The Sacred Heart Of Jesus


Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus began with the Beloved Apostle John, who reclined his head against the heart of Jesus at the Last Supper (John 13:23). This revelation was later revealed to St. Gertrude by Saint John, who told her that the reason he hadn't included the detail of his listening to the heartbeats of Christ in his Gospel was because it was a mystery to be revealed during a time of spiritual winter, when hearts had grown cold for the love of God.

Besides Scripture, the devotion originated from the early devotion to the Five Wounds of Christ, which included His pierced Heart, specifically pierced through the side by the spear of St. Longinus, the Roman soldier.


Devotion to the Five Wounds of Christ began in the 12th-13th centuries. St. Gertrude, born on January 6, 1256, died on November 17, 1301 or 1302. She continued to receive messages about the Sacred Heart of Jesus until the very end of her life, which we can read in her mystical writings.

During the 17th century, St. John Eudes (1601-1680) spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, authoring the propers for the Mass and Divine Office for the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He also spread devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph.

Later, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) received visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and established the First Friday Devotions and Eucharistic Adoration in reparation for the coldness and indifference of mankind towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist in tabernacles throughout the world. She also wrote a diary containing the messages she received. It should also be noted that during the time of these visions and the uptick in devotion to the Sacred Heart, the Jansenist heresy was prevalent. This scrupulous heresy held that humans were without free will, predestined to Heaven or Hell without the ability to reject God's graces. They practiced rigorous, perpetual penance and believed human nature was so inherently sinful that no one should receive communion. Consequently, in many parishes, entire congregations, apart from the priests themselves, were not receiving communion.

In 1856, Pope Pius IX established the Feast of the Sacred Heart as a universal feast for the Latin Church, celebrated on the Friday following the Octave of Corpus Christi.

There are many mystical writings of saints about the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in addition to sacramentals and devotionals like the Chaplet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Sacred Heart Badge, and the Sacred Heart Scapular, to name a few. There are even other devotions and sacramentals that indirectly tied to the Sacred Heart, such as the Scapular Medal, the Infant of Prague Chaplet, and the Holy Face Chaplet.

While many of these devotions aren't found in Eastern or Oriental Orthodox Christianity, or even commonly among Eastern Catholic Churches, all Catholics, Western or Eastern, embrace them. For example, the Moleben to the Lover of Mankind in Eastern Catholic Churches is a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, often associated with June Devotions.

Finally, many exorcists recommend not only frequent confession but also the Home Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which includes Family Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A priest or the husband/father of the home can perform this. The whole family participates in this enthronement ritual, placing Christ as King of the home and the domestic church that is the family.

Act of Consecration of the Family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, Who didst make known to St. Margaret Mary Thine ardent desire to reign over Christian families, behold us assembled here today to proclaim Thine absolute dominion over our home.

Henceforth we purpose to lead a life like unto Thine, so that amongst us may flourish the virtues for which Thou didst promise peace on earth, and for this end we will banish from our midst the spirit of the world which Thou dost abhor so much.

Thou wilt reign over our understanding by the simplicity of our faith. Thou wilt reign over our hearts by an ardent love for Thee; and may the flame of this love be ever kept burning in our hearts by the frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist.

Deign, O Divine Heart, to preside over our meetings, to bless our undertakings, both spiritual and temporal, to banish all worry and care, to sanctify our joys, and soothe our sorrows. If any of us should ever have the misfortune to grieve Thy Sacred Heart, remind him of Thy goodness and mercy towards the repentant sinner.

Lastly, when the hour of separation will sound, and death will plunge our home into mourning, then shall we all, and every one of us, be resigned to Thy eternal decrees, and seek consolation in the thought that we shall one day be reunited in Heaven, where we shall sing the praises and blessings of Thy Sacred Heart for all eternity.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the glorious Patriarch St. Joseph, offer Thee this our Consecration, and remind us of the same all the days of our life. Glory to the Divine Heart of Jesus, our King and our Father. Amen.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Angels & Demons

Image
The main body of written theology on angels and demons besides the canonical scriptures are the writings of Pseudo Dionysius the Areopagite who categorize angels into 9 choirs. Angels are believed to be pure spirit beings; it is held that they do not have physical bodies and communicate and bilocate through thought. This interpretation is taken from Ephesians 6:12 . While there are many descriptions of angels in the Bible most theologians teach that because angels do not have bodies the descriptions given in the Bible are describing their nature. Because it is believed angels do not have physical bodies they are considered incapable of reproduction with human beings or other creatures. This however can be an area of disagreement since some of the Patristic Fathers believed the Nephililim were the offspring of Fallen Angels and that the Demons are the disembodied spirits of Giants who were wiped out in the flood. The earliest Church Father Justin Martyr 100-165 AD wrote about this in th...
Read more

Virgin Most Powerful

Image
To understand Mary's unique role as the Mother of Christians and her ability as the most powerful intercessor in Heaven, as a created being—recognizing that Jesus is the intercessor between man and God, being both God and man, while Mary is solely human—we must recap what the Bible says about the intercession of saints. In Mark 9:4  Jesus Himself, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, converses with both a deceased saint, Moses, and a living saint, Elijah. Elijah was assumed into heaven like Enoch and, according to tradition, later the Virgin Mary. Mark 12:26-27  clarifies that those in Heaven are not truly dead; rather, they are merely awaiting their resurrection. Moses, for example, appeared with Elijah and our Lord during His Transfiguration. Matthew 22:30  reveals that in Heaven, not only will there be no physical unions or needs, but humans will also possess angelic abilities, as further demonstrated in other scriptures. Hebrews 12:1  states that the Church Tri...
Read more

Was The Garden of Eden Temporally Displaced?

Image
The origin of mankind, at least the very specifics are a mystery to believers and those of the secular world. Much of our history has been lost to time and there is much debate since Darwin's theory of evolution. For Catholics there is no dogmatic teaching on the exact details of how God created the universe and the world; the faithful can freely choose to believe in evolution or creationism. Sadly there is much debate and anger on this subject. People from various christian traditions have lost their faith when scandalized by science because of a fundamental belief or upbringing in a literal biblical interpretation of scripture. On the other side of the same coin are those who do not lose their faith but reject science entirely.  Historically both Jewish and Christian fathers of faith have taught that the biblical canon is made up of different types of books ranging from literal to allegorical or prophetic. Some of these ancient teachers taught that the days of creatio...
Read more