Commendation to the Sacred Heart

 On October 17 Holy Mother Church honors St. Margaret Mary Alocoque.  At the age of twenty-two, St. Margaret Mary made her profession at the convent of the Visitation at Paray-le-Monial, and after a few quiet years in the convent, St. Margaret Mary began receiving revelations from Our Lord Who informed her of His great desire to be loved by all men. He also wanted devotion to His Sacred Heart to be spread, making twelve promises to those who practiced a true devotion to his Sacred Heart. Through these revelations and her zeal and love for Our Lord, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus spread throughout the world.  She spoke of the Sacred Heart, saying, 

"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."

The following prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary.

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Commendation to the Sacred Heart 

O Lord, I elect Thy Sacred Heart my abiding-place. May it be my strength in combat, my support in weakness, my light and guide in darkness; may it supply for my defects and sanctify all my intentions and actions. In union with Thine Own I offer them up that I may be prepared to receive Thee. 

Strengthen and support, O most sacred Heart, the purpose and desire of loving and serving Thee with which Thou didst inspire me, and grant that I perform all the good that according to Thy will I should. 

Be Thou, O God, my strength; do Thou support and defend me, for I am and intend to be forever Thine.

God bless!

+JMJ+

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

 Holy Mother Church devotes the month of June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with a specific feast day celebrating the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost, this year June 12th. The Church has many devotions specifically for honoring the Sacred Heart. One practice is the First Friday devotion, which Jesus revealed to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. He revealed to her that it was His desire that the first Friday of each month be consecrated to the devotion and adoration of His most Sacred Heart. He made twelve promises for those who sincerely practiced this devotion.

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From the writings of St. Margaret Mary, we learn of a few of them as she states, "On Friday during Holy Communion, He said these words to His unworthy slave, if I mistake not: I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that its all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on nine first Fridays of consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they will not die under my displeasure or without receiving their sacraments, my divine Heart making itself their assured refuge at the last moment."

In order to make this devotion of the nine first Fridays well, we should make a worthy confession and receive Holy Communion, offering our entire selves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Throughout this month of June, dedicated to Our Lord's most Sacred Heart, and each time we venerate His Sacred Heart, we should remember Jesus' great love for us, flowing forth from His Heart, and in return we should strive to express our love and devotion to Him through acts of adoration and repentance.

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

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, conformed to Thine. May Thy divine will be equally the standard and rule of all my desires and of all my actions. Amen.

God bless!

+JMJ+