Category: SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Posted in ACT of REPARATION, DOCTORS of the Church, LITANIES, SACRED HEART NOVENA, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, St Alphonsus de Liguori,

A Novena In Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus By St Alphonsus – Day Six AND A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heartof Jesus– 10 June

Posted on by AnaStpaul

 Novena In Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus AND
A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus

Because of the most sinful and depraved state of the world around us and most especially to offer some tiny consolation to the Most Adorable and Loving Heart of our Most Merciful and Sweetest Lord Jesus, we should never forget the horrors of the perversions and blasphemies of the so-called ‘pride month’ so terribly adopting this Sacred Month of June and too, the evils perpetrated upon our children under this banner!
When praying the Litany of Reparation may we make special remembrance of these evils.

Every day unite your prayers and adorations with those of the Most Holy Virgin and of one of the Nine Choirs of Angels and Saints, to honour one of the dispositions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to practise a particular virtue in Its honour.

THE SIXTH DAY

With the Blessed Virgin, the Powers and the Holy Confessors.

Adore the Sacred Heart of Jesus, containing within itself the plenitude of graces and opening to diffuse them abundantly on those who address themselves to it.

Practice—Humble yourself in the presence of your Saviour for having so often abused his mercies and with new ardour and perfect confidence, implore Him to grant you Grace.

Prayer of St Alphonsus Liguori to the Sacred Heart

O Adorable Heart of my Jesus,
Heart created expressly. for the love of men!
Until now, I have shown towards Thee
only ingratitude.
Pardon me, O my Jesus.
Heart of my Jesus,
Abyss of Love and of Mercy,
how is it possible,
hat I do not die of sorrow
when I reflect on Thy Goodness to me
and my ingratitude to Thee?
Thou, my Creator, after having created me,
hast given Thy Blood and Thy Life for me
and, not content with this,
Thou hast invented a means of offering
Thyself everyday for me,
in the Holy Eucharist,
exposing Thyself to a thousand insults and outrages.
Ah, Jesus, do Thou wound my heart
with a great contrition for my sins
and a lively love for Thee.
Through Thy Tears and Thy Blood,
give me the grace of perseverance
in Thy fervent love, until I breathe my last sigh.
Amen.

A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Sacred Heart, hear us.
Sacred Heart, graciously hear us.
For the forgetfulness and ingratitude of men,
We will console Thee, O Lord. *

For the way Thou art deserted in Thy Tabernacle, *
For the crimes of sinners, *
For the blasphemies uttered against Thee, *
For the sacrileges which profane Thy Sacrament of Love, *
For the coldness of the greater part of Thy children, *
For the abuse of Thy grace, *
For our own unfaithfulness, *
For the incomprehensible hardness of our hearts, *
For our long delay in loving Thee, *
For Thy bitter sadness at the loss of souls, *
For Thy long waiting at the door of our hearts, *
For Thy loving sighs, *
For Thy loving tears, *
For Thy loving imprisonment, *
For Thy loving death. *

Learn of Me:
Because I am meek and humble of heart.
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who know Thee not,
Have mercy on me as Thou seest best. **

O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who do not believe in Thee, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who are inconstant and ungrateful, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow during the whole course of Thy mortal life, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow in Thy agony and in Thy death, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who neglect their eternal salvation, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who offer the most Holy Sacrifice unworthily, **
Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for the scarcity of those who love Thee fervently, **

Sweet Heart of Jesus:
Be not my Judge but my Saviour.

O Jesus, loveliest of all beauty, wash me more and more from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, that, purified by Thee, I may approach to Thee, the pure One, and may be worthy to dwell in “Thy Heart all the days of my life, that I may both see and do Thy will. For this cause was Thy side pierced, that an entrance might be opened for us. Who is there who would not love this wounded Heart? Who would not return love for love to Him that hath loved so well? Amen.

O adorable Heart of Jesus, if men did but know Thee: How they would love Thee!

If you would prefer the Sacred Heart Novena by St Alphonsus Liguorim with Reflectios – below is Day SIX:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/06/19/novena-in-honour-of-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus-day-six-19-june/
OR:
Another Novena with Scriptural Reflections by Sacred Space:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/15/novena-in-honour-of-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus-day-six-15-june/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, LITANIES, SACRED HEART NOVENA, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, St Alphonsus de Liguori,

A Novena In Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus By St Alphonsus – Day Five AND A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heartof Jesus– 9 June

Posted on by AnaStpaul

A Novena In Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus AND
A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus

Because of the most sinful and depraved state of the world around us and most especially to offer some tiny consolation to the Most Adorable and Loving Heart of our Most Merciful and Sweetest Lord Jesus, we should never forget the horrors of the perversions and blasphemies of the so-called ‘pride month’ so terribly adopting this Sacred Month of June and too, the evils perpetrated upon our children under this banner!
When praying the Litany of Reparation may we make special remembrance of these evils.

Every day unite your prayers and adorations with those of the Most Holy Virgin and of one of the Nine Choirs of Angels and Saints, to honour one of the dispositions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to practise a particular virtue in Its honour.

THE FIFTH DAY

With the Blessed Virgin, the Virtues and the Holy Doctors.

Adore the Sacred Heart of Jesus, endowed with all the virtues and making their practice easy to you, by the efficacy of its merits and the force of its example.

Practice–Meditate on that virtue which you particularly require; apply yourself to practise it and let not the day pass without making some acts of this virtue.

Prayer of St Alphonsus Liguori to the Sacred Heart

O Adorable Heart of my Jesus,
Heart created expressly. for the love of men!
Until now, I have shown towards Thee
only ingratitude.
Pardon me, O my Jesus.
Heart of my Jesus,
Abyss of Love and of Mercy,
how is it possible,
hat I do not die of sorrow
when I reflect on Thy Goodness to me
and my ingratitude to Thee?
Thou, my Creator, after having created me,
hast given Thy Blood and Thy Life for me
and, not content with this,
Thou hast invented a means of offering
Thyself everyday for me,
in the Holy Eucharist,
exposing Thyself to a thousand insults and outrages.
Ah, Jesus, do Thou wound my heart
with a great contrition for my sins
and a lively love for Thee.
Through Thy Tears and Thy Blood,
give me the grace of perseverance
in Thy fervent love, until I breathe my last sigh.
Amen.

A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Sacred Heart, hear us.
Sacred Heart, graciously hear us.
For the forgetfulness and ingratitude of men,
We will console Thee, O Lord. *

For the way Thou art deserted in Thy Tabernacle, *
For the crimes of sinners, *
For the blasphemies uttered against Thee, *
For the sacrileges which profane Thy Sacrament of Love, *
For the coldness of the greater part of Thy children, *
For the abuse of Thy grace, *
For our own unfaithfulness, *
For the incomprehensible hardness of our hearts, *
For our long delay in loving Thee, *
For Thy bitter sadness at the loss of souls, *
For Thy long waiting at the door of our hearts, *
For Thy loving sighs, *
For Thy loving tears, *
For Thy loving imprisonment, *
For Thy loving death. *

For the way Thou art deserted in Thy Tabernacle, *
For the crimes of sinners, *
For the blasphemies uttered against Thee, *
For the sacrileges which profane Thy Sacrament of Love, *
For the coldness of the greater part of Thy children, *
For the abuse of Thy grace, *
For our own unfaithfulness, *
For the incomprehensible hardness of our hearts, *
For our long delay in loving Thee, *
For Thy bitter sadness at the loss of souls, *
For Thy long waiting at the door of our hearts, *
For Thy loving sighs, *
For Thy loving tears, *
For Thy loving imprisonment, *
For Thy loving death. *

Learn of Me:
Because I am meek and humble of heart.
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who know Thee not,
Have mercy on me as Thou seest best. **

O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who do not believe in Thee, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who are inconstant and ungrateful, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow during the whole course of Thy mortal life, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow in Thy agony and in Thy death, **

Sweet Heart of Jesus:
Be not my Judge but my Saviour.

O Jesus, loveliest of all beauty, wash me more and more from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, that, purified by Thee, I may approach to Thee, the pure One, and may be worthy to dwell in “Thy Heart all the days of my life, that I may both see and do Thy will. For this cause was Thy side pierced, that an entrance might be opened for us. Who is there who would not love this wounded Heart? Who would not return love for love to Him that hath loved so well? Amen.

O adorable Heart of Jesus, if men did but know Thee: How they would love Thee!

If you would prefer the Sacred Heart Novena by St Alphonsus Liguorim with Reflectios – below is Day Five:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/06/18/novena-in-honour-of-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus-day-five-18-june/
OR:
Another Novena with Scriptural Reflections by Sacred Space:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/14/novena-in-honour-of-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus-day-five-14-june/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, LITANIES, SACRED HEART NOVENA, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, St Alphonsus de Liguori,

A Novena In Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus By St Alphonsus – Day Four AND A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heartof Jesus– 8 June

Posted on by AnaStpaul

A Novena In Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus AND
A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus

Because of the most sinful and depraved state of the world around us and most especially to offer some tiny consolation to the Most Adorable and Loving Heart of our Most Merciful and Sweetest Lord Jesus, we should never forget the horrors of the perversions and blasphemies of the so-called ‘pride month’ so terribly adopting this Sacred Month of June and too, the evils perpetrated upon our children under this banner!
When praying the Litany of Reparation may we make special remembrance of these evils.

Every day unite your prayers and adorations with those of the Most Holy Virgin and of one of the Nine Choirs of Angels and Saints, to honour one of the dispositions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to practise a particular virtue in Its honour.

THE FOURTH DAY

With the Blessed Virgin, the Dominations and the Holy Martyrs.

Adore the Sacred Heart of Jesus, burning with love for you and implore, as a favour, that your love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus may be increased.

Practice-–Visit the Sacred Heart, as often as possible, to render to It your thanksgiving, for the love It bears for you and to profess your love for It.

Prayer of St Alphonsus Liguori to the Sacred Heart

O Adorable Heart of my Jesus,
Heart created expressly. for the love of men!
Until now, I have shown towards Thee
only ingratitude.
Pardon me, O my Jesus.
Heart of my Jesus,
Abyss of Love and of Mercy,
how is it possible,
hat I do not die of sorrow
when I reflect on Thy Goodness to me
and my ingratitude to Thee?
Thou, my Creator, after having created me,
hast given Thy Blood and Thy Life for me
and, not content with this,
Thou hast invented a means of offering
Thyself everyday for me,
in the Holy Eucharist,
exposing Thyself to a thousand insults and outrages.
Ah, Jesus, do Thou wound my heart
with a great contrition for my sins
and a lively love for Thee.
Through Thy Tears and Thy Blood,
give me the grace of perseverance
in Thy fervent love, until I breathe my last sigh.
Amen.

A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Sacred Heart, hear us.
Sacred Heart, graciously hear us.
For the forgetfulness and ingratitude of men,
We will console Thee, O Lord. *

For the way Thou art deserted in Thy Tabernacle, *
For the crimes of sinners, *
For the blasphemies uttered against Thee, *
For the sacrileges which profane Thy Sacrament of Love, *
For the coldness of the greater part of Thy children, *
For the abuse of Thy grace, *
For our own unfaithfulness, *
For the incomprehensible hardness of our hearts, *
For our long delay in loving Thee, *
For Thy bitter sadness at the loss of souls, *
For Thy long waiting at the door of our hearts, *
For Thy loving sighs, *
For Thy loving tears, *
For Thy loving imprisonment, *
For Thy loving death. *

Learn of Me:
Because I am meek and humble of heart.
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who know Thee not,
Have mercy on me as Thou seest best. **

O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who do not believe in Thee, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who are inconstant and ungrateful, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow during the whole course of Thy mortal life, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow in Thy agony and in Thy death, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who neglect their eternal salvation, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who offer the most Holy Sacrifice unworthily, **
Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for the scarcity of those who love Thee fervently, **

Sweet Heart of Jesus:
Be not my Judge but my Saviour.

O Jesus, loveliest of all beauty, wash me more and more from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, that, purified by Thee, I may approach to Thee, the pure One, and may be worthy to dwell in “Thy Heart all the days of my life, that I may both see and do Thy will. For this cause was Thy side pierced, that an entrance might be opened for us. Who is there who would not love this wounded Heart? Who would not return love for love to Him that hath loved so well? Amen.

O adorable Heart of Jesus, if men did but know Thee: How they would love Thee!

If you would prefer the Sacred Heart Novena by St Alphonsus Liguorim with Reflectios – below is Day Four:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/06/17/novena-in-honour-of-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus-day-four-17-june/
OR:
Another Novena with Scriptural Reflections by Sacred Space:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/13/novena-in-honour-of-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus-day-four-13-june/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, LITANIES, SACRED HEART NOVENA, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, St Alphonsus de Liguori,

A Novena In Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus By St Alphonsus – Day Two AND A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heartof Jesus– 6 June

Posted on by AnaStpaul

A Novena In Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus AND
A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus

Because of the most sinful and depraved state of the world around us and most especially to offer some tiny consolation to the Most Adorable and Loving Heart of our Most Merciful and Sweetest Lord Jesus, we should never forget the horrors of the perversions and blasphemies of the so-called ‘pride month’ so terribly adopting this Sacred Month of June and too, the evils perpetrated upon our children under this banner!
When praying the Litany of Reparation may we make special remembrance of these evils.

Every day unite your prayers and adorations with those of the Most Holy Virgin and of one of the Nine Choirs of Angels and Saints, to honour one of the dispositions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to practise a particular virtue in Its honour.

THE SECOND DAY

With the Blessed Virgin, the Cherubim, and the Holy Prophets.

Adore the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which solicits, night and day, the mercy of God in our favour and incessantly offers itself in sacrifice for the expiation of our sins.

Practice—Recall to your mind, in the bitterness of your soul, the enormity of your sins; implore this Sacred Heart to give you a true contrition for them and unite the sorrow which you endeavour to conceive, with that which our Lord experienced in His adorable Heart.

Prayer of St Alphonsus Liguori to the Sacred Heart

O Adorable Heart of my Jesus,
Heart created expressly. for the love of men!
Until now, I have shown towards Thee
only ingratitude.
Pardon me, O my Jesus.
Heart of my Jesus,
Abyss of Love and of Mercy,
how is it possible,
that I do not die of sorrow
when I reflect on Thy Goodness to me
and my ingratitude to Thee?
Thou, my Creator, after having created me,
hast given Thy Blood and Thy Life for me
and, not content with this,
Thou hast invented a means of offering
Thyself everyday for me,
in the Holy Eucharist,
exposing Thyself to a thousand insults and outrages.
Ah, Jesus, do Thou wound my heart
with a great contrition for my sins
and a lively love for Thee.
Through Thy Tears and Thy Blood,
give me the grace of perseverance
in Thy fervent love, until I breathe my last sigh.
Amen.

A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Sacred Heart, hear us.
Sacred Heart, graciously hear us.
For the forgetfulness and ingratitude of men,
We will console Thee, O Lord. *

For the way Thou art deserted in Thy Tabernacle, *
For the crimes of sinners, *
For the blasphemies uttered against Thee, *
For the sacrileges which profane Thy Sacrament of Love, *
For the coldness of the greater part of Thy children, *
For the abuse of Thy grace, *
For our own unfaithfulness, *
For the incomprehensible hardness of our hearts, *
For our long delay in loving Thee, *
For Thy bitter sadness at the loss of souls, *
For Thy long waiting at the door of our hearts, *
For Thy loving sighs, *
For Thy loving tears, *
For Thy loving imprisonment, *
For Thy loving death. *

Learn of Me:
Because I am meek and humble of heart.
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who know Thee not,
Have mercy on me as Thou seest best. **

O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who do not believe in Thee, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who are inconstant and ungrateful, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow during the whole course of Thy mortal life, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow in Thy agony and in Thy death, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who neglect their eternal salvation, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who offer the most Holy Sacrifice unworthily, **
Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for the scarcity of those who love Thee fervently, **

Sweet Heart of Jesus:
Be not my Judge but my Saviour.

O Jesus, loveliest of all beauty, wash me more and more from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, that, purified by Thee, I may approach to Thee, the pure One, and may be worthy to dwell in “Thy Heart all the days of my life, that I may both see and do Thy will. For this cause was Thy side pierced, that an entrance might be opened for us. Who is there who would not love this wounded Heart? Who would not return love for love to Him that hath loved so well? Amen.

O adorable Heart of Jesus, if men did but know Thee: How they would love Thee!

If you would prefer the Sacred Heart Novena by St Alphonsus Liguori with Reflections – below is Day Two:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/06/15/novena-in-honour-of-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus-day-two-15-june/
OR:
Another Novena with Scriptural Reflections by Sacred Space:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/11/novena-in-honour-of-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus-day-two-11-june/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, LITANIES, SACRED HEART NOVENA, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, St Alphonsus de Liguori,

A Novena In Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus By St Alphonsus – Day One AND A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heartof Jesus– 5 June

Posted on by AnaStpaul

A Novena In Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus AND
A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus

Because of the most sinful and depraved state of the world around us and most especially to offer some tiny consolation to the Most Adorable and Loving Heart of our Most Merciful and Sweetest Lord Jesus, we should never forget the horrors of the perversions and blasphemies of the so-called ‘pride month’ so terribly adopting this Sacred Month of June and too, the evils perpetrated upon our children under this banner!
When praying the Litany of Reparation may we make special remembrance of these evils.

Every day unite your prayers and adorations with those of the Most Holy Virgin and of one of the Nine Choirs of Angels and Saints, to honour one of the dispositions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to practise a particular virtue in Its honour.

THE FIRST DAY

With the Blessed Virgin, the Seraphim and the Holy Patriarchs.

Adore often the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ in the most Holy Sacrament, humble yourself before the Infinite Majesty of God the Father and offer, continually to Him, the purest and most profound homages.

Practice—Renew in your soul, the most lively sentiments of respect and adoration for God and frequently make these acts.

Prayer of St Alphonsus Liguori to the Sacred Heart

O Adorable Heart of my Jesus,
Heart created expressly. for the love of men!
Until now, I have shown towards Thee
only ingratitude.
Pardon me, O my Jesus.
Heart of my Jesus,
Abyss of Love and of Mercy,
how is it possible,
that I do not die of sorrow
when I reflect on Thy Goodness to me
and my ingratitude to Thee?
Thou, my Creator, after having created me,
hast given Thy Blood and Thy Life for me
and, not content with this,
Thou hast invented a means of offering
Thyself everyday for me,
in the Holy Eucharist,
exposing Thyself to a thousand insults and outrages.
Ah, Jesus, do Thou wound my heart
with a great contrition for my sins
and a lively love for Thee.
Through Thy Tears and Thy Blood,
give me the grace of perseverance
in Thy fervent love, until I breathe my last sigh.
Amen.

A Litany of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Sacred Heart, hear us.
Sacred Heart, graciously hear us.
For the forgetfulness and ingratitude of men,
We will console Thee, O Lord. *

For the way Thou art deserted in Thy Tabernacle, *
For the crimes of sinners, *
For the blasphemies uttered against Thee, *
For the sacrileges which profane Thy Sacrament of Love, *
For the coldness of the greater part of Thy children, *
For the abuse of Thy grace, *
For our own unfaithfulness, *
For the incomprehensible hardness of our hearts, *
For our long delay in loving Thee, *
For Thy bitter sadness at the loss of souls, *
For Thy long waiting at the door of our hearts, *
For Thy loving sighs, *
For Thy loving tears, *
For Thy loving imprisonment, *
For Thy loving death. *

Learn of Me:
Because I am meek and humble of heart.
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who know Thee not,
Have mercy on me as Thou seest best. **

O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who do not believe in Thee, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who are inconstant and ungrateful, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow during the whole course of Thy mortal life, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow in Thy agony and in Thy death, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who neglect their eternal salvation, **
O Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for those who offer the most Holy Sacrifice unworthily, **
Heart of Jesus, by Thy sorrow for the scarcity of those who love Thee fervently, **

Sweet Heart of Jesus:
Be not my Judge but my Saviour.

O Jesus, loveliest of all beauty, wash me more and more from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, that, purified by Thee, I may approach to Thee, the pure One, and may be worthy to dwell in “Thy Heart all the days of my life, that I may both see and do Thy will. For this cause was Thy side pierced, that an entrance might be opened for us. Who is there who would not love this wounded Heart? Who would not return love for love to Him that hath loved so well? Amen.

O adorable Heart of Jesus, if men did but know Thee: How they would love Thee!

If you would prefer the Sacred Heart Novena by St Alphonsus Liguori with Reflections – below is Day One:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/06/14/novena-in-honour-of-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus-day-one-14-june/
OR:
Another Novena with Scriptural Reflections by Sacred Space:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/10/novena-in-honour-of-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus-day-one/

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, papal ENCYCLICALS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, St Francis de Sales

Devotion for June – THE MONTH OF THE MOST SACRED HEART of JESUS

Posted on by AnaStpaul

1 June – Devotion for June – THE MONTH OF THE MOST SACRED HEART of JESUS

In 1899, Pope Leo XIII Consecrated the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Since then, his successors have exhorted the faithful to turn to the Sacred Heart and make Acts of personal Consecration. They have also begged the faithful to offer prayers and penances to the Sacred Heart in reparation for the many sins of the world.

In his Encyclical on the Sacred Heart entitled Haurietis Aquas (“You Will Draw Waters”) Pope Pius XII notes that the genesis of the devotion to the Sacred Heart lies in the Covenant of Love from the Old Testament. He writes that “in the New Testament, the love which breathes from the Gospel, from the letters of the Apostles and the pages of the Apocalypse, all portray the Love of the Heart of Jesus.” He is linking this devotion to the Old Testament which was brought to life in Christ in the New Testament.

In the early 17th Century, Devotion to the Sacred Heart was given considerable attention in the preaching and writings of St John Eudes, known as “The Apostle of the Two Holy Hearts.”

St Francis (1567-1622) in his “Treatise on the Love of God,” lays out the foundation of the Devotion to the Sacred Heart. St Francis would greatly influence St Jane Frances de Chantal who was the Foundress of the Sisters of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the very Order which St Margaret Mary Alacoque VHM. (1647-1690), the Visionary of the Sacred Heart, would later join.

Our Lord appeared to St Margaret Mary, perhaps close to forty times. The first apparition occurred in the Visitation Chapel at Paray-le-Monial on 27 December 1673. The last apparition occurred less than two years later in June 1675. She saw His heart engulfed in flames and surrounded by thorns and heard His gentle voice:

“Behold this Heart which has so loved men that It spares nothing…to prove to them It’s love.   And, in return, I receive from the greater part of men, nothing but ingratitude, by the contempt, irreverence, sacrileges and coldness with which they treat Me in this Sacrament of Love.

I thirst, I burn with a consuming desire for men’s love and I find none to quench this thirst, according to My wish, by making any return of love.”

From her cloister, St Margaret Mary promoted the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, First Friday Devotion, The Twelve Promises and the Holy Hour of Reparation.

The Sacred Heart Enthronement desires to follow in the footsteps of Saints who came before and hold true to the basic request of Jesus to St.Margaret Mary, “I will bless the home in which the Image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honoured.”

Sweet Heart of my JESUS, Make me love Thee ever more and more! – 300 Days Indulgence Once a day, Plenary Once a month – Blessed Pope Pius IX – 26 November 1876

Posted in JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Our Morning Offering – 8 May – Memorare to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 8 May– “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Memorare to Our Lady
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
By the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC)
Patronag: Of Difficult and Impossible Causes.

Remember, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart,
what ineffable power thy Divine Son
hath given thee over His own adorable Heart.
Full of trust in thy merits,
we come before thee and beg thy protection.
O heavenly Treasurer of the Heart of Jesus
that Heart which is the inexhaustible source of all graces
which thou mayest open to us at thy good pleasure,
in order that, from it may flow forth upon mankind
the riches of love and mercy, light and salvation
which are contained therein;
grant unto us, we beseech thee, the favours which we seek.
We can never, never be refused by thee
and since thou art our Mother,
O our Lady of the Sacred Heart,
graciously hear our prayers and grant our request.
Amen

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is a title which originated with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, founded by Fr J Chevalier (1824-1907) at Issoudun/France.
This religious Congregation was founded to revive and regenerate the Christian faith, thanks to a special devotion to the Sacred Heart and to Our Lady.
Their spirituality is based on a strong faith in the love of God the Father which revealed itself in the Heart of Jesus.
This Christocentric orientation is linked with a lively devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
It is said in the Rule of Life of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, “Since Mary was so intimately related to the Mystery of her Son’s Heart, we pray to her as did Fr Chevalier and we invoke her under the title of Our Lady of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
She knew of the inexhaustible riches of Christ; she was totally filled with His Love. She leads us to Him and directs us to His Heart which is the Source of Love …” ( #18)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on WATCHING, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 April – ‘… He is constantly caring for and keeping watch over us …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 14 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – St Justin Martyr (c100-165) – 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 1:30; – Luke 12:2-8 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.” – Luke12:7

REFLECTION – “Our beloved Saviour assures us in many places of His Holy Scriptures that He is constantly caring for and keeping watch over us, that He carries and will Himself, always carry us in His breast, His heart, His bowels. Nor is He content to say, just once or twice, that He will carry us in this way but He asserts and reasserts it, as many as five times in the same place.

Furthermore, He assures us that even if a mother were to be found who would go so far as to forget the child she had borne in her womb, yet He will never forget us; He has written us on His Hands so as to have us always under His Eyes; that whoever touches us, touches the Apple of His eye; that we should never be anxious about what we need to live and to clothe ourselves, that He knows well we need these things and takes care of them for us; that He has numbered the hairs on our head and not one of them will perish; that His Father Loves us as He Loves Him and that He Loves us as His Father Loves Him; that He Wills we should be where He is, that is to say that we should be at rest with Him in the breast and heart of His Father.” – St John Eudes (1601-1680) Apostle of the Two Holy Hearts Priest, Preacher, Founder (The Kingdom of Jesus, II, 30).

PRAYER – O God, Who through the preaching of the Cross,which is to them who perish, foolishness, didst wonderfully teach, unto thy blessed Martyr Justin, the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus Our Lord, grant unto us we beseech Thee, at his prayer,s the grace to cast off all false teaching and ever to hold fast to the Faith. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CHRIST the JUDGE, CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, GOD is LOVE, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, OUR Cross, QUOTES on JUSTICE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, The REDEMPTION, The SECOND COMING

Thought for the Day – 5 September – The Sacred Heart of Jesus Surmounted by a Flaming Cross

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 5 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Surmounted by a Flaming Cross

“St Margaret Mary saw the Sacred Heart of Jesus, surmounted by flames in the midst of which, a Cross was raised on high.
These flames and this Cross, were the symbol of the Infinite Love of Jesus.
Let us reflect a little.
God, immeasurably happy in Himself, wished to communicate a share in His happiness to men, whom He created in a state of earthly happiness.
He was offended by men and, when He saw that they were heading for destruction, He sent His Eternal Word to them.
The Word took a human nature and became our Brother;  He preached the way to Heaven and gave us the means to achieve it.
More than this, He offered Himself as a Divine victim of expiation for our sins.
Having been condemned by those whom He had come to show the way, He died on the Cross and shed all His Blood, for our salvation.

Pagans of all times have called this “the folly of the Cross.”
In fact, it is the miracle of the Infinite Love of God for humanity.
Let us remember, however, that, although His Love and Goodness are Infinite, so also is His Justice!
It is an overwhelming miracle of love on the part of God, that He became man and died for us.
It will be our own downfall if we fail to co-operate with this miracle of love!

The same Jesus, Who died on the Cross for us and revealed His Heart, pierced and flaming with love, will one day appear with the same glorious Sign of the Cross, as our Supreme Judge.
Then, He will say to the wicked: “Depart from me, accursed ones, into everlasting fire!”

God’s Justice is, as Infinite as His charity!
We must choose either the way of the Cross, the way of love and goodness to which the Sacred Heart of Jesus invites us, or the way of sin which leads to the gulf of ruin and the final condemnation of the Supreme Judge.
This is the tremendous choice we have to make!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on WORRY/ANXIETY, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Quote/s of the Day – 19 August – St John Eudes

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 19 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – The Feast St John Eudes (1601-1680) Confessor, “The Apostle of Two Hearts”

“He has written us on His Hands,
so as to have us always under His Eyes;
that whoever touches us, touches the apple of His Eye;
that we should never be anxious,
about what we need to live and to clothe ourselves,
that He knows well, we need these things
and takes care of them for us
that He has numbered the hairs on our head
and not one of them will perish
that His Father loves us as He loves Him
and that, He loves us as His Father loves Him
that He Wills that we should be where He is
that is to say, we should be at rest with Him,
in the Breast and Heart of His Father.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/08/19/quote-s-of-the-day-19-august-st-john-eudes-the-apostle-of-two-hearts/

St John Eudes (1601-1680)
“The Apostle of Two Hearts”

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, INDULGENCES, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 July – ‘ … Thou art our All … ‘

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 4 July – “The Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Octave Day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the First Friday of July – Within the Octave of Sts Peter and Paul – Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19 – John 19:31-37 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“But one of the soldiers, with a spear, opened His side and, immediately, there came forth, blood and water. ” – John 19:34

REFLECTION – “Brethren, let us pursue our calling – we are called by Life to the Source of Life and this Source is a source, not just of ‘living water’ (Jn 4:10) but of eternal life, Source of Light and illumination. Indeed, all things flow from it, wisdom, life and eternal light… O Lord, Thou are Thineself this Source Who always exists and is always to be desired and, at where it is always permitted and always necessary for us to draw. ‘Lord Jesus, give us this water always’ that it may also become within us, a spring of water \welling up to eternal life’ (Jn 4:15.14). It is true that I am asking Thee for a great deal, who could deny it? But Thou, O King of glory, know well how to give great things and Thou hast promised them. There is nothing greater than Thou art and, it is Thee Thyself Who give to us, it is Thee Who gave Thyself for us.

Therefore, it is Thee we are asking for … since we desire nothing other than Thee. Thou art our All, our Life, our Light and our Salvation, our Food and our Drink, our God. Breathe into our hearts, I beseech Thee, O our Jesus; with the breath of Thine Spirit, wound our souls with Thy Love that each of us may say in truth – “Show me Him Whom my soul loves” (Sg 3:3) for I have been wounded by Thy Love.

I desire these wounds to be in me, O Lord. Happy the soul who loves wounds in this way – the soul who seeks the Source, who drinks and who, nevertheless, never ceases to thirst even as it drinks, nor to draw continually by desire, nor to continue drinking in its thirst. Thus, it always seeks in loving, for in its wound, it finds healing.” – St Columban (543-615) Father of the Church, Monk, Missionary, Founder of many Monasteries (Spiritual Instructions No 13: 2-3).

PRAYER – God, Who hast consecrated this day to the Martyrdom of Thy Apostles Peter and Paul, give Thy Church a precept to follow them in all things. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

DIVINE Heart of JESUS, convert sinners, save the dying, set free the holy souls in Purgatory. Indulgence 300 Days Everytime – St Pius X, 11 September, 1907.

Posted in JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 30 June – The Worship of the Sacred Heart in Relation to the Love of God and of Our Neighbour

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 30 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Worship of the Sacred Heart
in Relation to the Love of God
and of Our Neighbour

our love for the sacred heart of jesus should be real and effective - bacci 6 june 2020

“There is nothing sentimental about having devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Neither does this devotion consist only in prayers and pious practices.
It is much deeper than this.
It should flood our whole being, enkindle the fire of divine love in our hearts and transform our lives in accordance with the commands of Jesus.
A love which is not active cannot be genuine, it is only a passing emotion.

Our love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus should be real and effective.
As far as possible, it should change us into living replicas of Jesus Christ.

“You are My friends,” He said, “if you do the things I command you” (Jn 15:14).
Which commands does He mean?
All of them, of course.
“Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29).
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me” (Mt 16:24).
“Thy shalt love the Lord thy God, with they whole heart and with they whole soul” (Mt 22:37).

Anyone who practises these precepts and all others which are contained in the Gospel, is sincerely devoted to the Sacred Heart.
If anyone neglects to put them into practice but is satisfied with prayers, aspirations and the performance of spiritual exercises, his devotion is empty and has no foundation.

These prayers, aspirations and pious practices have their value, insofar, as they can attract God’s grace.
But, we must co-operate with God’s grace by our good actions.
Then our devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, will be sincere and effective.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 28 June – The Promises Made to Those Who Practise Devotion to the Sacred Heart

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 28 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Promises Made to Those Who Practise
Devotion to the Sacred Heart

“The promises made by Jesus to those who are truly devoted to His Sacred Heart, are a new proof of His Infinite Love and Mercy.
However, if anyone were to cultivate devotion to the Sacred Heart, merely to gain His benefits and to think more of his own spiritual and temporal advantage than of Jesus, he would display a niggardly spirit, quite unworthy of the Lord’s favour.

The worship of the Sacred Heart could degenerate into a kind of utilitarian egoism, undeserving of the name of devotion at all!
Pious practices, could become cold and formal and degenerate into sentimentality tinged with superstition.
There is nothing to prevent us asking the Sacred Heart for graces and favours which we need.
In fact, we should do so, for it is He Who has made these promises to us and is eager to fulfil them because He loves us.
But, we should be generous with Jesus in return for His Infinite Generosity towards us.
We should love Him because He is so worthy of our love.
Our love should be expressed, not only in prayers and outward forms but, in a deep personal transformation, which will make us more like Jesus.

True love transforms and unites two hearts.
Let us love Jesus and we shall live with Jesus, through Jesus and in Jesus.
His love will effect in us, the miracle which it produces in St Paul.
“To me to live is Christ!” (1 Phil 1:21).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/07/thought-for-the-day-7-june-the-promises-made-to-those-who-practise-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, ONE Minute REFLECTION, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 27 June – ‘… This is the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 27 June – “The Month and the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Mother of Perpetual Succour – Within the Octave of St John the Baptist – Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19 – John 19:31-37 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“… One of the soldiers opened His side with a lance and immediately there came forth blood and water. ” – John 19:34

REFLECTION – “Let us draw near to the Heart of our most sweet Lord Jesus and we shall be glad and rejoice in it. How good and how sweet it is to dwell in this Heart! This is the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price which we discover, O Jesus, when we dig in the field of Thy Body (cf Mt 13:44). Who, then, would cast aside this Pearl? Far from it! For It, I will give away all my goods and offer in exchange, all my concerns and affections. I will lay down all my cares in the Heart of Jesus, it is He Who will suffice for me and Who will, without fail, supply all I need to live on!

It is within this temple, this Holy of holies, this Ark of the Covenant, that I shall come to offer worship and praise to the Lord’s Name. “I have found a heart with which to pray to my God” said David (1 Ch 17:25). And I too have found the Heart of my Lord and King, my Brother and Friend. Shall I not pray to Him, then? Indeed I shall pray, for, I dare to say it – His Heart is all mine…

O Jesus, deign to receive and answer my prayer. Draw me wholly into Thine Heart. Although the deformity of my sins prevents me from entering in, yet, Thou can receive and purify me from my impurities since, through an incomprehensible Love, this Heart has expanded and opened wide. O most pure Jesus, wash me from my iniquities so that, purified by Thee, I may dwell in Thy Heart all the days of my life, to see and do Thy will. If Thine Side has been pierced, then it is so that our entrance there should be opened. If Thine Heart has been wounded, then it is so that, sheltered from outward distress, we can make our home within it. And, too, it is so that in this visible wound, we might see the invisible wound of Love.” – [Attrib] St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Franciscan, Doctor of the Church (editations on the Lord’s Passion 3).

PRAYER – God our Father, Thou opens the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven to those who are born again of water and the Holy Ghost. Increase the grace Thou hast given, so that the people who have been purified from all sin, may not forfeit the promised blessing of Thy love. Grant that we may ever keep Thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, before our eyes and do all in Him and through Him and for Him and may the prayers of our Mother of Perpetual Succour ever guide and bear us in her care! We make our pray through Christ, our Lord,who livest and reignest with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God forever, amen. (Collect).

Ejaculation:  My Lady and my Mother, remember, I am thine;
protect and defend me as thy property and possession.

Posted in "Follow Me", GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 25 June – Devotion to the Sacred Heart

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 25 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Devotion to the Sacred Heart

“We should have a very high regard for devotion to the Sacred Heart.
We should excite in our hearts, acts of love, which will compensate, in some way, for the Infinite Love which Jesus has for us.

Finally, we should try to make our lives correspond with our love by emulating, as far as possible, the holy and immaculate life of Jesus Christ. It is not a waste of time to constantly think to ourselves, “What would Jesus do in this situation?”

Ejaculation:
May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere,
known and loved! Amen

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in EUCHARISTIC Adoration, HOLY COMMUNION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, VENIAL SIN

Thought for the Day – 21 June – The Eucharistic Life

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 21 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Eucharistic Life

“The Eucharistic life which is the life of union with Jesus, especially by means of daily Communion, transforms us and makes us holy.
It preserves and increases in us, the grace which is the supernatural life of the soul.
The Eucharist, of itself, does not bestow grace because, it is a Sacrament of the living.
It is our food and food is not given to the dead but, to the living.
For this reason, we should receive Holy Communion free from the stain of sin.
The Eucharist, moreover, remits venial sin, strengthens us in our resolution and increases our charity.
Venial sin, is a sickness of the soul.
Just as natural food banishes listlessness and vulnerability to disease, our Eucharistic nourishment has the same effect on our spiritual life.

It is because the Blessed Eucharist increases our love for Jesus, that it weakens our evil inclinations.
The Eucharist and sin, are mutually exclusive of one another because, the Eucharist is Jesus and sin is the devil.
Our Eucharistic food, moreover, produces, in our souls, a spiritual consolation which is a foretaste of the happiness of Heaven.

Let us listen to Jesus living within us.
He will enable us to forget our worldly cares and will raise us to a higher plane where, by God’s Infinite Goodness, we shall continue to grow in virtue.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/08/08/thought-for-the-day-8-august-the-eucharistic-life/

Posted in GOD ALONE!, LOVE of NEIGHBOUR, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 20 June – The Worship of the Sacred Heart in Relation to the Love of God and of Our Neighbour

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 20 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Worship of the Sacred Heart
in Relation to the Love of God and of Our Neighbour

“The cult of the Sacred Heart demands, especially, the practice of the two great fundamental precepts of our Catholic Faith, namely, that we should love God above all things and our neighbour as ourselves.
The implementation of this teaching will transform our lives.

Do we love God above all things and more than we love ourselves?
What is the predominant concept in our minds?
Is it the concept of God?
What is the first love in our hearts?
Is it the love of God?
What is our main desire in life?
Is it the glory of God?
Or is it our own glory or our own pleasure?

We have still, a long way to go in the way of love of God which is the way of perfectiuon.
We can only really be said to be ourselves moreover, when we love God above all things and more than ourselves.
If a man does not love God above all things, neither does he love himself in the way in which he ought to love himself because, God is our only true to happiness.

Do we love our neighbour as ourselves?
How much moral and physical wretchedness do we see around us?
But do we try to remedy it by every means in our power, no matter what the sacrifice?
Or are we cold and disinterested?
Let us remember the words of St John the Apostle of Charity.
“In this we have come to know His love that He laid down His life for us and we likewise, ought to lay down our life for the brethren” (1 Jn 3:16).
Are we prepared to do this?
Are we at least prepared to give away whatever do do not need ourselves, in order to relieve poverty and want?

Anyone who is lacking in an effective love for God and for his neighbours, has no real devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/06/thought-for-the-day-6-june-the-worship-of-the-sacred-heart-in-relation-to-the-love-of-god-and-of-our-neighbour/

Posted in Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 19 June – Spiritual Communion

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 19 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Spiritual Communion

“St Thomas Aquinas calls the Eucharist “the Sacrament of Love” (Opuse 38:25).
When love is ardent and sincere, it longs for constant contact with the beloved.
Spiritual Communion can be made in a single instant, for it requires only an Act of Faith and an Act of Love.
Jesus, come into my heart, for I have need of You.
I love You, my Jesus, keep me close to You always.

Aspiration: O Jesus, I cling to You, with all my heart!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/28/thought-for-the-day-28-june-spiritual-communion/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/12/thought-for-the-day-12-february-spiritual-communion/

Posted in ACT of LOVE, ACT of REPARATION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 18 June – The Sacred Heart of Jesus Pierced by a Crown of Thorns

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 18 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Crown of Thorns Which Surrounds the Sacred Heart

“There are many ways of showing our love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of making reparation for our sins and for the sins of mankind.
We can console ourselves with the reflection, that by these acts of love and reparation, we are removing the thorns which encircle and pierce the Heart of Jesus.
The simplest ways of doing this, are by prayers, aspirations and expressions of love, directed towards the adorable Heart of our Redeemer and, by visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
In silence and recollection, before the Tabernacle, we shall feel the Heart of Jesus, beating with love and, shall offer in return, for His infinite love, the affection of our poor hearts.

We can also receive Holy Communion in reparation.
When Jesus is in us and we are in Jesus, it will be easier and more pleasant, to offer Him our love and expiation.
We can make reparation also, by practising the devotion of the First Fridays of the month.
This pious practice, so pleasing to the Heart of Jesus, aims at being a mass offering of love and reparation, for the sins of the entire human race!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/09/thought-for-the-day-9-june-the-crown-of-thorns-which-surrounds-the-sacred-heart/

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on GRATITUDE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 17 June – The Necessity of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 17 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Necessity of Devotion
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

“It is necessary to develop and meditate on these words of Pius XI, (see Part One) from which, it is clear, that the cult of the Sacred Heart, not only contains the synthesis of Christianity, the religion of love but, contains the most effective guide to the knowledge, love and imitation of Jesus Christ.
From the first moment of His life, when He was an Infant in the cold, damp cave of Bethlehem, to the final moment, when He breathed His last upon the Cross, the Heart of Jesus was overflowing with love for us.
We can learn from this, to know our Divine Saviour better, so that appreciating more fully His infinite love for us, we shall feel an upsurge of gratitude and, of love.
We shall feel determined to live entirely for Him, as He lived entirely for us, to obey His commandments with generosity and, to imitate His example with the assistance of His grace.
This should be the result of our devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, especially during this month, which is consecrated to Him.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/02/thought-for-the-day-1-june-the-necessity-of-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart-

Posted in JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on GOOD WORKS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on WORK/LABOUR, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 16 June – The Divine Worker

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 16 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Divine Worker

“We should accept our daily work and sanctify it with prayer as Jesus did.
“To pray and to work” was the ancient motto of the Benedictines.

All work which is done with and for God, becomes, as it were, a sacrament which purifies and sanctifies us.
When we offer the sweat of our brow to God it becomes like holy water which washes away our faults, while our weariness is converted into prayer.

Aspiration:
Jesus, Divine Worker,
bless me, help me
and makle me holy.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/15/thought-for-the-day-14-june-the-divine-worker/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/06/15/thought-for-the-day-15-june-the-divine-worker/

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOD is LOVE, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The HOLY CROSS, The SIGN of the CROSS

Thought for the Day – 13 June – The Sacred Heart of Jesus Surmounted by a Flaming Cross

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day –13 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Surmounted by a Flaming Cross

“St Margaret Mary saw the Sacred Heart of Jesus, surmounted by flames in the midst of which, a Cross was raised on high.
These flames and this Cross, were the symbol of the Infinite Love of Jesus.
Let us reflect a little.
God, immeasurably happy in Himself, wished to communicate a share in His happiness to men, whom He created in a state of earthly happiness.
He was offended by men and, when He saw that they were heading for destruction, He sent His Eternal Word to them.
The Word took a human nature and became our Brother;  He preached the way to Heaven and gave us the means to achieve it.
More than this, He offered Himself as a Divine victim of expiation for our sins.
Having been condemned by those whom He had come to show the way, He died on the Cross and shed all His Blood, for our salvation.

Pagans of all times have called this “the folly of the Cross.”
In fact, it is the miracle of the Infinite Love of God for humanity.
Let us remember, however, that, although His Love and Goodness are Infinite, so also is His Justice!
It is an overwhelming miracle of love on the part of God, that He became man and died for us.
It will be our own downfall if we fail to co-operate with this miracle of love!

The same Jesus, Who died on the Cross for us and revealed His Heart, pierced and flaming with love, will one day appear with the same glorious Sign of the Cross, as our Supreme Judge.
Then, He will say to the wicked: “Depart from me, accursed ones, into everlasting fire!”

God’s Justice is, as Infinite as His charity!
We must choose either the way of the Cross, the way of love and goodness to which the Sacred Heart of Jesus invites us, or the way of sin, which leads to the gulf of ruin and the final condemnation of the Supreme Judge.
This is the tremendous choice we have to make!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 12 June – The Promises Made to Those who Practise Devotion to the Sacred Heart

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 12 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Promises Made to Those Who Practise
Devotion to the Sacred Heart

“The promises made by Jesus to those who are truly devoted to His Sacred Heart, are a new proof of His Infinite Love and Mercy.
However, if anyone were to cultivate devotion to the Sacred Heart, merely to gain His benefits and to think more of his own spiritual and temporal advantage than of Jesus, he would display a niggardly spirit, quite unworthy of the Lord’s favour.

The worship of the Sacred Heart could degenerate into a kind of utilitarian egoism, undeserving of the name of devotion at all!
Pious practices, could become cold and formal and degenerate into sentimentality tinged with superstition.
There is nothing to prevent us asking the Sacred Heart for graces and favours which we need.
In fact, we should do so, for it is He Who has made these promises to us and is eager to fulfil them because He loves us.
But, we should be generous with Jesus in return for His Infinite Generosity towards us.
We should love Him because He is so worthy of our love.
Our love should be expressed, not only in prayers and outward forms but, in a deep personal transformation, which will make us more like Jesus.

True love transforms and unites two hearts.
Let us love Jesus and we shall live with Jesus, through Jesus and in Jesus.
His love will effect in us, the miracle which it produces in St Paul.
“To me to live is Christ!” (1 Phil 1:21).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/06/07/thought-for-the-day-7-june-the-promises-made-to-those-who-practise-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart/

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, GOD is LOVE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, Quote on SELF-ABANDONMENT, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The DIVINE INFANT, The HOLY CROSS, The INCARNATION

Thought for the Day – 11 June – The Love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Revealed in the Gospel

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 11 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Revealed in the Gospel

“If we meditate upon the pages of the Gospel, we shall find they are vibrant with the Infinite Love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Let us, in imagination, enter the cave of Bethlehem and kneel before the crib where the Divine Infant is lying.
Darkness is all around, darkness over the earth, darkness in the minds and hearts of the majority of men.
But, now, the heavens open and from the brightness the voices of Angels ring out, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among men of goodwill.”
Who is this Infant?
He is the Eternal Word, the substantial Image of God, Who, for love of us, has been made man.
He is the Infinite One Who has willed to unite Himself with the finite, in order to lift us towards Himself.
This little Heart is throbbing like that of any baby but, in this throb, is expressed the love of the God-Man.
It is a profound Mystery, that God should have loved man so much, that He became a tiny Infant.
Yet, He did this so that we might love Him more easily and in order to show us His own immeasurable Love.
There is about this Infant, a fascination, at once human and divine which compels us to love Him, even as Mary, Joseph and the simple shepherds loved Him.
He is asking us for love, adoration and complete surrender.
Can we refuse Him?

Now let us take ourselves in imagination to Calvary and kneel at the foot of the Cross.
The Heart which began to beat with the Sacred Love in the manger at Bethlehem, has given everything for us, has poured forth It’s Precious Blood for our salvation and, has bestowed on us, as a final gift, the Blessed Mother of God.
Now, this Heart is consumed with Love for us and ceases to beat only when it has give us everything.
“It is consummated” (Jn 19:30).
At Bethlehem we have experienced a joyful ecstasy of love.
Here, at the foot of the Cross, we should experience a deep sorrow, which will cause us to weep for our sins and to transform our lives after the model of Jesus Christ.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 10 June – The Necessity of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 10 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Necessity of Devotion
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

“It is necessary to develop and meditate on these words of Pius XI, (see Part One) from which, it is clear, that the cult of the Sacred Heart, not only contains the synthesis of Christianity, the religion of love but, contains the most effective guide to the knowledge, love and imitation of Jesus Christ.
From the first moment of His life, when He was an infant in the cold, damp cave of Bethlehem, to the final moment, when He breathed His last upon the Cross, the Heart of Jesus was overflowing with love for us.
We can learn from this, to know our Divine Saviour better, so that appreciating more fully His infinite love for us, we shall feel an upsurge of gratitude and, of love.
We shall feel determined to live entirely for Him, as He lived entirely for us, to obey His commandments with generosity and, to imitate His example with the assistance of His grace.
This should be the result of our devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, especially during this month, which is consecrated to Him.

O my Jesus, Thou Who art Love itself, enkindle in my heart the divine fire which consumed and transformed the Saints!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/06/02/thought-for-the-day-1-june-the-necessity-of-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus/

Posted in DEVOTIO, GOD is LOVE, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on CREATION, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The REDEMPTION

Thought for the Day – 9 June – Devotion to the Sacred Heart, ‘… it is a devotion which is essential …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 9 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Devotion to the Sacred Heart

“All devotions which have been approved by the Church are valuable because they are acts of religion which have, as their object, the author of all holiness and source of all goodness.
By these acts, God is adored, thanked and supplicated by His children who have been redeemed by the Precious Blood of Christ.
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin and to the Saints, is also directed, ultimately, towards God, Who has endowed His faithful servants, especially the Mother of Jesus, with His gifts and graces and has established them as mediators by His Throne.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, however, is not one of the many pious practices merely permitted or recommended by the Church.
Fundamentally, it is a devotion which is essential for any Christians, insofar, as it is the cult of the love of God made man, for our sakes.

We know that Christianity is the religion of love.
“God is love and he who abides in love, abides in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16).
Everything flows from God’s love for mankind – both the Creation and the Redemption, for God created us out of love and redeemed us with the love of His Only-begotten Son Who became man and died for us and, both the Old and the New Law, for the basis of the Old Law was “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength,” (Deut 6:4) and the commandment of charity, was called by Jesus His own commandment, on which His entire teaching was based.
The Sacraments, especially the Blessed Eucharist, have their origin in the same Infinite Love.
So have the graces which God gives us, our justification, through the merits of our Redeemer and the final reward for which we hope in Heaven.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart is the worship of this Infinite Love, of which, it is a living symbol.”

Posted in INDULGENCES, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, SACRED HEART ASPIRATIONS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Devotion for June – The MONTH of the MOST SACRED HEART of JESUS – 1 June

Posted on by AnaStpaul

1 June – Devotion for June –
The MONTH of the MOST SACRED HEART of JESUS

In the early 17th Century, Devotion to the Sacred Heart was given considerable attention in the preaching and writings of St John Eudes, known as “The Apostle of the Two Holy Hearts.”

St Francis (1567-1622) in his “Treatise on the Love of God,” lays out the foundation of the Devotion to the Sacred Heart. St Francis would greatly influence St Jane Frances de Chantal who was the Foundress of the Sisters of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the very Order which St Margaret Mary Alacoque VHM. (1647-1690), the Visionary of the Sacred Heart, would later join.

 Our Lord appeared to St Margaret Mary, perhaps close to forty times. The first apparition occurred in the Visitation Chapel at Paray-le-Monial on 27 December 1673. The last apparition occurred less than two years later in June 1675. She saw His heart engulfed in flames and surrounded by thorns and heard His gentle voice:

“Behold this Heart which has so loved men that It spares nothing…to prove to them It’s love.   And, in return, I receive from the greater part of men, nothing but ingratitude, by the contempt, irreverence, sacrileges and coldness with which they treat Me in this Sacrament of Love.

I thirst, I burn with a consuming desire for men’s love and I find none to quench this thirst, according to My wish, by making any return of love.”

From her cloister, St Margaret Mary promoted the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, First Friday Devotion, The Twelve Promises and the Holy Hour of Reparation.

The Sacred Heart Enthronement desires to follow in the footsteps of Saints who came before and hold true to the basic request of Jesus to St.Margaret Mary, “I will bless the home in which the Image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honoured.”

Sweet Heart of my JESUS, Make me love Thee ever more and more! – 300 Days Indulgence Once a day, Plenary Once a month – Pope Pius IX – 26 November 1876

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, Meditations on the HIDDEN LIFE, QUOTES on PRAYER, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS, The LORD'S PRAYER

Thought for the Day – 31 January – Meditation 7, PART ONE: The Heart of Jesus in Prayer in the Hidden Life

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 31 January – Meditations on the Hidden Life: From the 1906 Edition of The Heart of Jesus of Nazareth; it has the Imprimatur of Bishop John Baptist Butt, Diocese of Southwark, England, 5 February 1890. Author’s name known simply as Author of “The Voice of the Sacred Heart.” 
(We return to Fr Clarke for February with his Meditations on The Great Truths.)

Meditation 7: PART ONE:
The Heart of Jesus in Prayer in the Hidden Life

Let us imagine we see Jesus kneeling in the little House of Nazareth, His Sacred Hands reverently clasped, His Eyes closed or raised to Heaven. We have before us the Incarnate God praying to His Eternal Father. It will then refresh our souls, to withdraw for a while, within the silence and solitude of the Holy House and, whilst we contemplate the scene with reverence, let us endeavour to penetrate the Heart of Him, Who is praying there.

So beautiful is the picture presented to our minds by the thought of Jesus in prayer, that truly it might suffice to rivet our inward eye and claim our adoring love, without the addition of any comment.

Let us regard Him as the Wisdom of the Father, the Eternal Son, kneeling there in silent contemplation of the Divine Majesty unveiled before Him, while He pours out the eternal love, the burning prayer which consumes His Sacred Heart.
The labour of the day is over and Jesus is now free to give Himself, unrestrainedly, to that holy exercise which has not ceased to be the occupation of His Soul amidst His daily toil. How profound is the mystery of that Divine communication which passes between the Eternal Father and the Eternal Son, between the human Heart of the Man-God and the Father, in Whose Bosom He had dweltB from all eternity.
Unchecked now by the external trammels to which, in His Incarnation He had made Himself subject, He could deliver Himself to the transports of His Love and taste, in His earthly exile, His old, His eternal delight of solitude with God.

But we must not forget that we are contemplating our Divine Model in prayer; for we are not to suppose, we have chosen One too exalted for our imitation. No, indeed, Jesus prays as one of us. It is in Him, a human Heart which throbs with love and desire and He teaches us eloquently how to pray and discloses qualities, with which our prayer should be endowed. He has formally constituted Himself our Master in prayer, as in all other things.
In His Public Life and in His Passion He has taught us even the very words in which we should present our petitions, or upon which they should be formed.

Posted in Meditations on the HIDDEN LIFE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 30 January – Meditation 6: The Occupation of the Heart of Jesus in the Hidden Life

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 30 January – Meditations on the Hidden Life: From the 1906 Edition of The Heart of Jesus of Nazareth; it has the Imprimatur of Bishop John Baptist Butt, Diocese of Southwark, England, 5 February 1890. Author’s name known simply as Author of “The Voice of the Sacred Heart.” 
(We return to Fr Clarke for February with his Meditations on The Great Truths.)

Meditation 6:
The Occupation of the Heart of Jesus in the Hidden Life

We are not at present going to study. in detail. the holy occupations of the Heart of our Lord, reserving such study for future consideration in separate meditations.
We shall find that it affords much assistance, in familiarising us, with the character of the Sacred Heart, its love, its sufferings and its desires. It will enable us also to recognise how full of merit, how conducive to God’s glory and, how helpful to the world at large, is a hidden life, provided it be modelled on the Hidden Life of Jesus.

The exterior life of Nazareth was, as we know, made up of the most ordinary works, the most commonplace actions. During those long years, we find nothing apparently, in due proportion, to the sublime Mission which brought Him down from Heaven.
Yet, He was all the while negotiating the great affair of our Redemption, as truly as when we come to regard Him hanging on the Cross.
Let us penetrate into His Heart and we shall see that it was secretly consumed with Love in the Presence of the Majesty of God, His Father and, since true love is ever active, with what energy must not the Divine Flame have burnt, within that living Furnace of Charity?

It was from this inexhaustible source of Love that His every act emanated and, these have merited the redemption of ten thousand worlds and are pleading, our cause in Heaven. at this moment!

Behold ~ the first great Master of the Divine Apostleship. Behold ~ in Jesus of Nazareth, the first Apostle of Prayer! This was the occupation of His Sacred Heart.
He loved, He adored, He repaired, He prayed, He immolated Himself for the Father’s glory, for the salvation of the universe.
He traced out the Divine plan of His Church, according to the eternal design He had seen in the bosom of the Father and, as each stratagem of His enemy for the defeat of that plan and the overthrow of His Church passed before Him, He devised the infallible means by which the evil influence should be counteracted and, the cause of good, should triumph.

Of what importance was it that the Hands of Jesus did but plane wood in a carpenter’s shop whilst His Heart was thus incessantly and divinely occupied? Could there really be monotony in such a Life as this? Whatever may have been its exterior, the interior of that Life was the most sublime which can be imagined.

Sublime also is the hidden life of those who have learnt to imitate Him, whose hearts, like His, are wholly occupied, as far as they can be in this life, with the interests of God and of souls; a life indeed which the wise ones of this world despise – which materialists scorn as useless. But in the great day of revelation, they will be forced to exclaim: “We fools esteemed their life madness and their end without honour; behold how they are numbered among the children of God and their lot is among the Saints.”

Posted in MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, Meditations on the HIDDEN LIFE, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on MOTHERHOOD, SACRED HEART REFLECTIONS

Thought for the Day – 29 January – Meditation 5, PART TWO: The Happiness of the Heart of Jesus in the Hidden Life

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 29 January – Meditations on the Hidden Life: From the 1906 Edition of The Heart of Jesus of Nazareth; it has the Imprimatur of Bishop John Baptist Butt, Diocese of Southwark, England, 5 February 1890. Author’s name known simply as Author of “The Voice of the Sacred Heart.” 
(We return to Fr Clarke for February with his Meditations on The Great Truths.)

Meditation 5, PART TWO:
The Happiness of the Heart of Jesus in the Hidden Life

The example of our Lord, as far as He is imitable for us, was needed in this respect, for two reasons.
Firsly, in order to teach us how it is that the beautiful Works of God, maybe for us, a means of raising our souls to God Himself and, of enlarging our hearts with love of Him and secondly, as a condemnation of that false spirituality which would make indifference to the beautiful in the Works of God, an evidence of advanced sanctity.

Better inspired have been those numerous Saints to whose pure hearts, a lovely flower or some fair scene of earth, has revealed the Eternal Beauty, for the full and unveiled possession of whom their pure and free souls were panting.

The love of the Father ,was that all-absorbing impulse, in the Heart of Jesus which, in the heart of a simple creature, would have taken the form of a passion. What other result could come from this, than that every mark of the Father’s Handiwork should flood His Soul with joy?
So it will be with us. In proportion to our purity of heart and our love of God, will be our capacity for a spiritual appreciation of the beautiful Works which are but emanations from Himself.

If the Heart of our Divine Lord found such well-springs of happiness in the contemplation of those Works in the natural order which were, to His Eye, revelations, or rather the abiding Presence of the Eternal Beauty, Wisdom, Love and other attributes, what shall be said of its complacency in those of the order of grace? We are about to meditate on the complacency of the Heart of Jesus, as reflected in that of His ever Immaculate Mother.

As He regarded that Mother’s face, He saw the beauty of the spotless soul reflected therein and His Heart rejoiced in that masterpiece of spiritual loveliness, in the consideration of that singular privilege which elevated her, so far above all other creatures. He rejoiced, moreover, in her other special prerogative – her Divine Maternity. The memory of that word, by which she had consented to become His Mother and thus, the sharer of His sorrows and His helper in the Work of man’s Redemption, made sweet melody to His Heart as He watched her moving reverently before Him, in her lowly occupations. But, above all, He rejoiced in her sublime humility, by which, ascribing to God alone every grace she had received and desiring to employ them but for His glory, she rendered that homage to His sovereignty, of which so many of His creatures defraud Him. Jesus, then, in the House of Nazareth, is our first great Exemplar of devotion to His ever Blessed Mother and of the consolation which those possess who truly love her.

But He opens for us, in His Hidden Life, another source of consolation and happiness. He would teach us how to sanctify the strongest of human ties and that, nothing more purifies the soul, than the tender, reverential love of a child for his mother.
This is a tie, surpassing every other in the order of nature, in intimacy, in strength, in beautiful associations. Those who have grown hardened in sin, have been reclaimed by vividly recalling, to their world-worn minds, some long-forgotten memory of the mother, whose heart perhaps they had broken.

Jesus has sanctified forever, this filial tie and whilst revealing to us, in His love for His Own Blessed Mother, one of the sources of happiness to His Sacred Heart, He becomes our Model, not only of devotion to her but too, of the reverential love with which we should regard our human mother.
In the evil days through which we pass, the beneficial effect of so hallowing an influence over the hearts, not only of the very young but also, of those on whom the world has put forth its noxious breath, would be incalculable.

There are, again, those who seem imbued with the false notion that piety, is incompatible with human enjoyment and hence, as we have shown before that, the enjoyment of human things is incompatible with sanctity. Our Lord has disabused us of this error and, by example, taken from His Sacred Heart, has taught, to those at least who know how to penetrate its depths that, its spirit is sweet, sanctifying what is human and elevating it into being, in part, Divine!

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/01/28/thought-for-the-day-28-january-meditation-5-part-onethe-happiness-of-the-heart-of-jesus-in-the-hidden-life/