Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

SUNDAY, June 20th   Mk. 4: 35-41   “Then he asked them, ‘Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?’ They were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?’”

Quotes from the Saints…

+ “This Divine Heart is an abyss of all blessings, and into it the poor should submerge all their needs. It is an abyss of joy in which all of us can immerse our sorrows. It is an abyss of lowliness to counteract our foolishness, an abyss of mercy for the wretched, an abyss of love to meet our every need.” –St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

+ “Do not let the past disturb you, just leave everything in the Sacred Heart and begin again with joy.” –St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

+ “Most merciful Heart, pitying heart, loving heart of my Father and Savior, refuse not your help to my needy heart.’  –St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

+ “In the Sacred Heart, every treasure of wisdom and knowledge is hidden. In that divine heart beats God’s infinite love for everyone and for each of us as individuals.” –St. Pope John Paul II

CONQUER DISCOURAGEMENT: USE OF BIBLE VERSES! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Our interior state can be compared to the weather variations that change, modify, and vary constantly. One day you awake and there is sunshine streaming through your window pane; the birds are singing joyful songs of praise; the fragrance of spring flowers penetrates and permeates wherever you go; the blue sky and gentle breeze lift your heart; still more, everybody seems to have a winning smile radiating from their countenance. Seems to be the portal of Heaven.

Then the following day presents to you, in marked contrast, a gray, drizzly morning; the sun totally hidden behind the clouds. The cold and damp air seems to penetrate your whole being to your very bones. Gray, dark, ominous clouds hover over you, threatening a downpour in their dreary chill. Crossing the street, a car honks loudly at you and the angry driver has his fist raised on high to let you know his feelings! Everybody hurries on with heads down to their daily activities, oblivious to the fact that you even exist. Everything is gray, dreary, cold, chilly, crude and cruel, sad and desolate; in the words of the English poet, T.S. Elliot, life seems to be a Waste Land and you are immersed in the midst of a dense fog!

Whether we like it or not, we are confronted with these realities in one form or another constantly. Part of being human means being exposed to the constant reality of both consolation and desolation. One of the most clear manifestations of desolation is the temptation to give in to discouragement. What exactly is this so called state of desolation as defined by St. Ignatius of Loyola in his classical text the Spiritual Exercises? This is his explanation:

“I call desolation what is entirely the opposite of what is described in the third rule, as darkness of soul, turmoil of spirit, inclination to what is low and earthly, restlessness rising from many disturbances and temptations which lead to want of faith, want of hope, want of love, the soul is wholly slothful, tepid, sad, and separated, as it were, from its Creator and Lord. For just as consolation is the opposite of desolation, so the thoughts that spring from consolation are the opposite of those that spring from desolation.” (Spiritual Exercises #317, Rule 4 of Rules for the Discernment of Spirits)

The thrust and purpose of this short essay is to help us conquer the reality of desolation in our lives, most specifically, that of giving into discouragement. We would like to offer ten encouraging Biblical passages that we invite you to immerse yourself in, especially when it seems as if the clouds are descending, the rain is beating against you, and you feel as if you are entering a long, dark and damp tunnel where there is no way out! Never forget: with God’s help which is omnipotent or all-powerful, we can exit and escape from the most desolate, sad, and despairing of situations. May the Word of God be your light, support, strength, and Rock-Foundation.

1. THE PSALM OF THE GOOD-SHEPHERD. (Psalm 23) Prayerfully and calmly read the most famous Psalm in the Bible, once, twice, or as many times as you like, starting with the words: “The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I shall want…” The Lord will shine light in your darkness!

2. “Behold I am with you always, even until the end of the world.” (Mt. 28:20) These were the last words of the Lord Jesus on earth before He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. In discouragement, all too often we feel lonely – that nobody is there for me; nobody really cares for me. Not so! The Lord promised to be with you always, even until the end of the world.

3. “Do not be afraid!” (Mt. 14:27) Time and time again Jesus reminds the Apostles and us not to be afraid, but rather to trust, to place all our trust in Him. In addition to these four consoling words of Jesus are the five words that Jesus told Saint Faustina to paint on the Divine Mercy image: “Jesus, I trust in you.” May the Lord cast out your fears as you trust totally in His never-failing Love, Presence, and Friendship.

4. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt. 11:28-30) Jesus is saying these words to you! Prayerfully repeat these words until the burden of your sorrows, the weight of your cross, the darkness of your sadness and desolation dissipate like a cloud evaporates in sun-light.

5. “If God is with us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31) These ten short words contain the power to alleviate the heaviest of crosses due to the simple reason that we know that the Lord is in control and He can do whatever He wants. Therefore, whatever the Lord does is always for our welfare, for our spiritual progress, and for the salvation of our immortal soul!

6. “For nothing will be impossible for God.” (Lk. 1:37) These short seven words actually were addressed to the Blessed Virgin Mary from the Messenger, the Archangel Gabriel, referring to the Virginal conception of Jesus in Mary’s womb. Immersed in the dense cloud of desolation, we feel as if we are lost and nothing can possibly save us from this this interior state or our exterior circumstances. Quite the contrary! The Word of God reminds us that absolutely nothing is impossible for God. He can move the highest mountains of our discouragement and desolation, even our circumstances, in a split-second if we trust in Him.

7. “Cast your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7) Once again, just a few words—11 in total—offer us infinite consolation and strength. The Lord commands us to unload, unpack, release the burden of discouragement and sadness that weighs us down. Give all to the Lord Jesus and He will resolve the most intricate and complicated scenarios.

8. “I have come to set captives free.” (Isaiah 61:1/Lk. 4:18) If seven is one of those numbers of perfection, once again we have a seven-word Biblical passage gleaned from the Shakespeare of the Bible—the Prophet Isaiah. Jesus will quote the same passage in His early preaching! In a state of desolation and discouragement, we might feel as if we are bound, as if we are chained, as if we are shackled, and as if we are a slave of our interior state of darkness. Jesus, the Savior, the Redeemer, the Liberator, came to smash and destroy our interior slavery, and often that means our discouragement. We might even pray: “Lord free me; Lord liberate me; Lord shatter the bonds that enslave me!”

9. “So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will be given you besides.” (Mt 6:31-33) A good part of our desolation and discouragement stems from a lack of trust in God and our useless and needless worry. These comforting, consoling, and challenging words of Jesus can put you back on the right path of trusting in His loving and Divine Providential plan for your life.

10. “Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you.” (Lk. 1:28) These words of the Hail Mary that come from the Archangel Gabriel can prove to be most powerful in the midst of the dark nights, the dark tunnels, the stormy interior tempests that we all experience. Pray slowly and with trust and confidence the HAIL MARY and Mary, who is truly “our life, our sweetness, and our hope” will hurry to your rescue and place you in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, your true refuge in all your trials, tribulations, afflictions, and the most profound desolations.

It is our firm hope and prayer that when you are passing through that painful and difficult time of desolation and discouragement, the quiet, peaceful, trusting, and prayerful reading of these Biblical passages will dissipate the dense clouds in your heart, so that you will experience and feel the sunshine and warmth of God’s infinite love and Mary’s tender embrace!

Saturday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

SATURDAY, June 19th   Mt. 6: 24-34  “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

• Saturday is a day set aside to honor Mary, Our Blessed Mother. Mary loved and served only one Master – our Triune God. She is the daughter of God the Father, the Mother of God the Son, and the Mystical Spouse of God the Holy Spirit.
• Three of the most famous Marian apparitions are Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Fatima, and Our Lady of Lourdes.
• Today we will honor Our Lady of Lourdes and her chosen vessel, Bernadette Soubirous. Let us consider Our Lady’s message in this apparition and Bernadette’s participation, and derive fruit for our own spiritual growth.  

OUR LADY OF LOURDES: “I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.” By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Our Lady of Lourdes appeared 18 times to the simple, humble, sickly little girl Bernadette Soubirous—now honored with the title Saint Bernadette of Lourdes.

In our short essay on Lourdes and Saint Bernadette, we would like to highlight the golden nuggets, the pearls of infinite value, the precious diamonds of wealth that flow from this approved Marian Apparition.

First and foremost, we should base our Catholic faith upon Biblical Truths, as well as Dogmatic truths, as well as catechetical expressions. However, for many Catholics—and myself included in this group—approved Marian apparitions can definitely foster, bolster and fortify our faith and love for Holy Mother Church, for the Blessed Trinity, as well as for our Heavenly Mother.

Indeed, many Popes, scholars and saints have traveled as pilgrims to Lourdes, thereby receiving many blessings— spiritual, moral, emotional, and quite often physical healings.

We invite all to read, study and strive to become familiar with the message, content and happenings in Lourdes, France 1858—in total 18 Apparitions of Our Lady to the simple Bernadette. Strongly to be encouraged for reading is Saint Bernadette, by Abbe Trochou, Tan Publishers. This writing is a spiritual masterpiece on Saint Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes. Furthermore, we invite all to view the movies: “The Song of Bernadette”, as well as “The Passion of Bernadette.”

All that we can do to foster knowledge, love, devotion, confidence and imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary should be enthusiastically encouraged and promoted. In the words of Saint Louis de Montfort: “Mary is the quickest, shortest and easiest pathway to Jesus.” Indeed, Mary is the shortcut to the Heart of Jesus.

Therefore, let us dive into the deep riches and treasures in the meaning, message and teachings taught and proclaimed by Our Lady of Lourdes and her messenger, Saint Bernadette.

GOLD MINE OF TREASURES FROM LOURDES AND BERNADETTE.

1. OUR LADY LOVES AND CARES FOR CHILDREN.

Two of the most celebrated approved Marian Apparitions are Fatima and Lourdes. In both of these Apparitions, Our Lady chose to appear not to scholars, nor intellectuals, nor the rich, powerful and prestigious. Rather, she chose to appear to simple children. Jesus Himself reiterated this basic theme: “Let the little children come to me….” (Mt. 19:14) “Unless you become like little children you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” (Mt. 18:3) Our Lady also wants us to bring the children to her tender and loving Immaculate Heart.

2. OUR LADY REVEALS HER NAME TO BERNADETTE AND TO THE WHOLE WORLD.

This beautiful Lady that Bernadette was privileged to see 18 times revealed her name to Bernadette: I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. To the children of Fatima—Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, Mary revealed herself as Our Lady of the Rosary. In Mexico to Juan Diego, “Am I not your Mother?” But to Bernadette and the whole world, Mary lifts her gaze and proclaims one of her great privileges—THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.

3. OUR LADY AFFIRMS THE TEACHING OF THE MAGISTERIUM—THE TEACHING OFFICE OF THE CHURCH. 

Our Lady of Lourdes appeared to Saint Bernadette in 1858. Only four years earlier, in 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed dogmatically the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.  Therefore, true and authentic devotion to Mary will always align us with the authentic teaching of the Magisterium of the Church. For that reason, the Second Vatican Council proclaimed Mary as the Mother of the Church.

4. OUR LADY ASKS FOR A CHURCH TO BE BUILT. 

As in the apparitions in Fatima and Mexico, Our Lady of Lourdes desired that a Church be built. Why? The reason is crystal clear: Mary desires our conversion, our sanctification, and the eternal salvation of our immortal souls. Of course, two of the most important supports for our salvation are frequent reception of the Sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist. Once a Church is built, Masses will be celebrated frequently. Furthermore, priests will be there to reconcile souls to God through the Sacrament of Confession, the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

5. OUR LADY OF LOURDES AND THE MIRACULOUS SPRING OF WATER.

Our Lady told Bernadette to dig in the ground to discover water. In the sight of curious onlookers, Bernadette obeyed and began digging into the ground. Most thought she was crazy. But little by little water started seeping forth where the young girl dug. Consequently, a miraculous spring of water has flowed forth even to this day. Many of the sick who have washed and bathed themselves with this water have been miraculously healed. It is through the intercession of Mary that these miracles occurred. Jesus worked His first public miracle at the Wedding Feast of Cana through the intercession Mary by turning water into wine. Still to this day, God works miracles through the powerful intercession of Mary, most holy.

6. OUR LADY LOVES THE CHILDREN AND THE SICK. 

These miraculous cures are carried out among the terminally ill, the sick, the suffering, and the forlorn and abandoned of the world. Our Lady of Lourdes teaches us to pray for those who are sick and suffering, as well as do all we can to help them, support them, and love them. It is in the sick and suffering that we discover the Face of the Suffering Jesus.

7. SALVIFIC VALUE OF SUFFERING. 

Not only is the concept of helping those who suffer part of the message of Our Lady of Lourdes, but also the reality that our human suffering united to the suffering Hearts of Jesus and Mary, has infinite value. If we can offer our sufferings to Jesus through the sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary by placing them on the altar in the Mass, then our suffering can serve to repair for a multitude of sins, or own and others, as well as touch and convert the hearts of many hardened sinners – souls saved for all eternity!

8. PRAYER AND SACRIFICE.

The message of Our Lady of Lourdes and the message of Our Lady of Fatima have a common thread: PRAYER AND PENANCE OR SACRIFICES! Our Lady points out that many souls can be saved from eternal loss if generous persons offer fervent prayers and generous sacrifices. Remember, even one soul is worth more than the whole created universe!

9. EUCHARISTIC PROCESSIONS AT DUSK. 

Our Lady of Lourdes desired that Jesus be honored by Processions. The Eucharistic Face of Jesus present in the monstrance is honored and worshiped in the plaza. While they have Eucharistic Processions in the daytime, to this very day, there are Eucharistic Processions in the plaza at dusk; the lighted candles create a dramatic scene as the dusk deepens. A very interesting note: most of the healings occur during these Eucharistic Processions. Mary leads us to Jesus, and Jesus who is truly the Divine Physician, heals us. May Mary’s prayers bring us healing! May the Eucharistic Lord heal our bodies, minds and hearts!

10. FEBRUARY 11^TH WORLD DAY OF THE SICK. 

Pope Saint John Paul II was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease as early as 1991, but the disease was officially confirmed in 2001. It is very interesting that the saintly Pope decided to create the World Day of the Sick one year after his diagnosis. The Pope had suffered much during the course of his long pontificate (October 16, 1978 – April 2, 2005). One of his greatest sufferings was the shooting attack on his life May 13, 1981. Less than three years later,  Feb. 11, 1984, Pope John Paul II published one of the most eloquent and touching Apostolic letters on suffering, Salvific Doloris (Salvific Value of Suffering). In this letter, the Holy Father, from his own studies but especially through his own experience, explained the positive meaning and value that derives from suffering if it is united to the suffering of Jesus on the cross.

Next, Pope John Paul II chose the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, February 11th, as the day for the observance of the WORLD DAY OF SUFFERING. This saintly Pope reminds us of the purpose of this day. It is a day in which we are united to pray for those who suffer, but also for all of us, to offer our sufferings for the good of the Church. The Church can be sanctified and purified by our prayers and sufferings united to Jesus’ suffering on the cross. Finally, the Holy Pontiff invites us, through the eyes of faith, to see in our sick brothers and sisters the face of Christ. 

We will conclude our reflection on Our Lady of Lourdes by selecting a few inspiring quotes from Saint Bernadette, hoping to motivate us to strive for an authentic life of holiness in our love for Mary, love for Jesus, and the pursuit of heroic virtue.

1. “Everything is nothing to me, but Jesus: neither things nor persons, neither ideas nor emotions, neither honor nor sufferings, Jesus is my honor, delight, heart and soul.”

2. “I must die to myself continually and accept trials without complaining. I work, suffer, and I love with no other witness than His heart. Anyone who is not prepared to suffer for the Beloved and to do His will in all things is not worthy of the sweet name of Friend, for here below, Love without suffering does not exist.”

3. “When my emotions are strong, I remember the words of Our Lord: ‘It is I, do not be afraid.’ Immediately I appreciate and thank Our Lord for this grace of rejections and humiliations from my Superior and Sisters. It is the love of this Good Master who would remove the roots from this tree of pride. The more little I become, the more I grow in the Heart of Jesus.”

4. “O Jesus and Mary, let my entire consolation in this world be to love you and to suffer for sinners.”

5. “My weapons, I decided, would be prayer and sacrifice, which I would hold on to till my last breath. Then only would the weapon of sacrifice fall from my hand, but the weapon of prayer would follow me to Heaven.”

Saint Bernadette, Pray for us!

Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

FRIDAY, June 18th   Mt. 6: 19-21   “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”

• Pope Francis once proposed to seminarians and priests that at the end of the day, they should visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for 15 to 20 minutes and answer this question, “Where was my heart today?” Then talk to Jesus about that.
• That is a good question for all of us to answer! Where was my heart today? Another way of doing our daily Examine Prayer.
• Anyone who pays attention to the daily Gospels knows where the Heart of God is—focused on winning each one of us over to Him in time and for eternity! Truly our life is a love affair!
• This is the essence of the Surrender Prayer that many are praying every day. God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is all-powerful, all-knowing, all good and all loving; therefore, every day I read His promise for the day, and I pray 10 times: O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!
• Then I leave everything in His hands, responding to the duties and responsibilities of my state in life, the nurturing of my spiritual life, the unexpected events of each day, certain that God knows what He is doing.
• This is loving God – believing and trusting that all He permits to happen each day is for our greater good, and will redound to our happiness here and for eternity. Herein lies the peace that passes understanding and the joy that no one can take from us.
• The Surrender Prayer follows Fr. Ed Broom’s meditation.

GOD’S INFINITE LOVE FOR YOU AND FOR ME! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

One of the principal reasons why we commit sin is because we do not really understand the love that God has for each and every one of us. Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen defines love in these simple but profound words: Sin is hurting the one you love. This is a very personal definition. That is to say that sin is hurting and damaging your relationship with God, and maybe even rupturing it to the point of severing the relationship.

The primary question that each of us should ask ourselves in the depths of our hearts is this: do I really believe that God loves me personally, permanently, unreservedly, and infinitely? This brief essay is aimed at helping us to really be convinced of God’s infinite love for us. Consequently, it will be much easier when confronted with temptations to sin to reject them. And the reason is because I do not want to hurt God who loves me. In other words, serious sin is not simply breaking a commandment, but breaking the Heart of God!

How then do we know that God really loves us with an infinite love? The following are a few reasons.

1. ORIGINAL SIN AND THE INCARNATION.  A very consoling truth in the Catholic faith is that God allows evil so that He can bring greater good out of evil. Saint Paul asserts: Where sin abounds, the grace of God abounds all the more.” (Rom. 5:20) If you like, God can turn a tremendous tragedy into a glorious victory! One of the clearest and most penetrating manifestations of this truth is the reality of Original Sin and consequently, the Incarnation. God gave Adam and Eve freedom which they abused by committing Original Sin. However, God the Father intervened by sending His only-begotten Son, Jesus, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary to save us. As we sing in the Easter Vigil Mass in the Exultet: O happy fault, O happy fault that brought us so great a Savior. Therefore, the Incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God made man, was done for love of you and me. How great the love of God that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became man to save us from the devil, slavery to sin, and eternal damnation.

1. THE LIFE OF JESUS AS MODEL FOR ALL OF US.  Another sign of God’s infinite love for us is the Person, Pattern and Model of perfection that Jesus is for all of us. As to living in the truth, we are not like blind men, or men living in caves, or a man running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off—far be the case! How we are to act, what are we to say, who we are called to become—all of these questions can be responded to with one word and that Word is the Word of God, the Logos—JESUS THE LORD! Our whole existence should be a constant study of the Person, Life, Words and Actions of Jesus. For Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

2. THE PASSION, SUFFERING AND DEATH OF JESUS!  In the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, in the 3rd Week of the month retreat the topic for meditation or contemplation is the Passion, suffering and death of Jesus. The retreatant is invited to enter into the very life of Jesus, to enter into the very Heart of Jesus, and to beg for the grace to suffer with Jesus—not an easy grace to beg for! Moreover, Saint Ignatius emphasizes this extraordinary truth: Jesus suffered all of His Passion for love of you. Indeed, if you were the only person in the whole created universe, Jesus would have gone through all the most excruciating pains and tortures for love of you. His sweating Blood as He agonized in the Garden, His bloody scourging, His crowning with piercing thorns, His carrying of the cross and falling under its heavy weight, His crucifixion shedding more of His Precious Blood, His prolonged agony on the cross those three long hours, His breathing forth His spirit into the hands of the Heavenly Father, and even the piercing of His Sacred Heart after He was already dead, with His precious Blood and water gushing forth—all this and much more, all the intense and indescribable suffering He went through because of His infinite love for you and your eternal salvation. Stop to meditate upon this profound truth and tell the Lord Jesus how thankful you are. Beg Jesus for the grace right now to truly love Him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength!

3. THE CHURCH AND THE SACRAMENTS.  Jesus promised that He would not leave us orphans, but that He would send us the Consoler, the Paraclete, that is to say, the Holy Spirit. Still more, Jesus left us until the end of time, His constant and perpetual Presence in His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. However, of supreme importance is the institution and reality of the greatest of all of the Sacraments and that is the most Holy Eucharist, with the holy priesthood to perpetuate it! Jesus loves us so much and continues to love us until the end of time and forever in heaven. On earth, this love is most present to all who believe in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in which the sublime fruit is the Eucharist which reaches its zenith in the reception of Holy Communion. We must remind ourselves over and over again of the sublime and ineffable truth that Holy Communion is Jesus loving us, Jesus embracing us! Holy Communion is really and substantially Jesus in His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Indeed, Jesus loves us so much that He wants to become one with us, love in us, abide in us, be part of us. Jesus wants our body to become one with His Body. Jesus wants His Precious Blood to circulate and flow through our veins and enter into our very heart. Jesus wants His mind to be our mind; as Saint Paul says: “Put on the mind of Christ… you have the mind of Christ.” (1Cor 2:16) Jesus wants His very soul to enter into our soul to sanctify and strengthen our soul. All of this truly becomes a reality every time that we receive Holy Communion worthily, with faith, devotion, and a burning heart of love. How much Jesus really loves us in all times and in all places! Understanding the immense and personal love of Jesus through His Mystical Body the Church, and especially through the most sublime Sacrament of the Eucharist, motivates us to renounce sin when it is knocking at the door of our hearts. We do not want to hurt Jesus who loves us so much!

4. JESUS’ PRECIOUS GIFT TO US FROM THE CROSS!  The love that Jesus has for you continues and will continue always and even into eternity! As He hung on the cross in painful agony and abandonment, Jesus gave to the whole world, but to you individually the great gift of His Mother to be your mother. The words of Jesus were addressed to you and to me: “Woman behold thy son, son behold thy Mother; from that moment the beloved disciple took Mary into his home.” (Jn 19: 26-27) Jesus loves you so much that from all eternity He willed to leave for your peace, joy, consolation, and love, the gift of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In giving Mary to Saint John, Jesus was also giving Mary to be your tender, loving, meek and humble, and compassionate Mother. You can turn to Mary as your Mother in all times, places, circumstances, and contradictions of life. Mary is always present and willing to listen to you, console you, comfort you, and love you with the heart of the most loving of mothers.

In conclusion, when temptation to sin knocks at the door of our hearts, we should call to mind the Incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God made man, His life on earth, His Passion and death that He suffered for us, the Church and especially the Eucharist that He left us, and lastly the gift of Mary as our loving Mother. Keenly convinced of these truths, we can more easily say NO to sin and YES to love and a deep friendship with Jesus, the faithful Friend who will never fail us!

SURRENDER PRAYER

God, my Father, I thank you for all that you are, and all that you do for me through your son Jesus Christ. I praise you for my life, for your mercy and for your Eucharist. In Jesus’ name, Father, I place myself entirely in your Heart. I surrender to you my whole self, my heart, my mind, my memory, my imagination, my will, my emotions, my passions, my body, my sexuality, my desire for human approval, my weaknesses, my desires, my sins.

I surrender every person in my life to you. I surrender every situation in my life to you. I surrender every relationship I am in to you. I surrender every concern I have to you. I surrender every fear I have to you. I surrender every doubt I have to you. I surrender all confusion I have to you. I surrender all sadness I am experiencing in my heart to you. I surrender all my wounds to you. I surrender all anxiety and worry I have to you. I surrender all that deceives me in my heart to you. I trust you to care for me and others in a perfectly loving way.

As I have emptied myself, and surrendered everything to you, I ask you now, Father, to fill me with your Holy Spirit and all the gifts and fruits of your Spirit. Holy Spirit you are the source of love, hope, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, tenderness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. Purify my desires. Help me to open my heart to you. Help me to become perfectly receptive as a pure child. Help me to believe in your love for me. Help me to hope in your love. Help me to receive from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus all grace and virtues necessary for me to become the person you created me to be. I ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ, Your son, God Almighty Father.

O Most Holy Immaculate Virgin Mary. I entrust this prayer to your Heart, and ask you to press it to your wounded heart and intercede for me to your Son Jesus. Please help me to be as you are, a perfect disciple, an obedient servant, a true child of God. Amen

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Continue with 7 Days Shorter Surrender Prayers – one per day…

Day 1
Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to me and everything will be peaceful. I say to you in truth that every act of true, blind, complete surrender to me produces the effect that you desire and resolves all difficult situations.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Day 2
Surrender to me does not mean to fret, to be upset, or to lose hope, nor does it mean offering to me a worried prayer asking me to follow you and change your worry into prayer. It is against this surrender, deeply against it, to worry, to be nervous and to desire to think about the consequences of anything.

It is like the confusion that children feel when they ask their mother to see to their needs, and then try to take care of those needs for themselves so that their childlike efforts get in their mother’s way. Surrender means to placidly close the eyes of the soul, to turn away from thoughts of tribulation and to put yourself in my care, so that only I act, saying “You take care of it”.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Day 3
How many things I do when the soul, in so much spiritual and material need, turns to me, looks at me and says to me; “You take care of it”, then closes it’s eyes and rests. In pain you pray for me to act, but that I act in the way you want. You do not turn to me, instead, you want me to adapt your ideas. You are not sick people who ask the doctor to cure you, but rather sick people who tell the doctor how to. So do not act this way, but pray as I taught you in the Our Father: “Hallowed be thy Name”, that is, be glorified in my need. 

“Thy kingdom come”, that is, let all that is in us and in the world be in accord with your kingdom. “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven”, that is, in our need, decide as you see fit for our temporal and eternal life. If you say to me truly: “Thy will be done”, which is the same as saying: “You take care of it”, I will intervene with all my omnipotence, and I will resolve the most difficult situations.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Day 4
You see evil growing instead of weakening? Do not worry. Close your eyes and say to me with faith: “Thy will be done, You take care of it”. I say to you that I will take care of it, and that I will intervene as does a doctor and I will accomplish miracles when they are needed. Do you see that the sick person is getting worse? Do not be upset, but close your eyes and say “You take care of it”. I say to you that I will take care of it, and that there is no medicine more powerful than my loving intervention. By my love, I promise this to you.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)


Day 5
And when I must lead you on a path different from the one you see, I will prepare you; I will carry you in my arms; I will let you find yourself, like children who have fallen asleep in their mother’s arms, on the other bank of the river. What troubles you and hurts you immensely are your reason, your thoughts and worry, and your desire at all costs to deal with what afflicts you.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Day 6
You are sleepless; you want to judge everything, direct everything and see to everything and you surrender to human strength, or worse – to men themselves, trusting in their intervention, – this is what hinders my words and my views. Oh how much I wish from you this surrender, to help you; and how I suffer when I see you so agitated! Satan tries to do exactly this: to agitate you and to remove you from my protection and to throw you into the jaws of human initiative. So, trust only in me, rest in me, surrender to me in everything.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)


Day 7
I perform miracles in proportion to your full surrender to me and to your not thinking of yourselves. I sow treasure troves of graces when you are in the deepest poverty. No person of reason, no thinker, has ever performed miracles, not even among the saints. He does divine works whosoever surrenders to God. So don’t think about it any more, because your mind is acute and for you it is very hard to see evil and to trust in me and to not think of yourself. Do this for all your needs, do this all of you and you will see great continual silent miracles. I will take care of things, I promise this to you.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)


Day 8
Close your eyes and let yourself be carried away on the flowing current of my grace; close your eyes and do not think of the present, turning your thoughts away from the future just as you would from temptation. Repose in me, believing in my goodness, and I promise you by my love that if you say “You take care of it” I will take care of it all; I will console you, liberate you and guide you.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)

Day 9
Pray always in readiness to surrender, and you will receive from it great peace and great rewards, even when I confer on you the grace of immolation, of repentance and of love. Then what does suffering matter? It seems impossible to you? Close your eyes and say with all your soul, “Jesus, you take care of it”. Do not be afraid, I will take care of things and you will bless my name by humbling yourself. A thousand prayers cannot equal one single act of surrender, remember this well. There is no novena more effective than this.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!


Mother, I am yours now and forever.
Through you and with you
I always want to belong
completely to Jesus.

These words come from the living experience of the presence of Jesus in the prayer life of Father Dolindo Ruotolo and you are invited to make them your own as you pray the novena.

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

THURSDAY, June 17th   Mt. 6: 7-15   “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

• Lack of forgiveness is a cancer that eats away at our heart, leaving us angry and bitter. The irony is that we are only hurting ourselves, not the one who hurt us!
• The only remedy is to turn to the Sacred and Merciful Heart of Jesus in the Sacrament of Confession. We need to confess lack of forgiveness and beg Jesus to soften our hard heart. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezek 36:26)
• Following is an original presentation of this great Sacrament based on a purely Biblical perspective. May we receive the grace to give freely what we receive freely – forgiveness! The captive we set free will be ourselves!

TEN SHORT MEDITATIONS FOR MAKING GOOD CONFESSIONS by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

One of the greatest blessings and gifts that flows out of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord is Mercy, expressed most deeply through the Sacrament of Confession. This Sacrament is sometimes called the Sacrament of Pardon, Reconciliation, Penance, as well as the Sacrament of God’s Mercy.

Words that can produce inexplicable peace, joy, consolation and hope are the words that the Catholic priest expresses in the words of absolution at the end of the Sacrament of Mercy: “And I absolve you of your sins: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. My son (or daughter), your sins are forgiven; go in peace!” The interior knowledge that all of my sins have been totally and completely erased, obliterated, wiped out and forgiven by the Blood of Jesus shed for me on Calvary should produce a joy and peace that goes beyond the ability of human words to express!

The two most important and sublime gestures that a Catholic can do on earth are the following: first, to receive with faith, devotion and burning love the Sacrament of the most Holy Eucharist — the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ; second, to confess our sins to the priest, who represents Jesus our Healer and Friend, and receive sacramental absolution and forgiveness of our sins.

This being the case, we should strive with all the energy and fiber of our being to improve our interior disposition to receive these sacraments better each time. In a word, each reception of both of these sacraments should be better and more fervent than the prior reception! That should be our ideal and constant goal! May God assist us!

Therefore, this brief article is on the Sacrament of God’s Mercy with the goal of enhancing within us greater appreciation for this great Sacrament which flows from the loving Heart of Jesus pierced with the lance from which flowed His Precious Blood and Water that first Good Friday. (Jn. 19:34)

This article expresses an original perspective and dimension in this sense, that it is totally and purely Biblical. Actually, ten Biblical passages will be cited manifesting ten different fruits, effects, and blessings, as well as the overall spiritual reality of this great Sacrament of the Mercy and Love of Jesus the Redeemer.

It is our hope that every person will be moved to have a limitless trust in the greatest of all of the attributes or virtues burning in the Sacred Heart of our loving Redeemer, His mercy for the sinner, and thereby have confidence to make good and frequent Sacramental Confessions. “For the just man falls seven times a day, but rises again.” (Prov. 24:16) The Lord is waiting for you with love.

The greatest sinners can become the greatest saints if they simply trust in the mercy of Jesus. That which wounds most the Sacred Heart of Jesus, even more than sin itself, is the lack of trust in His mercy. Saint Paul encourages us with these words: “Where sin abounds, the mercy of God abounds all the more.” (Rom. 5:20)

The following are ten Biblical passages related to the Sacrament of Confession, but each in a unique way.  Pray over these, meditate on them, trust in God’s mercy and then make the best confession in your life: “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”(Psalm 34:8) Then continue to frequent the Sacrament of God’s Infinite Mercy!

1. Luke 15: 11-32

THE PRODIGAL SON! Read and pray over the Parable of the Prodigal Son before going to Confession. Beg for the grace to understand what God wants you to learn from this spiritual masterpiece. Every time you read and meditate upon this spiritual gem, God will enrich you with new and deeper insights.

However, in all times and places, the central message is that the Father in the Parable is God the Father who is full of love, mercy and compassion for all those who trust in Him. Pope Saint John Paul II wrote an entire encyclical on this one Parable: Dives in Misericordia. Read it and meditate upon it!

2. Psalm 51

Pray Psalm 51 before and after going to confession. This is the heart-felt Act of Contrition that King David prayed after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and then murdered her husband, Urias, an innocent man. Beg for the grace to have true repentance for your sins.

True sorrow, true and heartfelt contrition, is essential for making a good confession. David humbly admits that his sin is his own doing and blames nobody except himself. May we own up to our sins and blame only ourselves, and as always, like David, trust in God’s Infinite Mercy!

3. John 20:21-23

Read and pray over the Institution of the Sacrament of Confession that first Easter night when the Apostles were in the Upper Room and Jesus breathed on them the Holy Spirit saying: “Receive the Holy Spirit: whose sins you forgive, they shall be forgiven; whose sins you bind, they shall be held bound.”

Be exceedingly thankful for this great gift bestowed upon the Church and its members the same day we celebrate Jesus’ victorious triumph over death, the day of His Resurrection from the dead. In fact, every time we go to confession, we personally celebrate death to sin in our own person, and rise to a new life of grace! Every confession is a Paschal-Easter experience! The Lord Jesus is risen in us, Alleluia!

4. John 21: 15-19

Peter and Jesus. Read and meditate on this conversation between Peter and Jesus following His Resurrection from the dead. After the Apostles have made a miraculous catch of fish and recognize it is Jesus on the seashore, Jesus walks with Peter and asks him three times: “Do you love me?” Each time Peter responds, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Peter is making reparation for the three times that he denied Jesus shortly after Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Pray for the grace to truly be repentant for your sins and make a perfect act of contrition — that is, a contrition of love! “Love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Pt. 4:8) Now you become the repentant Peter; tell the Lord you are truly sorry for your sins and how much you really love Him!

5. Luke 15:1-7

The Good Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to pursue the one lost sheep. Recognize that you are the lost sheep and you have great value in God’s eyes! In truth, your soul has infinite value in the eyes of God! You were redeemed not by the blood of lambs or goats, nor bought back by gold or silver, but redeemed and ransomed by the Blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! (I Pet. 1:18-19)

6. John 10: 11-18

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who goes after the lost sheep. However, once you have experienced the loving embrace of Jesus the Good Shepherd, then it is up to you to be a Good Shepherd for the sheep that Jesus has put in your charge.

The key for us to be a Good Shepherd is that we must first be a good sheep of the Good Shepherd—to hear His voice and follow Him. After we experience, after we “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord” (Ps. 34:8) in Confession, then let us bring others to the loving embrace of the Good Shepherd in confession!

7. Luke 23:39-43

Jesus and the Good Thief. In this passage, let us firmly believe that the worst of all sinners can actually become the greatest of all saints, if we simply trust. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU!

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen poignantly asserts: “And the good thief died a thief because He stole heaven.” Proclaim from the rooftops the Infinite Mercy of God, even to those who believe that their sin goes beyond His mercy! A truly inspiring experience is to read the Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, by Saint Faustina Kowalska.

8. Matthew 8:1-4 

“When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.”

Every Sacrament has a specific sacramental grace — that of Confession is Healing! Jesus came to cure and heal the sick, all of the sick who trusted in Him. First, we have to see ourselves as the lepers! For sin is leprosy, and all of us are sinners. As Jesus touched and healed the leper, so He can touch and heal me if I will allow Him to. “Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them as white as the snow.” (Is. 1:18)

Saint Damien, who worked with the lepers on the island of Molokai in Hawaii, suffered most because he seldom had a priest to heal his own spiritual leprosy of sin. He had to wait until an occasional ship came near the island, then row in a boat out to the ship, and yell his sins to the priest on board for all to hear, in order to receive absolution! Thank God that you have access to priests who can heal your spiritual leprosy through Confession, in the privacy of the Confessional!

9. Galatians 5:16-26

Saint Paul contrasts those who live according to the flesh and those who live according to the spirit. Those who live according to the flesh will have a harvest of corruption and death. Those who live according to the spirit will experience the fruits of the spirit and experience eternal life.

Confession helps us to put to death the works of the flesh and to be led by the Holy Spirit.

May we form the habit of frequent confession to conquer the desires of the flesh and live in the true freedom of the sons and daughters of God!

10. John 11: 1-44

A Lazarus Experience! Saint Augustine compares Confession to a Lazarus experience! Lazarus was dead and buried in the tomb in his burial cloths for four days before Jesus came and brought him back to life. What happens spiritually in Confession is the same! We leave our life of spiritual death in the burial cloths of mortal sin—and we rise to new life in the spirit! In that sense, every Confession is an Easter experience!

We pray and hope that these Biblical passages will shed new light on the precious gem, the diamond, the priceless gift that the merciful Jesus has given to us in the Sacrament of Confession, and let this serve as a jumping board to launch us into the confessional so as to experience the infinite ocean of God’s mercy! “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.” (Ps. 118:1)

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

WEDNESDAY, June 16th   Mt. 6: 1-6; 16-18   “Your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

• How does Jesus repay us for what is hidden? For the things we do out of love and for His eyes only? The same way He repaid His Mother, Mary. By giving her His most Sacred Heart, formed in her Immaculate Heart and womb.
• Let us spend time meditating on and contemplating the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for He gives Himself wholly to us, and asks that we give ourselves wholly to Him in return.
• In preparation, let us pray the Anima Christi prayer… a prayer to pray everyday, especially after receiving Jesus in Holy Communion!

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.

Body of Christ, save me.

Blood of Christ, inebriate me.

Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

Oh good Jesus, hear me.

Within your wounds, hide me.

Never let me be separated from you.

From the malignant enemy defend me.

At the hour of death call me.

Bid me come to you,

That with your saints I may praise you,

Forever and ever. Amen!

SACRED HEART OF JESUS, BURNING FURNACE OF CHARITY by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”  (Mt. 26: 26-38)

May is the month of Mary; July is the month of the Precious Blood of Jesus; October is the month of the Most Holy Rosary; November, traditionally, we pray for the dead. Finally, our focal point of this essay, is who we honor in the most special way in the month of June, and that is The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

We will encourage our readers to cultivate a deeper devotion to the most Sacred 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, the 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 your meditation:

a) Lk. 1: 26-38.  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.  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. THE PIERCING OF THE SACRED HEART.  After Jesus died, breathing forth His spirit into the hands of the eternal Father, the soldier with the lance, thrust the sword 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, all for love of you and me.

Therefore, above 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 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 into 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.

5. VISIT THE BLESSED SACRAMENT AND ADORE.  When you go to visit the most Blessed Sacrament in the Church—exposed or in the Tabernacle—you are truly visiting the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. And His Sacred Heart rejoices! 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 most 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, especially in Jesus’ Most Sacred Heart. As we contemplate the open Sacred Heart of Jesus 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.”  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 for 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 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 Immaculate Heart of Mary and in the Sacred Heart of Jesus—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.

V. 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.