Sacred Heart of Jesus

The month of June is traditionally set aside to honour the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with the Feast celebrated on 12^th June.  Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an ancient practice dating back to the early centuries, but the modern devotion can be traced to 27 December 1673 when a French nun, Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque experienced visions of the Sacred Heart that lasted for 18 months.  These visions revealed various ways to venerate the Sacred Heart, such as the Holy Hour on Thursdays, the feast of the Sacred Heart after Corpus Christi, and the reception of the Eucharist on the first Friday of each month. In 1856 Pope Pius IX declared the Feast a part of the universal calendar of the Church and in 1899 in his Encyclical Annum Sacrum (Holy Year) Pope Leo XIII consecrated the entire world to the Sacred Heart.  That one act encouraged everyone then and us today, to focus our minds on the love and mercy of God, and in a troubled world its worth remembering that the love of God can soften the hardest soul and mind that gives us hope.  This month, why not set aside a moment each day to trust the Sacred Heart of Jesus to help you in your life – to increase your hope, multiply your happiness, shoulder your cares and lead you to peace.

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.

With every blessing – Fr O’Neill