June – The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The month of June is entirely dedicated to the devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  The secular world out there would have you believe that June is dedicated to homosexuality, the new liberal human right that is somehow equivalent to civil rights. But that way of looking at the world, through the eyes of Satan, is horribly wrong. I recently quit a gym membership over this “celebration of sodomy.” We all need to recognize that we will be held accountable on our judgment day for what we believe in and for what we do in this world.  Tolerance of evil is certainly no virtue; instead, it’s a damnable vice.

The Love of Jesus for Each One of Us

The purpose of this devotion is to wake us all up as to how much Jesus loves us and is hurt by our daily indifference to Him and to His great sacrifice for us in His Passion. Day after day he pines for us to visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament at our parish and pour out our hearts to him in love. As John 15: 9 says: 

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. “

Here Jesus says the He loves us as much as the Father loves him. THAT’S INFINITE LOVE for each and every one of us. The problem is that most Catholics don’t really believe that Jesus is physically AND spiritually present in the host in the tabernacle. Many of us who do believe in the Real Presence don’t act like we do. We have made our peace with the world and go about our business as if Jesus didn’t exist and that we are in control of our lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Wake-up Call

Forty years ago, I received a wake-up call from above. It was like a 2” x 4” hitting me in the head at 500 miles an hour. After much pain and a lot of time, I finally woke up to the fact that I had to change my lifestyle or go to hell forever and ever.  This is what Protestants refer to as a “born-again” experience. (Catholics believe that being born again of water and the spirit refers to baptism.) For sure, it got my attention, as I never knew that my head could hurt so bad for so long.   Hopefully, we will all receive a wake-up call about the evils of living solely for the pleasures of this world. The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus will help us do just that.

Unfortunately, in today’s toxic environment, the zeitgeist seems to be that “I was born this way, Jesus loves me like I am, and therefore, I can keep on sinning.”  WRONG. We all were born with a propensity to sin, whether it’s homsexuality, pornography, drunkenness, anger, overeating, adultery, fornication, or whatever. Jesus expects us to OVERCOME these sins, not give in to them. Love is always a two-way street. For sure, Jesus loves us with all His Heart. The question is, “Do we love Jesus back?”

Apparition of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary in 1673 and told her the following:

“Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth.”

And so, that begs the question: What does the love of Jesus require? John 14:15 says the following: 

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” 

Jesus left us two additional commandments that sum up the other ten: 

“To love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind;”

“To love our neighbor as ourselves.”

Who among us reading these words can say that we love God with our whole heart, soul,  and mind? I certainly can’t. But the good news is, I think, that most of us who take the time to read these articles on CatholicStand.com are really trying to keep these commandments.  Jesus told St. Mary Margaret that if we have a strong devotion to His Sacred Heart, then the following promises by Him are made to us: 

7I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.

I will establish peace in their families.

I will console them in all their troubles.

They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of their death.

I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.

Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.

Tepid souls shall become fervent.

Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.

I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.

I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts.

Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced.

The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under my displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.

How Do We Show Our Love of Jesus to Him?

So how do we tell Jesus that we love Him? In the 14th century, Jesus also appeared to St. Bridget of Sweden, and told her the following: 

“I am the Creator of heaven and earth, and it is my true body that is consecrated on the altar. Love me with all your heart, because I have loved you and delivered myself up to my enemies of my own free will, while my friends and my Mother were left in bitter grief and mourning. When I saw the lance, the nails, the whips, and the other instruments of suffering ready, I still went on to suffer with joy. When my head was bleeding on all sides from the crown of thorns, and blood was flowing on all sides, then, even if my enemies had got hold of my heart as well, I would rather have let it be sundered and wounded than lose you. So you are extremely ungrateful, if, in return for such great charity, you do not love me. If my head was pierced and inclined on the cross for you, your head should be inclined toward humility. Since my eyes were bloody and full of tears, your eyes should keep away from pleasurable sights. Since my ears were filled with blood and heard mocking words against me, your ears should turn aside from frivolous and unfitting talk.  Since my mouth was given a bitter drink to drink but was denied a sweet one, keep your own mouth from evil and let it be open for good. Since my hands were stretched out by nails, let your works, which the hands symbolize, be stretched out to the poor and to my commandments.  Let your feet, that is, your affections, with which you should walk toward me, be crucified as to lusts, so that, just as I suffered in all my limbs, so may all your limbs be ready to obey me. I demand more service of you than of others, because I have given you a greater grace.”

The Greek language has three different words for love: eros, which means erotic love; filia, which means brotherly love; and agape, which means sacrificial love – the highest form of love.  Agape love is what Jesus did on the cross for us; He gave Himself up to a horrible death in order to save us from our sins and falling into hell. We are called to imitate Him in sacrificial love every day in our marriages, in our careers, with our finances, in our families, etc. Giving up what we like and what we want to do, for the good of others, in the name of Jesus Christ is exactly how we show our love for Jesus. After all, we did not get the time, talent, and treasure that we possess on our own; rather, they were given to us by Jesus to see how we will use them to do His will. Uniting our small suffering with His great suffering and offering it up for the poor souls in purgatory or for the conversion of poor sinners is a great way to sanctify our pains and misery.

Quote from St. John Paul II on the Sacred Heart Devotion

“For evangelization today, the Heart of Christ must be recognized as the heart of the Church: It is He who calls us to conversion, to reconciliation. It is He who leads pure hearts and those hungering for justice along the way of the Beatitudes. It is He who achieves the warm communion of the members of the one Body. It is He who enables us to adhere to the Good News and to accept the promise of eternal life. It is He who sends us out on mission. The heart-to-heart with Jesus broadens the human heart on a global scale.” 

Prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Daily) 

O most holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore you, I love you and with a lively sorrow for my sins. I offer you this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure, and wholly obedient to your will. Grant, good Jesus, that I may live in you and for you. Protect me in the midst of danger; comfort me in my afflictions; give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, your blessings on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Within your heart I place my every care. In every need let me come to you with humble trust saying, Heart of Jesus, help me. Amen.

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you all my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen

Dear Sacred Heart of Jesus, we renew our pledge of love and loyalty to you. Keep us always close to your loving heart and to the most pure Heart of your Mother. May we love one another more and more each day, forgiving each other’s faults as you forgive our sins. Teach us how to see you in those we meet outside our home. Please help us keep our love for you always strong by frequent Mass and Communion.  Thank you, dear Jesus, King and Friend of our family, for all the blessings of today. Protect us during this night. Help us all to get to heaven! Amen. 

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, thy kingdom come! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for our family! St. Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart, pray for us! Our patron saints and guardian angels, pray for us! Amen.

Summary

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus will remove all of the unbiblical legalistic and judgmental fear of God that some of us have because, while we are alive, our loving Father is the God of Divine Mercy. Only when we are dead will we be judged.  All we have to do is repent now and plead for mercy through His Sacred Heart.

So now that you know how much Jesus loves you (infinitely, as if you were the only person alive on earth), what will you do? Will you give Him your heart completely? Will you meditate on His Passion and His Sacred Heart during the day, and especially at 3 PM?  If you do these things, heaven awaits!