Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is always celebrated 19 days after Pentecost Sunday. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is usually seen as a human heart surrounded by flames and surmounted by a cross.The heart is bleeding as a result of the lance wound and it is surrounded by a crown of thorns. The Sacred Heart of Jesus represents not only shows us His humanity but His infinite love for all mankind and the world.

In 1672, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque had a vision of Jesus in which He said, "Behold the wound in my side, wherein you are to make your abode, now and forever." The Lord continued to appear to her in visions  and on  27 December, 1673, on feast of Saint John the Evangelist, as she knelt at the grill before the exposed Blessed Sacrament, she experienced a vision in which the Lord told her to take the place that Saint John had occupied at the Last Supper, and that she would act as His instrument. Jesus by revealing His Sacred Heart as a symbol of His love for mankind, saying, "My divine Heart is so inflamed with love for mankind ... that it can no longer contain within itself the flames of its burning charity and must spread them abroad by your means." She described that His Heart was on fire and surrounded by a crown of thorns. Our Lord told her that the flames represented His love for humanity, and the thorns represented man's sinfulness and ingratitude. Jesus informed her that her mission was to establish the devotion to His Most Sacred Heart, and He gave her these twelve promises which are for those who are devoted to His Sacred Heart.

~ I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.

~ I will establish peace in their families.

~ I will console them in all their troubles.

~ They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of their death.

~ I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.

~ Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.

~ Tepid souls shall become fervent.

~ Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.

~ I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.

~ I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts.

~ Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced.

~ 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 their Sacraments; My heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.

"Look at this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth."

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart acts as reminder to us of Jesus’ love and to encourage the faithful to make reparation for the many sins committed against Him.

Act of Love to the Sacred Heart

This prayer was written by Merry Cardinal Del Val, 

secretary of state under Pope Saint Pius X.

Reveal Thy Sacred Heart to me, 

O Jesus, 

and show me Its attractions. 

Unite me to It for ever. 

Grant that all my aspirations 

and all the beats of my heart, 

which cease not even while I sleep, 

may be a testimonial to Thee 

of my love for Thee 

and may say to Thee: 

Yes, Lord, I am all Thine; 

the pledge of my allegiance 

to Thee rests ever in my heart 

and will never cease to be there. 

Do Thou accept 

the slight amount 

of good that I do 

and be graciously pleased 

to repair all my wrongdoing; 

so that I may be able 

to bless Thee 

in time and in eternity. 

Amen.

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart

I, [state your name], 

give myself and consecrate 

to the Sacred Heart 

of our Lord Jesus Christ 

my person and my life, 

my actions, pains, and sufferings, 

so that I may be unwilling 

to make use of any part 

of my being save 

to honour, love, and glorify 

the Sacred Heart.

This is my unchanging purpose, 

namely, to be all His, 

and to do all things 

for the love of Him, 

at the same time 

renouncing with all my heart 

whatever is displeasing to Him.

I therefore take Thee, 

O Sacred Heart, 

to be the only object 

of my love, 

the guardian of my life, 

my assurance of salvation, 

the remedy of my weakness 

and inconstancy, 

the atonement for all 

the faults of my life, 

and my sure refuge 

at the hour of death.

Be then, O Heart of goodness, 

my justification before 

God Thy Father, 

and turn away from me 

the strokes of His righteous anger. 

O Heart of love, 

I put all my confidence 

in Thee for I fear everything 

from my own wickedness and frailty, 

but I hope for all things 

from Thy goodness and bounty.

Do Thou consume in me 

all that can displease Thee 

or resist Thy holy will; 

let Thy pure love 

imprint Thee so deeply 

upon my heart, 

that I shall nevermore 

be able to forget Thee 

or to be separated from Thee; 

may I obtain from 

all Thy loving kindness 

the grace of having my name 

written in Thee, 

for in Thee I desire 

to place all my happiness 

and all my glory, 

living and dying 

in very bondage 

to Thee. 

Amen.

Friday, 07 June, 2013
The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

1st Reading

Ezekiel 34: 11 - 16
11	"For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out.
12	As a shepherd seeks out his flock when some of his sheep have been scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.
13	And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the fountains, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
14	I will feed them with good pasture, and upon the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on fat pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.
15	I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD.
16	I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over; I will feed them in justice.

Psalm

Psalms 23: 1 - 6
1	The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want;
2	he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters;
3	he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4	Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
5	Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
6	Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

2nd Reading

Romans 5: 5 - 11
5	and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.
6	While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7	Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man -- though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die.
8	But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
9	Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
10	For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
11	Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.

Gospel

Luke 15: 3 - 7
3	So he told them this parable:
4	"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?
5	And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6	And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.'
7	Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.