the appearances of our Lord to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1675. The celebration of the feast was extended to the general calendar of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1856. (Below is an act of reparation and an act of consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.)

Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, animated with a desire to repair the outrages unceasingly offered to Thee, I prostrate before Thy throne of mercy, and in the name of all mankind, pledge my love and fidelity to Thee.

The more Thy mysteries are blasphemed, the more firmly I shall believe them, O Sacred Heart of Jesus!

The more impiety endeavors to extinguish my hope of immortality, the more I shall trust in Thy Heart, sole Hope of mankind!

The more hearts resist Thy Divine attractions, the more I shall love Thee, O infinitely amiable Heart of Jesus!

The more unbelief attacks Thy Divinity, the more humbly and profoundly I shall adore It, O Divine Heart of Jesus!

The more Thy holy laws are transgressed and ignored, the more I shall delight to observe them, O most holy Heart of Jesus!

The more Thy Sacraments are despised and abandoned, the more frequently I shall receive them with love and reverence, O most generous Heart of Jesus!

The more the imitation of Thy virtues is neglected and forgotten, the more I shall endeavor to practice them, O Heart, model of every virtue!

The more the devil labors to destroy souls, the more I 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 I 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 I shall endeavor to be her faithful children, O Sweet Heart of Jesus!

The more Thy Vicar on earth is persecuted, the more will I honor him as the infallible head of Thy Holy Church, show my fidelity and pray for him, O  kingly Heart of Jesus!

O Sacred Heart, through Thy powerful grace, may I become Thy apostles in the midst of a corrupted world, and be Thy crown in the kingdom of Heaven.  Amen.

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, 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. Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope 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 upon 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.

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Blessed be the Most Loving Heart and Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ!