Pius IX

June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a very, very old practice originally arising out of devotion to the Sacred wounds of Christ and all that His sacrifice for us embodied. It is a beautiful practice with which you can get closer to Jesus in contemplation of the Passion and His most perfect sacrifice. In 1899, the human race was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Pope Leo XIII’s decree in his encyclical Annum Sacrum. Pope Pius X extended this by instituting this dedication be renewed yearly.

The Feast Day for the Sacred Heart of Jesus falls 19 days after Pentecost. This year 2019, it will fall on June 28TH. The devotion is often tied to the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which occurs a day after.

The month of June is dedicated to The Sacred Heart of Jesus. The beginning of the month falls within the liturgical season of Easter, which is represented by the liturgical color white — the color of light, a symbol of joy, purity and innocence (absolute or restored). The remainder of the month falls within the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, which is represented by the liturgical color green. This symbol of hope is the colour of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. It is used in the offices and Masses of Ordinary Time. The last portion of the liturgical year represents the time of our pilgrimage to heaven during which we hope for reward.

The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost. In addition to the liturgical celebration, many devotional exercises are connected with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Of all devotions, devotion to the Sacred Heart was, and remains, one of the most widespread and popular in the Church.

Understood in the light of the Scriptures, the term “Sacred Heart of Jesus” denotes the entire mystery of Christ, the totality of his being, and his person considered in its most intimate essential: Son of God, uncreated wisdom; infinite charity, principal of the salvation and sanctification of mankind. The “Sacred Heart” is Christ, the Word Incarnate, Saviour, intrinsically containing, in the Spirit, an infinite divine-human love for the Father and for his brothers.

Excerpted from the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy

A beautiful explanation on The Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion by Fr John Bartunek

Twelve Promises of Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

In the apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Jesus gives these twelve promises for those who are devoted to His Sacred Heart.

01:	I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
02:	I will establish peace in their homes.
03:	I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
04:	I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
05:	I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
06:	Sinners will find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
07:	Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
08:	Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
09:	I will bless every place in which an image of my Heart is exposed and honoured.
10:	I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11:	Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart.
12:	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.

The Sacred Heart and Our Spiritual Life

Devotion to the Sacred Heart is a wonderful historical expression of the Church’s piety for Christ, her Spouse and Lord: it calls for a fundamental attitude of conversion and reparation, of love and gratitude, apostolic commitment and dedication to Christ and his saving work. Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus are numerous. Some have been explicitly approved and frequently recommended by the Apostolic See. Among these, mention should be made of the following:

Personal Consecration

Personal consecration, described by Pius XI as “undoubtedly the principal devotional practice used in relation to the Sacred Heart” (Miserentissimus redemptor).

Family Consecration

Family consecration to the Sacred Heart, in which the family, by virtue of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony already participating in the mystery of the unity and love of Christ for the Church, is dedicated to Christ so that he might reign in the hearts of all its members (Aliae concessiones).

Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, approved for the whole Church in 1891, which is evidently biblical in character and to which many indulgences have been attached (Aliae concessiones).

Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart

The act of reparation, a prayer with which the faithful, mindful of the infinite goodness of Christ, implore mercy for the offences committed in so many ways against his Sacred Heart (Aliae concessiones).

The Practice of the First Fridays

Sacred Heart The pious practice of the first Fridays of the month which derives from the “great promises” made by Jesus to St. Margaret Mary. At a time when sacramental communion was very rare among the faithful, the first Friday devotion contributed significantly to a renewed use of the Sacraments of Penance and of the Holy Eucharist. In our own times, the devotion to the first Fridays, even if practised correctly, may not always lead to the desired spiritual fruits. Hence, the faithful require constant instruction so that any reduction of the practice to mere credulity is avoided and an active faith encouraged so that the faithful may undertake their commitment to the Gospel correctly in their lives. They should also be reminded of the absolute preeminence of Sunday, the “primordial feast” (Sacrosanctum Concilium), which should be marked by the full participation of the faithful at the celebration of the Holy Mass.

Excepted from the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy

Scriptural Basis for the Devotion

Jesus, who is one with the Father (cf. John 10, 30), invites his disciples to live in close communion with him, to model their lives on him and on his teaching. He, in turn, reveals himself as “meek and humble of heart” (Matthew 11, 29). It can be said that, in a certain sense, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a cultic form of the prophetic and evangelic gaze of all Christians on him who was pierced (cf. John 19, 37; Zac 12, 10), the gaze of all Christians on the side of Christ, transfixed by a lance, and from which flowed blood and water (cf. John 19, 34), symbols of the “wondrous sacrament of the Church” (St. Augustine).

The Gospel of St. John recounts the showing of the Lord’s hands and his side to the disciples (cf. John 20,20), and of his invitation to Thomas to put his hand into his side (cf. John 20, 27). This event has also had a notable influence on the origin and development of the Church’s devotion to the Sacred Heart.

These and other texts present Christ as the paschal Lamb, victorious and slain (cf. Apoc 5,6). They were objects of much reflection by the Fathers who unveiled their doctrinal richness. They invited the faithful to penetrate the mysteries of Christ by contemplating the wound opened in his side. Augustine writes:

“Access is possible: Christ is the door. It was opened for you when his side was opened by the lance. Remember what flowed out from his side: thus, choose where you want to enter Christ. From the side of Christ as he hung dying upon the Cross there flowed out blood and water, when it was pierced by a lance. Your purification is in that water, your redemption is in that blood”.

Excerpted from the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy

The Popes on Devotion to the Sacred Heart

The feast of the Sacred Heart was approved for specified dioceses by Clement XIII in 1765, and extended to the whole Church by Pius IX in 1856. In 1889 Pope Leo XIII elevated it to the rank of first class, and through an encyclical letter in 1899 dedicated the whole Catholic world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart was also an essential component of Pope John Paul II‘s hopes for the “new evangelization” called for by the Church. “For evangelization today,” he said, “the Heart of Christ must be recognized as the heart of the Church: It is He who calls us to conversion, to reconciliation. It is He who leads pure hearts and those hungering for justice along the way of the Beatitudes. It is He who achieves the warm communion of the members of the one Body. It is He who enables us to adhere to the Good News and to accept the promise of eternal life. It is He who sends us out on mission. The heart-to-heart with Jesus broadens the human heart on a global scale.”

Here are some of the relevant documents: Leo XIII in his Encyclical Letter Annum sacrum (1889) on the consecration of mankind to the Sacred Heart; Pius XI in Caritate Christi Compulsi (On The Sacred Heart) and Miserentissimus Redemptor (On Reparation To The Sacred Heart); Pius XII in his Encyclical Letter Haurietis aquas; Paul VI in his Apostolic Letter Investigabiles divitias Christi (1965) and John Paul II in Message on the centenary of the consecration of mankind to the Sacred Heart of Jesus(1999), in L’Osservatore Romano, 12 June 1999.

A beautiful explanation on The Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion by Fr John Bartunek

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