Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12TH Lk. 17: 20-25 “Just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.”
- Truly light comes from the Son of Man! The light and warmth of the fire burning in the Sacred Heart of Jesus in our inmost heart!
Part 1: Jesus seeks us within… by Saint Albert the Great
Part 2: THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
PART 1: Jesus seeks us within… by Saint Albert the Great (+1280)
We are utterly unable to attain to love or any other good thing by ourselves. We have nothing to offer to the Lord, the Author of all, which was not His already. One thing alone remains to us: that in every occurrence we should turn to Him in prayer, as He Himself taught us by word and example. Let us go to Him as guilty, poor, and miserable; as beggars, weak and needy; as subjects and slaves, yet as His children.
By ourselves we are utterly destitute. What can we do but throw ourselves at His feet in deepest humility, holy fear mingling in our souls with love, peace, and recollection? And while we are glad to draw close with all lowliness and modesty, with minds sincere and simple, let our hearts burn with great desires, with ardor and heartfelt longings. And so let us pray to our God, and lay before Him with entire confidence, the perils which menace us on every side. Let us freely, unhesitatingly, and in all simplicity, confide ourselves to Him, and offer to Him our whole being, even to the last fiber, for are we not in truth absolutely His?
Let us keep nothing for ourselves, and then will be fulfilled in us the saying of Blessed Isaac, one of the Fathers of the Desert who, speaking of this kind of prayer, said: “We shall be one being with God, and He will be all in all to us, when that perfect charity by which He loved us first has entered into our inmost hearts.
PART 2: THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
We will encourage our readers to cultivate a deeper devotion to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus by offering ten concrete suggestions. The clearest and most tangible symbol of God’s love for us is the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Burning Furnace of Charity. Draw close with great confidence and allow His Sacred Heart burning with love for you to set your heart on fire with love for Him, and for the salvation of the whole world!
1. BIBLE RESOURCES. First and foremost, we should be keenly aware of the many passages where we can encounter the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Bible, the Word of God. A few passages that can encourage and enrich your meditation:
a) Lk. 1: 26-38. THE ANNUNCIATION. The most Sacred Heart of Jesus was being formed in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the course of her pregnancy, which lasted about nine months. By honoring the most pure womb of Mary we are indirectly honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and promoting respect for human life from conception until natural death.
b) Mt. 11: 28-30. HIS SACRED HEART. Jesus Himself describes His own Heart with two words: meek and humble. Let us often pray this short prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make my heart like unto thine.”
c) Mt. 26: 26-28. THE LAST SUPPER. It was at the Last Supper that Jesus instituted the most Holy Eucharist which is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Of course, the noblest organ in the human person is the heart. Therefore, when we receive Holy Communion, we also receive the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In a real sense, we can assert that every time we receive Holy Communion we receive a HEART TRANSPLANT!!!
d) Jn. 19: 34. PIERCING OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. After Jesus died, breathing forth His spirit into the hands of the eternal Father, a soldier thrust the lance which pierced the side and the Heart of Jesus, the Savior. From His open side and open Heart came gushing forth both blood and water.
Therefore, these are four Gospel passages that point to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus for your meditation and contemplation. Dig deep into the treasures of Sacred Scripture in which we can encounter the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
2. IMAGE AND ENTHRONEMENT. A practice most pleasing to God is purchasing an attractive image of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus and enthroning this image in a prominent place in your home. By doing this you are stating publicly that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Lord Jesus is the heart and center of your home and family.
3. FORMAL ENTHRONEMENT. Invite a priest into your home with the Book of Blessings in which he can formally bless your home by enthroning the image of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The ritual consists of a Biblical passage, prayers, the use of holy water, and the formal enthronement prayer. Enormous blessings flow from honoring the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, especially by means of a formal enthronement.
4. LITANY OF THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS. Get in the habit of praying the Litany of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The mystical, Biblical and poetic beauty of this Litany indeed is most inspiring and uplifting to our spiritual life. (See Litany on Page 3)
5. VISIT THE BLESSED SACRAMENT AND ADORE. When you go to visit the most Blessed Sacrament in the Church—exposed or in the Tabernacle—then you are truly visiting the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saint Pope John Paul II asserted that the Tabernacle is indeed the living Heartbeat of the Catholic Church. The more people visiting the Blessed Sacrament—the most Sacred Heart of Jesus—the healthier that Parish is!
6. HOLY COMMUNION: THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS. As mentioned earlier, Holy Communion is the total Christ. Therefore, we receive in Holy Communion the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Receive Jesus often, but never in a routine or mechanical fashion, but rather with burning love and devotion!
7. JUNE: THE MONTH OF THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS. We should honor, praise, and worship the most Sacred Heart of Jesus always. However, the month of June is the month specifically dedicated to honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all of my trust in you.
8. SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS. Within the context of the month of June the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This sublime and glorious Solemnity is celebrated on the Friday after the Sunday in which Corpus Christi is celebrated. On this day, in Holy Mass we thank God for His Infinite Love that He has given to us in the Person of Jesus, but most especially in Jesus’ Most Sacred Heart. As we contemplate the open Sacred Heart of Jesus that was pierced with the lance on Good Friday, we come to a keen awareness of how much Jesus really loves each and every one of us, having died for us and allowing His Sacred Heart to be pierced for us.
9. IMITATE THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS. Knowledge generates love, love generates imitation, and imitation eventually generates transformation. Saint Paul could assert with utmost sincerity: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”(Gal. 2: 20) The virtues manifested in the Sacred Heart of Jesus are many: humility, compassion, patience, courage, purity, obedience, penance, meekness, and most especially that of charity—supernatural love. By striving to imitate these virtues you will most surely be on the highway to holiness and the highway to heaven.
10. SACRED HEART OF JESUS AND THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY. It would be incomplete if we did not encourage all of those growing in love with the most Sacred Heart of Jesus to cultivate devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. As stated at the start of this essay, the most Sacred Heart of Jesus was formed in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary for nine months. For this reason, why not enthrone images of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus in union with enthronement of the Immaculate Heart of Mary; they are indeed inseparable!
In conclusion, as we struggle in our daily pilgrimage towards heaven in this valley of tears, in this spiritual war-zone, striving to carry our cross and burdens patiently, let us seek refuge frequently in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and in the Immaculate Heart of Mary—the two most safe refuges! Trustfully heed the words that issued from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus: Come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest; for I am meek and humble of Heart; my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Mt 11:28-30) If we seek refuge in His Sacred Heart in life, then we will be able to rest on His Sacred Heart in heaven for all eternity!
In 1899 Pope Leo XIII approved this Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for public use. A total of 33 invocations, one for each year of life of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us. Christ graciously hear us
R. Have mercy on us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, formed in the womb of the Virgin Mother by the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, united substantially with the word of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, King and center of all hearts, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Divinity, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father is well pleased, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, whom we have all received, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, rich to all who invoke Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, saturated with revilings, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, crushed for our iniquities, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, made obedient unto death, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, delight of all saints, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Christ graciously spare us.
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
Jesus, meek and humble of Heart. R. Make our hearts like unto Thine.
Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You, world without world without end. Amen.
Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA
