Tag: dayfoursacredheartnovena

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY FOUR – 17 JUNE

By St Alphonsus Liguori
(1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Published in 1758 from THE HOLY EUCHARIST

MEDITATION IV.
The Sorrowful Heart of Jesus.

It is impossible to consider how afflicted the heart of Jesus was for love of us and not to pity Him.   He Himself tells us that His heart was overwhelmed with such such sorrow, that this alone would have sufficed to take His life away and to make Him die of pure grief, if the virtue of His Divinity had not, by a miracle, prevented His death:  My soul is sorrowful even unto death. [Mark xiv. 34]

The principal sorrow which afflicted the heart of Jesus so much was not the sight of the torments and infamy which men were preparing for Him but the sight of their ingratitude towards.   His immense love.   He distinctly foresaw all the sins which we should commit after all His sufferings and such a bitter and ignominious death.   He foresaw, especially, the horrible insults which men would offer to His adorable heart, Which He has left us in the Most Holy Sacrament as a proof of His affection.   O my God, what affronts has not Jesus Christ received from men in this Sacrament of love?   One has trampled Him under foot, another has thrown Him into the gutters, others have availed themselves of Him to pay homage to the devil!

And yet the sight of all these insults did not prevent Him from leaving us this great pledge of His love.   He has a sovereign hatred of sin;  but still it seems as if His love towards us had overcome the hatred He bore to sin, since He was content to permit these sacrileges, rather than to deprive the souls that love Him of this Divine food.   Shall not all this suffice to make us love a heart that has loved us so much?

Has not Jesus Christ done enough to deserve our love?   Ungrateful that we are, shall we still leave Jesus forsaken on the altar, as the majority of men do?   And shall we not unite ourselves to those few souls who acknowledge Him and melt with love more even than the torches melt away which burn round the ciborium?   The heart of Jesus remains there, burning with love for us;  and shall we not, in His Presence, burn with love for Jesus?

LET US PRAY – DAY FOUR

My adorable and dearest Jesus,
behold at Your feet one who has caused
so much sorrow to Your amiable Heart.
O my God, how could I grieve this Heart,
Which has loved me so much
and has spared nothing to make Itself loved by me?
But console Yourself, I will say, O my Saviour,
for my heart having been wounded, through Your grace,
with Your most holy love, feels now so much regret
for the offences I have committed against You,
that it would die of sorrow.
Oh; who will give me, my Jesus,
that sorrow for my sins which You felt for them in Your life!
Eternal Father, I offer You the sorrow
and abhorrence Your Son felt for my sins;
and, for His sake, I beseech You to give me so great a sorrow
for the offences I have committed against You,
that I may lead an afflicted and sorrowful life
at the thought of having once despised Your love.
And You, O my Jesus, do You give me, from this day forth,
such a horror of sin, that I may abhor even the lightest faults,
considering that they displease You,
Who does not deserve to be offended much or little,
but deserves an infinite love.
My beloved Lord, I now detest everything that displeases You
and in future I will love only You
and that which You love.
Oh, help me, give me the strength,
give me the grace to invoke Youo constantly, O my Jesus
and always to repeat to You this petition:

My Jesus, give me Your love. give me Your love, give me Your love.

And you, most holy Mary,
obtain for me the grace to pray to you continually
and to say to you, O my Mother, make me love Jesus Christ.
Amen