Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the World, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, 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 Ghost, 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 dwelleth 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, of whose fullness 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 takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord,
Lamb of God who takest 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 liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.
Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O sweet Jesus, whose overflowing charity for menis requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, beholdus prostrate before Thy altar eager to repair by a special act ofhomage the cruel indifference and injuries, to which Thy lovingHeart is everywhere subject.
Mindful alas! that we ourselves have had a sharein such great indignities, which we now deplore from the depthsof our hearts, we humbly ask Thy pardon and declare our readinessto atone by voluntary expiation not only for our own personal offenses,but also for the sins of those, who straying far from the path ofsalvation, refuse in their obstinate infidelity to follow Thee,their Shepherd and Leader, or, renouncing the vows of their baptism,have cast off the sweet yoke of Thy law.
We are now resolved to expiate each and every deplorableoutrage committed against Thee; we are determined to make amendsfor the manifold offenses against Christian modesty in unbecomingdress and behavior, for all the foul seductions laid to ensnarethe feet of the innocent, for the frequent violation of Sundaysand holidays, and the shocking blasphemies uttered against Theeand Thy Saints. We wish also to make amends for the insults to whichThy Vicar on earth and Thy priests are subjected, for the
profanation, by conscious neglect or terrible acts of sacrilege,of the very Sacrament of Thy divine love;
and lastly for the public crimes of nations who resist the rightsand the teaching authority of the Church which Thou hast founded.
Would, O divine Jesus, we were able to wash awaysuch abominations with our blood. We now offer, in reparation forthese violations of Thy divine honor, the satisfaction Thou didstonce make to Thy eternal Father on the cross and which Thou dostcontinue to renew daily on our altars; we offer it in union withthe acts of atonement of Thy Virgin Mother and all the Saints andof the pious faithful on earth; and we sincerely promise to makereparation, as far as we can with the help of Thy grace, for allneglect of Thy
great love and for the sins we and others have committed in thepast. Henceforth we will live a life of unwavering faith, of purityof conduct, of perfect observance of the precepts of the gospeland especially that of charity. We promise to the best of our powerto prevent others from offending Thee and to bring as many as possibleto follow Thee.
Oloving Jesus, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Maryour model in reparation, deign to receive the voluntary offeringwe make of this act of expiation; and by the crowning gift of perseverancekeep us faithful unto death in our duty and the allegiance we oweto Thee, so that we may all one day come to that happy home, whereThou with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest God,world without end. Amen.
Consecration to the Sacred Heart
A wonderful devotion encouraged by the Church is devotion to the Sacred Heart, especially by consecrating our families to the Sacred Heart. Here is one version of a consecration.
Place a picture or statue of the Sacred Heart in a conspicuous place in the home, or in the place of honor on the family altar. In the evening the whole family gathers there before the altar on which a number of candles (the baptismal candles may be used) are lighted as symbols of faith and love of the members for the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Here is the official form for the private devotion of the Enthronement.
O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thou didst reveal to the
blessed Margaret Mary Thy desire to rule over Christian families; behold, in order to please Thee, we stand before Thee this day, to proclaim Thy full sovereignty over our family. We desire henceforth to live Thy life, we desire that the virtues, to which Thou hast promised peace on earth, may flower in the bosom of our family; we desire to keep far from us the spirit of the world, which Thou hast condemned. Thou art King of our minds by the simplicity of our faith;
Thou art King of our hearts by our love of Thee alone, with which our hearts are on fire and whose flame we shall keep alive by frequently receiving the Holy Eucharist. Be pleased, O Sacred Heart, to preside over our gathering together, to bless our spiritual and temporal affairs, to ward off all annoyance from us, to hallow our joys and comfort our sorrows. If any of us has ever been so unhappy as to fall into the misery of displeasing Thee, grant that he may remember, O Heart of Jesus, that Thou art full of goodness and mercy toward the repentant sinner. And when the hour
of separation strikes and death enters our family circle, whether we go or whether we stay, we shall all bow humbly before Thine eternal decrees. This shall be our consolation, to remember that the day will come, when our entire family, once more united in heaven, shall be able to sing of Thy glory and Thy goodness forever. May the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the glorious Patriarch St. Joseph vouchsafe to offer Thee this our act of consecration, and to keep the memory thereof alive in us all the days of our lives.
Glory to the Heart of Jesus, our King and Our Father!
Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Home
Included are the necessary preparations for the Ceremony of Enthronement, the formula for the ceremony itself, suggested practices of devotion, and special occasions when renewal of the Consecration is encouraged.
Preparation for the Ceremony of Enthronement See your pastor or another priest to set a date for the enthronement.
Have entire family receive Holy Communion at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered on the day.
Procure a beautiful picture or statue of the Sacred
Heart, if you do not already have one.
Prepare a “throne,” a table or mantelpiece. Cover it with white cloth and decorate with flowers and candles. Place picture or statue on small table near “throne.” Place pictures of departed and absent family members around “throne.” Have holy water handy.
Invite your relatives and friends for the ceremony.
Have a family party after the ceremony. Make the day as solemn as possible.
The Ceremony
All gather around the “throne”; father, mother, and
children nearest priest.
The priest, in surplice and stole, blesses the statue
or picture.
Let us pray
Almighty and everlasting God, who does approve the painting and sculpturing of the images of Your saints, so that as often as we gaze upon them we are reminded to imitate their deeds and sanctity; vouchsafe, we implore You, to bless and sanctify this picture made in honor and in memory of the Most Sacred Heart of Your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; and grant that whosoever, in its presence, will suppliantly worship and honor the Most Sacred Heart of Your only begotten Son, may obtain through His merits and intercession grace in this life and everlasting glory in the world to come. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The priest sprinkles the picture with holy water.
The priest or the father (or in his absence the mother) then installs the picture or statue in its place of honor.
All stand to recite the Apostles’ Creed. “I believe in God, the Father almighty…”
The priest then addresses a few words of exhortation to those present.
All kneel. The priest recites the official Act of Consecration.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, who did make known to St. Margaret Mary Your ardent desire to reign over
Christian families, behold us assembled here today to proclaim Your absolute dominion over our home.
Henceforth we purpose to lead a life like Yours so that among us may flourish the virtues for which You did promise peace on earth, and for this end we will banish from our midst the spirit of the world which You abhor so much.
You will reign over our understanding by the simplicity of our faith. You will reign over our hearts by an ardent love for You; and may the flame of this love be ever kept burning in our hearts by the frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist.
Deign, O Divine Heart, to preside over our meetings, to bless our undertakings, both spiritual and temporal, to banish all worry and care, to sanctify our joys and soothe our sorrows. If any of us should ever have the misfortune to grieve Your Sacred Heart, remind him of Your goodness and mercy toward the repentant sinner.
Lastly, when the hour of separation will sound and death will plunge our home into mourning, then shall we all and every one of us be resigned to Your eternal decrees, and seek consolation in the thought that we shall all one day be reunited in heaven, where we shall sing the praises and blessings of Your Sacred Heart for all eternity.
May the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the glorious Patriarch St. Joseph offer You this our Consecration and remind us of the same all the days of our life.
Glory to the Divine Heart of Jesus, our King and our Father!
The priest here asks those present to say with him one Our Father and Hail Mary for all absent members, both living and dead.
All recite with the priest the following prayer of thanksgiving:
Glory be to You, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for the infinite mercy You have bestowed upon the privileged members of this family. You have chosen it from thousands of others, as a recipient of Your Love and a sanctuary of reparation wherein Your most loving heart shall find consolation for all the ingratitude of men. How great, O Lord Jesus, is the confusion of this portion of Your faithful flock as we accept
the unmerited honor of seeing You preside over our family! Silently we adore You, overjoyed to see You sharing under the same roof the toils, cares, and joys of Your innocent children! It is true we are not worthy that You should enter our humble abode, but You have already reassured us, when You revealed Your Sacred Heart to us, teaching us to find in the wound of Your Sacred Side the source of grace and life everlasting. In this loving and trusting spirit
we give ourselves to You, You who are unchanging life. Remain with us, Most Sacred Heart, for we feel an irresistible desire to love You and make You loved.
May our home be for You a haven as sweet as that of Bethany, where You can find rest in the midst of loving friends, who like Mary have chosen the better part in the loving intimacy of Your Heart! May this home be for You, O beloved Savior, a humble but hospitable refuge during the exile imposed on You by Your enemies.
Come, then, Lord Jesus, come, for here as at Nazareth, we have a tender love for the Virgin Mary, Your sweet Mother, whom You have given us to be our Mother. Come to fill with Your sweet presence the vacancies which misfortune and death have wrought in our midst.
O most faithful Friend, had You been here in the midst of sorrow, our tears would have been less bitter; the comforting balm of peace would have soothed these hidden wounds, which are known to You alone. Come, for even now perhaps, there is drawing near for us the twilight of tribulation, and the decline of the passing days of our youth and illusions. Stay with us, for already it is late,
and a perverted world seeks to envelop us in the darkness of its denials while we wish to adhere to You, who alone are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Repeat for us those words You uttered of old, “This day I must abide in this home.”
Yes, dear Lord, take up Your abode with us, so that we may live in Your love and in Your presence, we who proclaim You as our King and wish no other! May Your triumphant Heart, O Jesus, be forever loved, blessed, and glorified in this home. Your Kingdom come! Amen.
As an act of homage to the Immaculate Heart of Mary recite the Hail Holy Queen, standing.
Ejaculations Priest: Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, (3 times)
All: Have mercy on us. (3 times)
Priest: Immaculate Heart of Mary,
All: Pray for us.
Priest: St. Joseph,
All: Pray for us.
Priest: St. Margaret Mary,
All: Pray for us.
All: Glory to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, forever
and ever. Amen.
The priest gives his blessing:
Benedictio Dei omnipotentis, Patris, et Filii, + et Spiritus Sancti, descendat super vos et maneat semper. Amen.
(May the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, + and
Holy Spirit, descend upon you and remain forever. Amen.)
Then the members of the family and the priest sign the Certificate of the Enthronement, which should be framed and hung near the picture of the Sacred Heart or kept in the family archives. The priest announces the indulgences.
Suggested Practices of Devotion
Frequent and even daily attendance at Mass by at least
one member of the family, and Communion of Reparation.
Recite the Mass of the Saint during the day.
Observance of the First Friday of each month. (Holy
Mass, Communion of Reparation; renewal of act of
consecration before enthroned image.)
Daily Family Rosary before the enthroned image of the
Sacred Heart, with renewal of the act of consecration
(short form).
Celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart by the entire family; attendance at Mass, Communion for the extension of the Reign of the Sacred Heart through the Enthronement; family gathering and celebration at home, with renewal of Enthronement; special party for the children.
Observe the month of June; keep flowers before “throne”; Mass and Communion as often as possible.
Assist at Holy Hour in church.
Night Adoration in the home. Any hour between 9 and 6, by one or all the members of the family at least once a month.
Celebrate Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, August 22; Mass, Communion; Consecration of family to Immaculate Heart.
Make the five First Saturdays in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the Conversion of Russia:
Mass and Communion of Reparation; five decades of the
Rosary plus a fifteen-minute meditation on the fifteen
mysteries of the Rosary. The Rosary and meditation may
be carried out at any hour on the First Saturday. A sermon in church will satisfy the obligation of the meditation.
Practice devotion to the Holy Ghost. Recite the Rosary
of the Holy Ghost.
Special Occasions on Which the Family Should Renew the
Act of Consecration (Long Form)
Feast of the Sacred Heart; Christ the King.
Anniversary of the Enthronement.
Anniversary of parents and children.
At births; after Baptism in the church consecrate the
children to the Sacred Heart before the “throne.”
At First Communion; prepare the children before the image of the Sacred Heart in the home. When they return from church, let them renew the act of consecration made for them by parents at birth.
Before the departure from home of a member: to join army, convent, seminary, before marriage.
On the return of an absent member of the family.
On days of great family joys; in times of sorrow, sickness, and death.
Renewal of the Consecration of the Family
To be said at night prayers in union with all families
in which the Sacred Heart has been enthroned.
Most Sweet Jesus, humbly kneeling at Your feet, we renew the consecration of our family to Your Divine Heart. Be You our King forever! In You we have full and entire confidence. May Your spirit penetrate our thoughts, our desires, our words, and our works. Bless our undertakings, share in our joys, in our trials and our labors. Grant us to know You better, to love You more, to serve You without faltering.
By the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of Peace, set up Your kingdom in our country. Enter closely into the midst of our families and make them Yours through the solemn enthronement of Your Sacred Heart, so that soon one cry may resound from home to home: “May the triumphant Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved, blessed, and glorified forever!” Honor and glory to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, protect our families.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Our Lord has promised us that the home which reveres His Sacred Heart will be especially blessed. Then let us seek this blessing with all our hearts by enthroning His Heart in our homes.
A Priceless Devotion
Devotion to the Sacred Heart in your home will help simplify the religious education of your children. It will, by its very nature, permeate your home and thus deeply influence all its occupants. It will bring with it an awesome atmosphere, for Christ is first and foremost a King! Yet, through daily practices, it will forge the links of a cherished and intimate friendship between that King and you, His loving and loyal
subjects. Through this devotion Jesus Christ will become the King and Head of your home. He will become your understanding, ever-present, never-forgetting Friend. He will become the central or focal point of your daily living, and thus you will find that you can happily and easily live a Christocentric life.
Living with Jesus
When you formally place Jesus as King and Head of your
home, you consider Him as the most intimate Friend of the family. Actually, you are giving special homage to your Divine Guest. It was in the sacrament of Baptism that Jesus first came to reside within each of you. It is His loving wish that you welcome Him to live with you in the intimacy of your hearts and your home by avoiding serious sin, by trying always to please Him, and by rendering special honor to His Sacred Heart.
Are you wondering what all this has to do with teaching a little boy or girl how to be good and kind and charming? Well, it has everything to do with it. If Jesus becomes an everyday part of the life of a little child, it follows that He will remain a part of that life when the child has become a man or a woman. The child who learns to live graciously and intimately with God becomes the man or woman who is never ill at ease with Him. Is not this kind of supernatural daily living what you would wish for your child?
The Plan of Enthronement
The plan of Enthronement of the Sacred Heart calls for
a formal entering of the Divine Guest, in a simple but beautiful ceremony. It is as if Jesus had pressed His finger against your doorbell and you responded eagerly and sincerely, inviting Him to come inside to stay.
For the ceremony you will need an image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture. Consider the exquisite, wood-carved statues and the colorful, attractive prints available from Catholic stores. Be sure that the one you select really pleases you, because you are going to place it in the most prominent position in your living room, where it can dominate your home. You are proud and happy to have His image there.
The children will be delighted with the plan of Enthronement. In choosing the picture or statue, give them an opportunity to look over the catalogue or to go to the store with Father and Mother to make the purchase. If this is not possible, they may at least share in planning which is the best place for His image. They will want to gather flowers and arrange the vigil light.
When the picture or statue is in place, you are ready to invite the parish priest to your home to conduct the ceremony. When the date is set, plan to make a happy occasion of it. The children will long remember the day that the priest came in surplice and stole to hold a little service right in the living room, with Mother, Father and every member of the family present, including the baby. Now that the Sacred Heart has a place of honor in your home, you parents and children will try to lease Him, as your Guest. You will think of Him constantly, provide what He likes, avoid what He dislikes. The children will find Him a companion. They will grow up to associate Him, not just with Sunday and church, but with everyday life as well.
Act of Consecration
The only requirement for daily practice of this devotion is that the family shall recite aloud, usually at night prayers, the following Act of Consecration:
“Most sweet Jesus, humbly kneeling at Thy feet, we renew the consecration of our family to Thy Divine Heart. Be Thou our King forever! In Thee we have full and entire confidence. May Thy spirit penetrate our thoughts, our desires, our words and our deeds. Bless our undertakings, share in our joys, in our trials, and in our labors. Grant us to know Thee better, to love Thee more, to serve Thee without faltering.”
“Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy Kingdom come!” (3 times)
This prayer may be too difficult for your four-year-old, but he can participate by kneeling while the others recite it. A red vigil light can be your sole illumination at prayer time.
Help in Sorrow
One of the greatest benefits gained from a constant devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the genuine comfort felt in time of sorrow. Most families, at one time or another, are asked to accept a heavy cross -some, more than one. In the case of the death of a parcel, the Divine Friend will lie there to provide security. At tile death of a child, the Divine rather is there to explain to the parents that their child is
already safe in his heavenly home. If a child is born defective, the Divine Physician will prescribe the necessary graces to carry the cross from day to day. If a child is mentally retarded, the Divine Teacher will inspire the patience necessary to accept and assist the one whom God may have chosen for a life of perpetual mental and spiritual childhood.
The Divine Guest will bless abundantly those who enthrone Him and will assist them when help is most needed. The child who learns to turn to his Divine Friend when he is confused will have learned a valuable lesson for life.
Nine First Friday Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
From the writings of St. Margaret Mary:
“On Friday during Holy Communion, He said these words
to His unworthy slave, if I mistake not: I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that its all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on nine first Fridays of consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they will not die under my displeasure or without receiving their sacraments, my divine Heart making itself their
assured refuge at the last moment.”
With regard to this promise it may be remarked:
(1) that our Lord required Communion to be received on a particular day chosen by Him;
(2) that the nine Fridays must be consecutive;
(3) that they must be made in honor of His Sacred Heart, which means that those who make the nine Fridays must practice the devotion and must have a great love for our Lord;
(4) that our Lord does not say that those who make the nine Fridays will be dispensed from any of their obligations or from exercising the vigilance necessary
to lead a good life and overcome temptation; rather He implicitly promises abundant graces to those who make
the nine Fridays to help them to carry out these obligations and persevere to the end;
(5) that perseverance in receiving Holy Communion for nine consecutive First Firdays helps the faithful to acquire the habit of frequent Communion, which our Lord eagerly desires; and
(6) that the practice of the nine Fridays is very pleasing to our Lord since He
promises such great reward, and that all Catholics should endeavor to make the nine Fridays.
Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
This novena prayer was recited every day by Padre Pio for all who asked for his prayer. You are invited to recite it daily, so as to be spiritually united with the prayer of St. Pio of Pietrelcina.
I. O my Jesus, You have said “Truly I say to you, ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.” Behold I knock, I seek, and I ask for the grace of . . . . Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father… Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
I. O my Jesus, You have said “Truly I say to you, ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.” Behold I knock, I seek, and I ask for the grace of . . . . 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 anything of the Father in My Name, He will give it to you.” Behold, in Your name, I ask the Father for the grace of . . . . 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 willl not pass away.” Encouraged by Your infallible words, I now ask for the grace of . . . . 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 mercy on us 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 (Salve Regina) prayer. Conclude with: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
Novena to the Sacred Heart
This novena prayer, although short is sufficient. It would be better of course to add, if time permits, three Hail Marys or say five times the Our Father, Haily Mary and Glory be to the Father, or to use some of the many well-loved novena prayers from other sources. Remember that prayers must be said with the lips in order to gain the indulgences. This novena begins nine days before the feast of the Sacred Heart is celebrated. (The Feast is the Friday after the octave day of Corpus Christi.)
O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, pour down Your blessings abundantly upon Your Church, upon the Supreme Pontiff, and upon all the clergy; give perseverance to the just, convert sinners, enlighten unbelievers, bless our parents, friends, benefactors, help the dying, free the souls in purgatory and extend over all hearts the sweet empire of Your love. Amen.
Miserentissimus Redemptor
Encyclical of Pope Pius XI on Reparation to the Sacred Heart to our Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and Other Local Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See.
Venerable Brethren, Health and the Apostolic Blessing.
Our Most Merciful Redeemer, after He had wrought salvation for mankind on the tree of the Cross and before He ascended from out this world to the Father, said to his Apostles and Disciples, to console them in their anxiety, “Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” (Matt. xxviii, 20). These words, which are indeed most pleasing, are a cause of all hope and security, and they bring us, Venerable Brethren, ready succor, whenever we look round from this watch-tower raised on high and see all human society laboring amid so many evils and miseries, and the Church herself beset without ceasing by attacks and machinations. For as in the beginning this Divine promise lifted up the despondent spirit of the Apostles and enkindled and inflamed them so that they might cast the seeds of the Gospel teaching throughout the whole world; so ever since it has strengthened the Church unto her victory over the gates of hell. In sooth, Our Lord Jesus Christ has been with his Church in every age, but He has been with her with more present aid and protection whenever she has been assailed by graver perils and difficulties. For the remedies adapted to the condition of time and circumstances, are always supplied by Divine Wisdom, who reacheth from end to end mightily, and ordereth all things sweetly (Wisdom viii, 1). But in this latter age also, “the hand of the Lord is not shortened” (Isaias lix, 1), more especially since error has crept in and has spread far and wide, so that it might well be feared that the fountains of Christian life might be in a manner dried up, where men are cut off from the love and knowledge of God. Now, since it may be that some of the people do not know, and others do not heed, those complaints which the most loving Jesus made when He manifested Himself to Margaret Mary Alacoque, and those things likewise which at the same time He asked and expected of men, for their own ultimate profit, it is our pleasure, Venerable Brethren, to speak to you for a little while concerning the duty of honorable satisfaction which we all owe to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, with the intent that you may, each of you, carefully teach your own flocks those things which we set before you, and stir them up to put the same in practice.
2.mong the many proofs of the boundless benignity of our Redeemer, there is one that stands out conspicuously, to wit the fact that when the charity of Christian people was growing cold, the Divine Charity itself was set forth to be honored by a special worship, and the riches of its bounty was made widely manifest by that form of devotion wherein worship is given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Coloss. ii, 3). For as in olden time when mankind came forth from Noe’s ark, God set His “bow in the clouds” (Genesis ix, 13), shining as the sign of a friendly covenant; so in the most turbulent times of a more recent age, when the Jansenist heresy, the most crafty of them all, hostile to love and piety towards God, was creeping in and preaching that God was not to be loved as a father but rather to be feared as an implacable judge; then the most benign Jesus showed his own most Sacred Heart to the nations lifted up as a standard of peace and charity portending no doubtful victory in the combat. And indeed Our Predecessor of happy memory, Leo XIII, admiring the timely opportuneness of the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, said very aptly in his Encyclical Letter, “Annum Sacrum,” “When in the days near her origin, the Church was oppressed under the yoke of the Caesars the Cross shown on high to the youthful Emperor was at once an omen and a cause of the victory that speedily followed. And here today another most auspicious and most divine sign is offered to our sight, to wit the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, with a Cross set above it shining with most resplendent brightness in the mids of flames. Herein must all hopes be set, from hence must the salvation of men be sought and expected.”
3. And rightly indeed is that said, Venerable Brethren. For is not the sum of all religion and therefore the pattern of more perfect life, contained in that most auspicious sign and in the form of piety that follows from it inasmuch as it more readily leads the minds of men to an intimate knowledge of Christ Our Lord, and more efficaciously moves their hearts to love Him more vehemently and to imitate Him more closely? It is no wonder, therefore, that Our Predecessors have constantly defended this most approved form of devotion from the censures of calumniators, and have extolled it with high praise and promoted it very zealously, as the needs of time and circumstance demanded. Moreover, by the inspiration of God’s grace, it has come to pass that the pious devotion of the faithful towards the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus has made great increase in the course of time; hence pious confraternities to promote the worship of the Divine Heart are everywhere erected, hence too the custom of receiving Holy Communion on the first Friday of every month at the desire of Christ Jesus, a custom which now prevails everywhere.
4.But assuredly among those things which properly pertain to the worship of the Most Sacred Heart, a special place must be given to that Consecration, whereby we devote ourselves and all things that are ours to the Divine Heart of Jesus, acknowledging that we have received all things from the everlasting love of God. When Our Savior had taught Margaret Mary, the most innocent disciple of His Heart, how much He desired that this duty of devotion should be rendered to him by men, moved in this not so much by His own right as by His immense charity for us; she herself, with her spiritual father, Claude de la Colombiere, rendered it the first of all. Thereafter followed, in the course of time, individual men, then private families and associations, and lastly civil magistrates, cities and kingdoms. But since in the last century, and in this present century, things have come to such a pass, that by the machinations of wicked men the sovereignty of Christ Our Lord has been denied and war is publicly waged against the Church, by passing laws and promoting plebiscites repugnant to Divine and natural law, nay more by holding assemblies of them that cry out, “We will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke xix, 14): from the aforesaid Consecration there burst forth over against them in keenest opposition the voice of all the clients of the Most Sacred Heart, as it were one voice, to vindicate His glory and to assert His rights: “Christ must reign” (1 Corinthians xv, 25); “Thy kingdom come” (Matth. vi, 10). From this at length it happily came to pass that at the beginning of this century the whole human race which Christ, in whom all things are re-established (Ephes. i, 10), possesses by native right as His own, was dedicated to the same Most Sacred Heart, with the applause of the whole Christian world, by Our Predecessor of happy memory, Leo XIII.
5. Now these things so auspiciously and happily begun as we taught in Our Encyclical Letter “Quas primas,” we Ourselves, consenting to very many long-continued desires and prayers of Bishops and people, brought to completion and perfected, by God’s grace, when at the close of the Jubilee Year, We instituted the Feast of Christ the King of All, to be solemnly celebrated throughout the whole Christian world. Now when we did this, not only did we set in a clear light that supreme sovereignty which Christ holds over the whole universe, over civil and domestic society, and over individual men, but at the same time we anticipated the joys of that most auspicious day, whereon the whole world will gladly and willingly render obedience to the most sweet lordship of Christ the King. For this reason, We decreed at the same time that this same Consecration should be renewed every year on the occasion of that appointed festal day, so that the fruit of this same Consecration might be obtained more certainly and more abundantly, and all peoples might be joined together in Christian charity and in the reconciliation of peace, in the Heart of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
6. But to all these duties, more especially to that fruitful Consecration which was in a manner confirmed by the sacred solemnity of Christ the King, something else must needs be added, and it is concerning this that it is our pleasure to speak with you more at length, Venerable Brethren, on the present occasion: we mean that duty of honorable satisfaction or reparation which must be rendered to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For if the first and foremost thing in Consecration is this, that the creature’s love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.
7. Now though in both these matters we are impelled by quite the same motives, none the less we are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated and that the violated order may be repaired by penance: and of love too so that we may suffer together with Christ suffering and “filled with reproaches” (Lam. iii, 30), and for all our poverty may offer Him some little solace. For since we are all sinners and laden with many faults, our God must be honored by us not only by that worship wherewith we adore His infinite Majesty with due homage, or acknowledge His supreme dominion by praying, or praise His boundless bounty by thanksgiving; but besides this we must need make satisfaction to God the just avenger, “for our numberless sins and offenses and negligences.” To Consecration, therefore, whereby we are devoted to God and are called holy to God, by that holiness and stability which, as the Angelic Doctor teaches, is proper to consecration (2da. 2dae. qu. 81, a. 8. c.), there must be added expiation, whereby sins are wholly blotted out, lest the holiness of the supreme justice may punish our shameless unworthiness, and reject our offering as hateful rather than accept it as pleasing.
8. Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men since, as we are taught by the Christian faith, after Adam’s miserable fall, infected by hereditary stain, subject to concupiscences and most wretchedly depraved, it would have been thrust down into eternal destruction. This indeed is denied by the wise men of this age of ours, who following the ancient error of Pelagius, ascribe to human nature a certain native virtue by which of its own force it can go onward to higher things; but the Apostle rejects these false opinions of human pride, admonishing us that we “were by nature children of wrath” (Ephesians ii, 3). And indeed, even from the beginning, men in a manner acknowledged this common debt of expiation and, led by a certain natural instinct, they endeavored to appease God by public sacrifices.
9. But no created power was sufficient to expiate the sins of men, if the Son of God had not assumed man’s nature in order to redeem it. This, indeed, the Savior of men Himself declared by the mouth of the sacred Psalmist: “Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldest not: but a body thou hast fitted to me: Holocausts for sin did not please thee: then said I: Behold I come” (Hebrews x, 5-7). And in very deed, “Surely He hath borne our infirmities, and carried our sorrows. . . He was wounded for our iniquities (Isaias liii, 4-5), and He His own self bore our sins in His body upon the tree . . . (1 Peter ii, 24), “Blotting out the handwriting of the decree that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken the same out of the way, fastening it to the cross . . .” (Colossians ii, 14) “that we being dead to sins, should live to justice” (1 Peter ii, 24). Yet, though the copious redemption of Christ has abundantly forgiven us all offenses (Cf. Colossians ii, 13), nevertheless, because of that wondrous divine dispensation whereby those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ are to be filled up in our flesh for His body which is the Church (Cf. Colossians i, 24), to the praises and satisfactions, “which Christ in the name of sinners rendered unto God” we can also add our praises and satisfactions, and indeed it behoves us so to do. But we must ever remember that the whole virtue of the expiation depends on the one bloody sacrifice of Christ, which without intermission of time is renewed on our altars in an unbloody manner, “For the victim is one and the same, the same now offering by the ministry of priests, who then offered Himself on the cross, the manner alone of offering being different” (Council of Trent, Session XXIII, Chapter. 2). Wherefore with this most august Eucharistic Sacrifice there ought to be joined an oblation both of the ministers and of all the faithful, so that they also may “present themselves living sacrifices, holy, pleasing unto God” (Romans xii, 1). Nay more, St. Cyprian does not hesitate to affirm that “the Lord’s sacrifice is not celebrated with legitimate sanctification, unless our oblation and sacrifice correspond to His passion” (Ephesians 63). For this reason, the Apostle admonishes us that “bearing about in our body the mortification of Jesus” (2 Corinthians iv, 10), and buried together with Christ, and planted together in the likeness of His death (Cf. Romans vi, 4-5), we must not only crucify our flesh with the vices and concupiscences (Cf. Galatians v, 24), “flying the corruption of that concupiscence which is in the world” (2 Peter i, 4), but “that the life also
of Jesus may be made manifest in our bodies” (2 Corinthians iv, 10) and being made partakers of His eternal priesthood we are to offer up “gifts and sacrifices for sins” (Hebrews v, 1). Nor do those only enjoy a participation in this mystic priesthood and in the office of satisfying and sacrificing, whom our Pontiff Christ Jesus uses as His ministers to offer up the clean oblation to God’s Name in every place from the rising of the sun to the going down (Malachias i, 11), but the whole Christian people rightly called by the Prince of the Apostles “a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood” (1 Peter ii, 9), ought to offer for sins both for itself and for all mankind (Cf. Hebrews v, 3), in much the same manner as every priest and pontiff “taken from among men, is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God” (Hebrews v, 1).
10. But the more perfectly that our oblation and sacrifice corresponds to the sacrifice of Our Lord,that is to say, the more perfectly we have immolated our love and our desires and have crucified our flesh by that mystic crucifixion of which the Apostle speaks, the more abundant fruits of that propitiation and expiation shall we receive for ourselves and for others. For there is a wondrous and close union of all the faithful with Christ, such as that which prevails between the head and the other members; moreover by that mystic Communion of Saints which we profess in the Catholic creed, both individual men and peoples are joined together not only with one another but also with him, “who is the head, Christ; from whom the whole body, being compacted and fitly joined together, by what every joint supplieth, according to the operation in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in charity” (Ephesians iv, 15-16). It was this indeed that the Mediator of God and men, Christ Jesus, when He was near to death, asked of His Father: “I in them, and thou in me: that they may be made perfect in one” (John xvii, 23).
11. Wherefore, even as consecration proclaims and confirms this union with Christ, so does expiation begin that same union by washing away faults, and perfect it by participating in the sufferings of Christ, and consummate it by offering victims for the brethren. And this indeed was the purpose of the merciful Jesus, when He showed His Heart to us bearing about it the symbols of the passion and displaying the flames of love, that from the one we might know the infinite malice of sin, and in the other we might admire the infinite charity of Our Redeemer, and so might have a more vehement hatred of sin, and make a more ardent return of love for His love.
12. And truly the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and nothing is more in keeping with the origin, the character, the power, and the distinctive practices of this form of devotion, as appears from the record of history and custom, as well as from the sacred liturgy and the acts of the Sovereign Pontiffs. For when Christ manifested Himself to Margaret Mary, and declared to her the infinitude of His love, at the same time, in the manner of a mourner, He complained that so many and such great injuries were done to Him by ungrateful men – and we would that these words in which He made this complaint were fixed in the minds of the faithful, and were never blotted out by oblivion: “Behold this Heart” – He said – “which has loved men so much and has loaded them with all benefits, and for this boundless love has had no return but neglect, and contumely, and this often from those who were bound by a debt and duty of a more special love.” In order that these faults might be washed away, He then recommended several things to be done, and in particular the following as most pleasing to Himself, namely that men should approach the Altar with this purpose of expiating sin, making what is called a Communion of Reparation, – and that they should likewise make expiatory supplications and prayers, prolonged for a whole hour, – which is rightly called the “Holy Hour.” These pious exercises have been approved by the Church and have also been enriched with copious indulgences.
13. But how can these rites of expiation bring solace now, when Christ is already reigning in the beatitude of Heaven? To this we may answer in some words of St. Augustine which are very apposite here, – “Give me one who loves, and he will understand what I say” (In Johannis evangelium, tract. XXVI, 4).
For any one who has great love of God, if he will look back through the tract of past time may dwell in meditation on Christ, and see Him laboring for man, sorrowing, suffering the greatest hardships, “for us men and for our salvation,” well-nigh worn out with sadness, with anguish, nay “bruised for our sins” (Isaias liii, 5), and healing us by His bruises. And the minds of the pious meditate on all these things the more truly, because the sins of men and their crimes committed in every age were the cause why Christ was delivered up to death, and now also they would of themselves bring death to Christ, joined with the same griefs and sorrows, since each several sin in its own way is held to renew the passion of Our Lord: “Crucifying again to themselves the Son of God, and making him a mockery” (Hebrews vi, 6). Now if, because of our sins also which were as yet in the future, but were foreseen, the soul of Christ became sorrowful unto death, it cannot be doubted that then, too, already He derived somewhat of solace from our reparation, which was likewise foreseen, when “there appeared to Him an angel from heaven” (Luke xxii, 43), in order that His Heart, oppressed with weariness and anguish, might find consolation. And so even now, in a wondrous yet true manner, we can and ought to console that Most Sacred Heart which is continually wounded by the sins of thankless men, since – as we also read in the sacred liturgy – Christ Himself, by the mouth of the Psalmist complains that He is forsaken by His friends: “My Heart hath expected reproach and misery, and I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there was none: and for one that would comfort me, and I found none” (Psalm lxviii, 21).
14. To this it may be added that the expiatory passion of Christ is renewed and in a manner continued and fulfilled in His mystical body, which is the Church. For, to use once more the words of St. Augustine, “Christ suffered whatever it behoved Him to suffer; now nothing is wanting of the measure of the sufferings. Therefore the sufferings were fulfilled, but in the head; there were yet remaining the sufferings of Christ in His body” (In Psalm lxxxvi). This, indeed, Our Lord Jesus Himself vouchsafed to explain when, speaking to Saul, “as yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter” (Acts ix, 1), He said, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest” (Acts ix, 5), clearly signifying that when persecutions are stirred up against the Church, the Divine Head of the Church is Himself attacked and troubled. Rightly, therefore, does Christ, still suffering in His mystical body, desire to have us partakers of His expiation, and this is also demanded by our intimate union with Him, for since we are “the body of Christ and members of member” (1 Corinthians xii, 27), whatever the head suffers, all the members must suffer with it (Cf. 1 Corinthians xii, 26).
15. Now, how great is the necessity of this expiation or reparation, more especially in this our age, will be manifest to every one who, as we said at the outset, will examine the world, “seated in wickedness” (1 John v, 19), with his eyes and with his mind. For from all sides the cry of the peoples who are mourning comes up to us, and their princes or rulers have indeed stood up and met together in one against the Lord and against His Church (Cf. Psalm ii, 2). Throughout those regions indeed, we see that all rights both human and Divine are confounded. Churches are thrown down and overturned, religious men and sacred virgins are torn from their homes and are afflicted with abuse, with barbarities, with hunger and imprisonment; bands of boys and girls are snatched from the bosom of their mother the Church, and are induced to renounce Christ, to blaspheme and to attempt the worst crimes of lust; the whole Christian people, sadly disheartened and disrupted, are continually in danger of falling away from the faith, or of suffering the most cruel death. These things in truth are so sad that you might say that such events foreshadow and portend the “beginning of sorrows,” that is to say of those that shall be brought by the man of sin, “who is lifted up above all that is called God or is worshipped” (2 Thessalonians ii, 4).
16. But it is yet more to be lamented, Venerable Brethren, that among the faithful themselves, washed in Baptism with the blood of the immaculate Lamb, and enriched with grace, there are found so many men of every class, who laboring under an incredible ignorance of Divine things and infected with false doctrines, far from their Father’s home, lead a life involved in vices, a life which is not brightened by the light of true faith, nor gladdened by the hope of future beatitude, nor refreshed and cherished by the fire of charity; so that they truly seem to sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Moreover, among the faithful there is a greatly increasing carelessness of ecclesiastical discipline, and of those ancient institutions on which all Christian life rests, by which domestic society is governed, and the sanctity of marriage is safeguarded; the education of children is altogether neglected, or else it is depraved by too indulgent blandishments, and the Church is even robbed of the power of giving the young a Christian education; there is a sad forgetfulness of Christian modesty especially in the life and the dress of women; there is an unbridled cupidity of transitory things, a want of moderation in civic affairs, an unbounded ambition of popular favor, a depreciation of legitimate authority, and lastly a contempt for the word of God, whereby faith itself is injured, or is brought into proximate peril.
17. But all these evils as it were culminate in the cowardice and the sloth of those who, after the manner of the sleeping and fleeing disciples, wavering in their faith, miserably forsake Christ when He is oppressed by anguish or surrounded by the satellites of Satan, and in the perfidy of those others who following the example of the traitor Judas, either partake of the holy table rashly and sacrilegiously, or go over to the camp of the enemy. And thus, even against our will, the thought rises in the mind that now those days draw near of which Our Lord prophesied: “And because iniquity hath abounded, the charity of many shall grow cold” (Matth. xxiv, 12).
18. Now, whosoever of the faithful have piously pondered on all these things must need be inflamed with the charity of Christ in His agony and make a more vehement endeavor to expiate their own faults and those of others, to repair the honor of Christ, and to promote the eternal salvation of souls. And indeed that saying of the Apostle: “Where sin abounded, grace did more abound” (Romans v, 20) may be used in a manner to describe this present age; for while the wickedness of men has been greatly increased, at the same time, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, a marvelous increase has been made in the number of the faithful of both sexes who with eager mind endeavor to make satisfaction for the many injuries offered to the Divine Heart, nay more they do not hesitate to offer themselves to Christ as victims. For indeed if any one will lovingly dwell on those things of which we have been speaking, and will have them deeply fixed in his mind, it cannot be but he will shrink with horror from all sin as from the greatest evil, and more than this he will yield himself wholly to the will of God, and will strive to repair the injured honor of the Divine Majesty, as well by constantly praying, as by voluntary mortifications, by patiently bearing the afflictions that befall him, and lastly by spending his whole life in this exercise of expiation.
19. And for this reason also there have been established many religious families of men and women whose purpose it is by earnest service, both by day and by night, in some manner to fulfill the office of the Angel consoling Jesus in the garden; hence come certain associations of pious men, approved by the Apostolic See and enriched with indulgences, who take upon themselves this same duty of making expiation, a duty which is to be fulfilled by fitting exercises of devotion and of the virtues; hence lastly, to omit other things, come the devotions and solemn demonstrations for the purpose of making reparation to the offended Divine honor, which are inaugurated everywhere, not only by pious members of the faithful, but by parishes, dioceses and cities.
20. These things being so, Venerable Brethren, just as the rite of consecration, starting from humble beginnings, and afterwards more widely propagated, was at length crowned with success by Our confirmation; so in like manner, we earnestly desire that this custom of expiation or pious reparation, long since devoutly introduced and devoutly propagated, may also be more firmly sanctioned by Our Apostolic authority and more solemnly celebrated by the whole Catholic name. Wherefore, we decree and command that every year on the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, – which feast indeed on this occasion we have ordered to be raised to the degree of a double of the first class with an octave – in all churches throughout the whole world, the same expiatory prayer or protestation as it is called, to Our most loving Savior, set forth in the same words according to the copy subjoined to this letter shall be solemnly recited, so that all our faults may be washed away with tears, and reparation may be made for the violated rights of Christ the supreme King and Our most loving Lord.
21. There is surely no reason for doubting, Venerable Brethren, that from this devotion piously established and commanded to the whole Church, many excellent benefits will flow forth not only to individual men but also to society, sacred, civil, and domestic, seeing that our Redeemer Himself promised to Margaret Mary that “all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces.” Sinners indeed, looking on Him whom they pierced (John xix, 37), moved by the sighs and tears of the whole Church, by grieving for the injuries offered to the supreme King, will return to the heart (Isaias xlvi, 8), lest perchance being hardened in their faults, when they see Him whom they pierced “coming in the clouds of heaven” (Matth. xxvi, 64), too late and in vain they shall bewail themselves because of Him (Cf. Apoc. i, 7). But the just shall be justified and shall be sanctified still (Cf. Apoc. xxii. 11) and they will devote themselves wholly and with new ardor to the service of their King, when they see Him contemned and attacked and assailed with so many and such great insults, but more than all will they burn with zeal for the eternal salvation of souls when they have pondered on the complaint of the Divine Victim: “What profit is there in my blood?” (Psalm xxix, 10), and likewise on the joy that will be felt by the same Most Sacred Heart of Jesus “upon one sinner doing penance” (Luke xv, 10). And this indeed we more especially and vehemently desire and confidently expect, that the just and merciful God who would have spared Sodom for the sake of ten just men, will much more be ready to spare the whole race of men, when He is moved by the humble petitions and happily appeased by the prayers of the community of the faithful praying together in union with Christ their Mediator and Head, in the name of all. And now lastly may the most benign Virgin Mother of God smile on this purpose and on these desires of ours; for since she brought forth for us Jesus our Redeemer, and nourished Him, and offered Him as a victim by the Cross, by her mystic union with Christ and His very special grace she likewise became and is piously called a reparatress. Trusting in her intercession with Christ, who whereas He is the “one mediator of God and men” (1 Timothy ii, 5), chose to make His Mother the advocate of sinners, and the minister and mediatress of grace, as an earnest of heavenly gifts and as a token of Our paternal affection we most lovingly impart the Apostolic Blessing to you, Venerable Brethren, and to all the flock committed to your care.
Given at Rome, at St. Peter’s, on the eighth day of May, 1928, in the seventh year of Our Pontificate.
Twelve Promises of Jesus to Saint Mary Margaret
In the apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Jesus gives these twelve promises for those who are devoted to His Sacred Heart.
The Twelve Promises of Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary for those devoted to His Sacred Heart:
I 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. “Look at 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.”