A Letter to the Sacred Heart

Part of my daily prayer routine is to write a letter to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Knowing that I can just go to Jesus directly through pen and paper and have a heart-to-heart conversation   with Him brings me so much comfort and peace.  If you have not already tried praying this way before, I highly encourage you to make this form of prayer a habit and see how your faith develops. Along with that blessing, rereading previous letters is like praying them again and keeping a record of how Jesus answers your prayers in different ways.

Today, I have written the following letter.  I hope you can pray with it, too.

Dear Sacred Heart of Jesus,

I adore You, ask for mercy, pray in thanksgiving and supplication.

Firstly, I adore you for you are my God and Savior of the whole world. You deserve every fiber of my being worshiping You day and night. You are magnificent, great, holy, and everlasting! You are Love and because of this you “knit me in my mother’s womb” and died on the cross for me. In doing this, You opened up the gates of heaven for me, so there is always that hope on earth of me spending an eternity of joy with you there.

Secondly, I beg for mercy on my sins which displease You my God. Because You love me so much, any time I turn away from You brings great sorrow to Your Most Delicate Sacred Heart. Yes, You have the strength to endure it, but this is not the will of the Father. Forgive me, dear Jesus and help me to mend my ways so that I may always do what is right in Your Most Sacred Heart.

Thirdly, I thank you for Your Most Sacred Heart which has poured its unconditional love upon me year after year. You have watched me grow and blossom more deeply into my Faith. I am so thankful for Your presence.

Lastly, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I humbly ask if You can please give me the virtues and graces I need to imitate Your Most Sacred Heart. I need You to lead me on the path to sainthood. Bring me closer and closer to You with each passing day. In doing this, I hope to become more like You.

Jesus Christ, I love You and I place all my trust in You. Amen.

A formal prayer I would like to mention that I pray to the Sacred Heart is the efficacious Sacred Heart novena. Saint Padre Pio said this prayer daily for those who asked for his prayers. I have   included it below.

“I. O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.” Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of [insert your intention.]
Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be to the Father…Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, if you ask any thing of the Father in my name, He will give it to you.” Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of [insert your intention.]
Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be to the Father…Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III. O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.” Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of [insert your intention.]
Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be to the Father…Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender mother and ours.

Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.”

In closing, here is a beautiful poem I found from St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Her words show how much we should be in love with Jesus’ Sacred Heart and how much Jesus’ Sacred Heart truly loves us.

“I need a heart burning with tenderness
Who will be my support forever,
Who loves everything within me, even my weakness…
And who never leaves me day or night.
I could find no creature
Who could always love me and never die.
I must have a God who takes on my nature
And becomes my brother and is able to suffer!
You heard me, only Friend whom I love.
To ravish my heart, you became man.
You shed your blood, what a supreme mystery!
And you still love for me on the Altar.
If I cannot see the brilliance of your Face
Or hear your sweet voice,
O my God, I can live by your Grace,
I can rest on your Sacred Heart!
O Heart of Jesus, treasure of tenderness,
You Yourself are my happiness, my only hope.
You who knew how to charm my tender youth,
Stay near me till the last night.
Lord, to you alone I’ve given my life,
And all my desires are well known to you.
It’s in your ever-infinite goodness
That I want to lose myself, O Heart of Jesus!”