NV-Sacred Heart

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

What is a Novena?
A novena is a traditional devotion consisting of specific prayers recited on nine successive days. Besides being a form of praise, a novena is frequently offered for a particular intention. The first novena took place in the Cenacle, during the nine days preceding Pentecost, or the coming of the Holy Ghost. As a regular popular custom, this practice began in 12th century Christianity and continues to be beneficial today as a way of praying for healing, protection or other blessings for ourselves or others.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus, just like the heart in our body, is a central and essential devotion of the Church. God has a particular liking for the symbol of the heart. Holy Scripture presents us with many key references to the heart. This predilection was heightened even more by the fact that Our Lord chose to instigate devotion to His Sacred Heart through His saints, especially St. Margaret Mary, St. John Eudes and St. Gertrude.

In praying this Novena, as in the case of all prayer, it is good to begin by opening ourselves wholeheartedly to God's will, offering a simple act of trust in God's wisdom and in His providential love for us all, that disposes all things for the ultimate benefit of our souls and their salvation.

How to Pray This Novena
This novena will be largely based upon Holy Scripture, the writings of the saints and the works and sermons of various theologians. Each day of the novena is divided into the following parts: (1) a relevant quote from Holy Scripture; (2) quotes from the Sacred Heart of Jesus; (3) an occasional quote from a saint or a pope; (4) a Meditation; (5) a Resolution; (6) a Prayer; (7) after mentioning your intention, pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary; (8) a Closing Prayer.

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

Jesus seeks to be the King and center of all hearts

Jesus first reveals His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673

The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary

(1) I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.

(2) I will establish peace in their homes.

(3) I will comfort them in all their afflictions.

(4) I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.

(5) I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.

(6) Sinners will find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.

(7) Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.

(8) Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.

(9) I will bless every place in which an image of My Heart is exposed and honored.

(10) I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.

(11) Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart.

(12) I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in My disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

FIRST DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations posted each day)
Topic to Contemplate: A Growing Devotion to the Sacred Heart

Holy Scripture
“This people honoureth Me with their lips: but their heart is far from Me” (Matthew 15:8).

“And the Lord said: ‘Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips glorify Me, but their heart is far from Me!'" (Isaias 29:13).

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Words of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
"My Divine Heart is so passionately in love with men that it can no longer contain within itself the flames of its ardent charity. It must pour them out by thy means, and manifest itself to them to enrich them with its precious treasures, which contain all the graces of which they have need to be saved from damnation" (Words the Sacred Heart spoke to St. Margaret Mary, First Apparition of Jesus under the form of the Sacred Heart, 1673).

Meditation
The history of devotion to the Sacred Heart is in a very real sense a gradual revelation of the secret life of the Church. Its prologue was written in the heart of St. John, as he reclined against the Lord's breast at the Last Supper, where John first heard its rhythm and beats, and it would continue the set the tempo beyond the dramatic piercing of the Sacred Heart on Calvary.

Veneration for the wound inflicted to the Sacred Heart seems to have been the seed of the devotion among the faithful. This wound in side of Jesus and His Sacred Heart on Calvary could be seen as the "door in the ark"—where mankind could enter and grace could pour out.

For centuries the seeds of devotion gradually and quietly grew in the privacy of religious houses and the souls of devout individuals until it finally spread its branches throughout the whole Church among both clergy and laity. Devotion to the Sacred Heart can be seen as early as the second century with St. Justin Martyr and in the 7th century with Pope Gregory the Great. Writers throughout these centuries emphasized the pierced side of Christ as the inexhaustible source from which all graces flow upon mankind and the blood and water as symbols of the sacraments of the Church.

In addition to the saints already mentioned, among its devotees must be numbered St. Anselm, St. Frances of Rome, St. Lawrence Justinian, St. Bernardine of Siena, St. Joan of Valois, St. Peter of Alcantara, St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, St. Antoninus, St. Peter Canisius, St. Francis de Sales — to list but a few of those canonized. Others who spread its benefits are countless. Carthusians, Franciscans, Benedictines, Dominicans, each produced its particular "school" of spirituality based on affection for the wounded Heart of the Savior.

With the coming of St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Anselm, in the 12th century, there was a sudden increase in direct reference to the love of the Sacred Heart towards every person redeemed by His Passion and Death. The widespread influence of Franciscan and Dominican Friars enkindled this devotion in the hearts of the faithful who heard their preaching. The focus on the Sacred Heart moved from being a symbol of the sacraments, to the symbol of Divine Love.

One cannot pass over the Middle Ages without mentioning Saints Gertrude and Mechtilde. The editor of St. Gertrude’s writings, Revelations (Dom Boutrais of Solesmes), stated: “Never before…has anything been written on the effect of the Divine Heart and its relation to men, to saints, to the souls in Purgatory, such as we find in the writings of St. Gertrude and St. Mechtilde.”

Prior to the revelations to St. Margaret Mary, religious communities, particularly in France, continued to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus throughout the world, notably through the work and devotion of St. John Eudes. The French spiritual leaders paved the way for the message to be given to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque by the Sacred Heart Himself.

The first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated on August 31, 1670, in Rennes, France, through the efforts of St. John Eudes (1602-1680), who was a great promoter of devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, received permission from the Church to officially celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart. From Rennes, the devotion spread, but it took the visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) for the devotion to become universal.

Around the same time, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was blessed by God with visions of the Sacred Heart. She entered the Daughters of the Visitation, founded by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal, in 1671. Although devotion to the Heart of Jesus was already important to the order prior to St. Margaret Mary’s entrance, it would be through her that public devotion to the Sacred Heart (reparation, consecration and a liturgical feast) would be practiced universally in the Catholic Church. St. Francis de Sales wrote, “Our little congregation is the work of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Our dying Savior gave birth to us by the wound in His Sacred Heart.” St. Jane told her daughters, “Pray that your heart may be made like to the Heart of Jesus.” It was to this Order that Jesus gave the deepest knowledge of His Sacred Heart and the express command to spread devotion to It.

Jesus often appeared to St. Margaret Mary, and in December of 1673, He allowed her—as He had once before allowed St. Gertrude—to rest her head upon His Sacred Heart. In all of these visions, in which Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary, the Sacred Heart of Jesus played a central role. The "Great Apparition," which took place on June 16th, 1675, during the octave of the Feast of Corpus Christi, is the source of the modern Feast of the Sacred Heart.

Resolution
We see, in history, the gradual growth of devotion to the Sacred Heart—when I look at the history of my own life, what is growth rate of devotion to the Sacred Heart in the garden of my soul? Has it even been planted there? Is it overgrown by the weeds of the world and personal preoccupations? Do I spend time in the garden of my soul, cultivating this devotion? This devotion has many good spiritual side effects and can cure many spiritual ills—but only if it is allowed to grow and develop. Pope Pius IX, in an audience with Fr. Chevalier on September 9, 1860, said: “The Church and society have no other hope than that of the Heart of Jesus; He alone will cure them of all their aches…We are living difficult times. Everything is in danger, both in the spiritual order as well as in the temporal.”

During the time of Pope Pius IX, two great philosophical evils, Rationalism and Liberalism, battled against the Church, and he opposed and combated both with the Sacred Heart. Let us be honest and admit that our devotion to the Sacred Heart is far from what it should be—or perhaps there is no trace of any devotion at all! Now is the time to humble ourselves and start from scratch--humility is a very precious and primary virtue of Sacred Heart, who said: "Learn of Me, for I am humble of heart!" (Matthew 11:29). Let this novena be the humble seed that you plant—or re-plant for the umpteenth time. Perhaps this year it will bear fruit: “And he said to the dresser of the vineyard: ‘Behold, for these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none! Cut it done therefore! Why cumbereth it the ground?’ But he answering, said to him: ‘Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig it, and dung it! And perhaps happily it bear fruit: but if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down!’” (Luke 13:7-9). It is never too late to plant this seed. Woe to those who do not!

Our Prayer
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by my Ingratitude, pierced by my sins, yet loving me still; accept the consecration that I make to Thee of all that I am and all that I have. Take every faculty of my soul and body and draw me, day by day, nearer and nearer to Thy Sacred Heart, and there, as I can understand the lesson, teach me Thy blessed ways. Amen. (Prayer of St. Padre Pio).

[Mention Intention]

Let us pray:
I fly to Thee Sacred Heart of my Savior, for Thou art for my refuge, my only hope. Thou art the remedy for all my miseries, my consolation in all my wretchedness, the reparation for all my infidelities, the supplement for all my deficiencies, the expiation for all my sins, and the hope and end of all my prayers.

Thou art the only one Who is never weary of me and Who can bear with my faults, because Thou lovest me with an infinite love. Therefore, O my God, have mercy on me according to Thy great mercy, and do with me, and for me, and in me, whatever Thou wilt, for I give myself entirely to Thee, divine Heart, with full confidence that Thou will never reject me. Amen.

Say the Our Father and the Hail Mary.

Final Invocations:
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! Have mercy on us!
O Sacred Eucharistic Heart of Jesus! Make us love Thee more and more!

Jesus seeks to be the King and center of all hearts

Jesus first reveals His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673

The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary

SECOND DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations posted each day)
Topic to Contemplate: A Grave Neglect of God

Holy Scripture
“Jesus said: ‘If thou didst know the gift of God!’” (John 4:10).

“You shall seek Me, and shall not find Me: and where I am, thither you cannot come!” (John 7:34).

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold, nor hot. I would thou wert cold, or hot. But because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold, not hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest: I am rich, and made wealthy, and have need of nothing: and knowest not, that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold fire tried, that thou mayest be made rich; and mayest be clothed in white garments, and that the shame of thy nakedness may not appear; and anoint thy eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see” (Apocalypse 3:15-18).

Words of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
“Behold this Heart, Which has loved men so much, that It has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming Itself, in order to testify to them Its love; and in return I receive from the greater number nothing but ingratitude, by reason of their irreverence and sacrileges, and by the coldness and contempt which they show Me in this Sacrament of Love” (Words the Sacred Heart spoke to St. Margaret Mary, Fourth Apparition of Jesus under the form of the Sacred Heart, during the Octave of Corpus Christi,1675).

Meditation
“Jesus said: ‘If thou didst know the gift of God!’” (John 4:10). The problem is that we do not sufficiently recognize and honor the gifts of God. We are so caught up in our own little world, that we fail to see the grandeur of what God has placed all around us—we “Can't see the forest for the trees”! The little insignificant trees, that we have planted all around us, obstruct the majestic view of God’s world and His Gifts. “Seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand” (Matthew 13:13).

The greatest gift, or the greatest ‘tree’ in the forest is the ‘Tree’ of the Sacrifice of the Mass, whose fruit is the Holy Eucharist. It is no coincidence that the Sacred Heart often appeared to St. Margaret Mary during the Octave of Corpus Christi—the feast par excellence of the Holy Eucharist. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Holy Eucharist—the Tree and its Fruit—are much like the Tree of Life in the center of Paradise. This Tree of Life—the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass—produces its Fruits every day, yet hardly anyone turns up for the harvesting. There are so many ‘better’ things to do than go to Mass and receive Holy Communion!

This kind of warped thinking and perverse action is the fruit of another tree—the evil tree of lukewarmness. Our Lady of Good Success speaks of lukewarmness thus: “Oh, if only human beings and religious knew what Heaven is and what it is to possess God, how differently they would live, sparing no sacrifice in order to enter more fully into possession of it! But some let themselves be dazzled by the false glamor of honors and human greatness, while others are blinded by self-love, not realizing that they are falling into LUKEWARMNESS, THAT IMMENSE EVIL which destroys fervor, humility, self-renunciation and the ceaseless practice of religious virtues and fraternal charity and that child-like simplicity which makes souls so dear to my Divine Son and to me, their Mother. Remember the words of the Royal Prophet: ‘How marvelous are the works of the Lord!’ Be convinced of this truth!” (Our Lady of Good Success).

It is of this lukewarmness that the Sacred Heart complains of to St. Margaret Mary in 1675—a little after the time that Our Lady spoke the above words to Mother Mariana at Quito, Ecuador in 1634. If the world was lukewarm back, then what would be the verdict upon the Catholic world today? In our present super-lukewarm climate, we can ‘boast’ of statistics like: less than 20% of Catholics go Sunday Mass regularly each Sunday; less than 2% of Catholics pray the Rosary daily; most Catholics no longer believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist; most Catholics no longer go to Confession; how few make the Nine First Fridays Sacred Heart Devotions, or the Five First Saturday Immaculate Heart Devotions? For those who do still pray—how well or badly do they pray. Assistance at Holy Mass and the recitation of private prayers has become a mechanical heartless routine for most people. We are, as a whole, not just lukewarm, but super-lukewarm! The words of the Apocalypse should be apocalyptic for most people: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold, nor hot. I would thou wert cold, or hot. But because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold, not hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth” (Apocalypse 3:15-16).

Fr. Tanquery, writing of lukewarmness, says: “Lukewarmness is a spiritual malady that may attack beginners or even perfect souls, but which manifests itself especially in the course of the Illuminative Way. It presupposes, in fact, that a soul has already reached a certain degree of fervor, and that it gradually allows itself to become lax … To live and grow, our soul needs wholesome spiritual food. Now, the soul is nourished by the various spiritual exercises, that is, meditation, devout reading, prayer, examinations of conscience, the fulfilment of the duties of state, exercise in the practice of the virtues — all of which keep it in communion with God.

“Therefore, if these exercises are performed with negligence, with voluntary distractions, without efforts to react against routine or sluggishness, the soul is deprived of many graces, is poorly nourished, and becomes weak and incapable of practicing the virtues of the Christian life in face of even little difficulties …Hence, innumerable deliberate venial sins are committed for which one feels scarcely any compunction, since the light of judgment and delicacy of conscience have been gradually weakened ; one lives in habitual dissipation of mind, and performs the examination of conscience carelessly. Thus, horror for sin diminishes, God’s graces become more rare, and the profit derived from them smaller. In a word, there is a weakening of the spiritual organism, which prepares the way to shameful surrenders…

From what we have said it is evident that there are many degrees in lukewarmness. However, it is enough to distinguish incipient from extreme lukewarmness.

(a) In the first instance, one as yet preserves horror for mortal sin, though committing imprudences that may lead thereto. One easily commits deliberate venial sins, notably, such as correspond to one’s predominant fault. Besides, one brings little earnestness to the performance of spiritual exercises, and often performs them through mere routine.

(b) By dint of allowing oneself to drift into such culpable negligences, one ceases to harbor the old instinctive horror for mortal sin. On the other hand, the love of pleasure so increases, that one comes to regret the fact that such or such pleasure is forbidden under the pain of grave sin. One repels temptations, but feebly, and a moment arrives when one asks, and not without reason, whether or not one is still in the state of grace. This is extreme lukewarmness.” (Fr. Tanquery, The Spiritual Life, §1270-1274).

The Book of the Apocalypse speaks of the lukewarm being blind to their lukewarmness, suggesting that they think quite the opposite: “Thou sayest: I am rich, and made wealthy, and have need of nothing: and knowest not, that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold fire tried, that thou mayest be made rich; and mayest be clothed in white garments, and that the shame of thy nakedness may not appear; and anoint thy eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see” (Apocalypse 3:17-18).

Fr. Faber adds: “Either we are lukewarm, or we are fervent ... The diseases and evils of the body are, as might be expected, seeing they are the immediate out-flowings of sin, in a great degree typical of the miseries and misfortunes of the soul. If we seek the correlative of lukewarmness, we shall find it in blindness. It is a blindness which does not know even its own self, and does not suspect that it is blind, or that other men see better than itself. It is a judicial blindness, because it once saw better itself, and now does not remember either what it saw, or that it ever saw at all. It is usual to consider that this blindness is owing principally to three causes, (i) the frequency of venial sins, (ii) habitual dissipation of mind and (iii) the ruling passion” (Fr. Faber, Growth in Holiness, “Lukewarmness”).

Resolution
We shall let Fr. Faber gives us a blueprint for our resolutions:
A few words on its remedies, and the hateful subject may be dismissed. Its cure is immensely difficult; St. Bernard would make us almost despair of its being curable at all. Only, we made up our minds at the beginning to hold this all through, that nothing is incurable, though many things in the spiritual life are nearly so; and neither doctor, nor father, nor saint, but only the Pope, shall drive us from this doctrine. St. Bernard therefore will be satisfied if we say that its cure is immensely difficult, because all the Saints have said so, because the evil is unsuspected, because even the good is mixed with evil, because men do not realize the possible forfeiture of grace to keep precepts when they have been playing fast and loose with counsels, and because, as St. Theresa teaches, for some souls perfection is accidentally necessary even for their salvation! How absurd it seems to mention the feeble remedies!

(1) The first remedy is to quicken faith by meditation on eternal truths, so as to possess our minds habitually with their overwhelming importance and their exacting purity.
(2) The second remedy is, not having so many things to do. It is no use. The times are busy. But we cannot save our souls if we have so many things to do. But the remedy? Good soul! There are some knots in life which cannot be untied; the thing is to cut them, and leave the consequences to help themselves. If you have more duties to do than you can do well, you must boldly neglect some of them. Only have faith, and God will spirit the consequences away, so that you will see nothing more of them.
(3) The third remedy is the practice of silence, not in any offensive or singular way, but proportionably to our state of life.
(4) The fourth remedy is to persevere in our spiritual exercises in spite of dryness and distractions;
(5) And the fifth remedy, which is nearer a specific than any of the others, is a habit of mortification, not interior, but exterior. The interior will look out for itself when its time comes. Just now I want the flesh to suffer. If you turn away from this I give you up. It is the quinine for your ague. Alas! Alas! What does all this come to but the admission that the only sure remedy for lukewarmness is never to be lukewarm, an oracle worthy of the pompous physician of the old comedy? Yet does it not in reality say a great deal?
I fear this evil of lukewarmness is very common, and that at this moment it is gnawing the life out of many souls who suspect not its presence there. It is a great grace, a prophecy of a miraculous cure, to find out that we are lukewarm; but we are lost if we do not act with vigor, the moment we make this frightening discovery. It is like going to sleep in the snow, almost a pleasant tingling feeling at the first, and then—lost forever!

Our Prayer
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by my Ingratitude, pierced by my sins, yet loving me still; accept the consecration that I make to Thee of all that I am and all that I have. Take every faculty of my soul and body and draw me, day by day, nearer and nearer to Thy Sacred Heart, and there, as I can understand the lesson, teach me Thy blessed ways. Amen. (Prayer of St. Padre Pio).

[Mention Intention]

Let us pray:
I fly to Thee Sacred Heart of my Savior, for Thou art for my refuge, my only hope. Thou art the remedy for all my miseries, my consolation in all my wretchedness, the reparation for all my infidelities, the supplement for all my deficiencies, the expiation for all my sins, and the hope and end of all my prayers.

Thou art the only one Who is never weary of me and Who can bear with my faults, because Thou lovest me with an infinite love. Therefore, O my God, have mercy on me according to Thy great mercy, and do with me, and for me, and in me, whatever Thou wilt, for I give myself entirely to Thee, divine Heart, with full confidence that Thou will never reject me. Amen.

Say the Our Father and the Hail Mary.

Final Invocations:
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! Have mercy on us!
O Sacred Eucharistic Heart of Jesus! Make us love Thee more and more!

Jesus seeks to be the King and center of all hearts

Jesus first reveals His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673

The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary

THIRD DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations posted each day)
Topic to Contemplate: Heaven Offers Hearty Food

Holy Scripture
“Then Jesus said to them: ‘Amen, amen I say to you; Moses gave you not bread from Heaven, but My Father giveth you the true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God is that which cometh down from Heaven, and giveth life to the world!’ They said therefore unto Him: ‘Lord! Give us always this bread!’ And Jesus said to them: ‘I am the Bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall not hunger: and he that believeth in Me shall never thirst!’” (John 6:32-25).

Words of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
“Behold this Heart, Which has loved men so much, that It has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming Itself, in order to testify to them Its love; and in return I receive from the greater number nothing but ingratitude, by reason of their irreverence and sacrileges, and by the coldness and contempt which they show Me in this Sacrament of Love” (Words the Sacred Heart spoke to St. Margaret Mary, Fourth Apparition of Jesus under the form of the Sacred Heart, during the Octave of Corpus Christi,1675).

Meditation
It is an axiom admitted by all that love ever tends to union. This springs from the very nature of love—as St. Thomas Aquinas says, one of the effects of love is a union of wills. We naturally desire to be with those who are dear to us, and when we are obliged to separate from them, our inmost being seems, as it were, torn asunder, and tears involuntarily spring to our eyes. Love, then, essentially tends to union, first of all to a spiritual union, though still a union of actual presence. Consequently, since the Sacred Heart is consuming itself with love for man, it has devised a means to be united to man. Oh what admirable are the means of Christ's love! We can see that union marvelously and sweetly brought about in the Blessed Sacrament.

In receiving the Holy Eucharist, Jesus is united to us. That is the first effect and the first aim of Holy Communion. And that union is of the closest possible nature. No earthly alliance is comparable to it. Men may love one another on earth, but their souls are ever separated. Heart cannot melt into heart. But in the Holy Eucharist there is nothing, absolutely nothing between the soul of Jesus and our own: our soul rests on His. The most intimate material connection known to us is that existing between us and our food. It becomes our flesh, our blood, our bone. It becomes part of the heart with which we love, and part of the brain with which we think. Similarly, in Holy Communion Jesus unites Himself so intimately to us, that He lives in us and we in Him: “He who eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me, and I in him.”

But there is a vast difference: we absorb our food, it changes into us. The reverse takes place in Holy Communion; here the stronger life absorbs the weaker—our being is transformed into His, not His into ours. I do not mean to say, however, that the substance of our soul is changed into His, but His life, His spirit, His virtues, His divine inclinations enter into our souls. “I live by the Father: he that eateth Me, the same shall also live by Me.” Mark these words, “The same shall live by Me” and these others, “He who eateth My flesh. . . . abideth, remaineth in Me.” These utterances indicate something more than a transitory, temporal union with Jesus—they point out a permanent union, a continued indwelling of our Lord in the soul that has eaten His flesh.

How can this be, since it is certain that the Body and Blood of Jesus leave in a few moments after our reception of Holy Communion? Some theologians explain this by saying that even after the Body of our Lord disappears, which takes place as soon as the outward appearances of the bread undergo a change,—that even then, though the Body is gone, His adorable soul remains and continues the real union which was contracted when we received the flesh and blood, the soul and the divinity of Jesus. Try to understand this—it is a most beautiful explanation of the words of our Lord: “He that eateth My flesh . . . abideth in Me and I in him” and these others, “He that eateth Me, the same shall live by Me.”

And again—when we receive Holy Communion we receive the living flesh and blood, the human soul and the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. His flesh and blood are with us but a short time, a few minutes; for as soon as the species, that is, the appearances of bread are changed—the flesh and blood are no longer there. Yet, according to this teaching the human soul of Jesus remains, and remains united to our soul in all reality. It penetrates into the depth of our being, it penetrates the deeper, the more fervent our Communion is, and it will not leave us entirely unless we fall into mortal sin. Our Divine Lord's blessed soul takes possession more and more of our whole nature, speaks with our lips, thinks with our brain, and moves in all our actions.

In proportion as our old human life disappears before His influence, human views and feelings grow less, and the thoughts and desires of Jesus are substituted for them. Instead of the love of ease comes the thirst for suffering; instead of selfishness, a devoted zeal, instead of indifference, a tender piety like that of Jesus, who lives more and more completely within us, because our old self is dying beneath the Sacramental touch, and the word of Scripture is realized in us--“I live; no, not I, but Christ liveth in me.”

This truth is beautifully illustrated by that old legend of the monk who, while our Lord was entertaining him with a gracious vision of Himself, heard the bell ring that called him to his appointed task. Duty's claim fulfilled, he returned to find his God awaiting him, not as the Holy Child, but as grown to man's estate. Thus had Jesus developed in the heart of the faithful monk, while he was performing the duty of the hour, and thus does He grow in us, and become, as it were, another Christ in our lives by His intimacy with our souls in the Holy Eucharist.

Resolution
Oh, how wrong are they who deprecate the frequent reception of Holy Communion! How many sinners groping in darkness would turn to paths of virtue if they were encouraged to kneel often at the table of the Lord! How many souls there are who ought to communicate frequently, yet who refrain from approaching our Lord because they do not understand the nature of love, and have erroneous ideas concerning the effects of this Sacrament ! Oh, the Sacred Heart of Jesus is burning with love, it is intensely longing to enter the hearts of creatures. “With desire I have desired to eat this Pasch with you.” Why then refuse to give Him entrance into our hearts and the hearts of others?

Absolutely speaking, no creature is worthy to receive Him. Even the angels are not pure in His sight. But He is willing to come to every one whose Qoul is not dead in mortal sin, and whose heart makes fitting preparation to receive Him. The confessor, of course, will judge how often it is expedient for us to eat the Bread of Life; he will discern whether our preparation be reasonably sufficient to justify our approach to the Lord's banquet table.

All should, however, remember that weekly communion is not frequent communion. Every adult Christian who is sincerely desirous of avoiding mortal sin or who is laboring to correct the criminal habits he has contracted, may once a week, partake of the food of the strong and drink the wine that germinates virgins. “Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you.” Let the sinner, the worldling, the imperfect, the child approach Him,—He loves them unutterably! Let them receive Him often, the oftener the better, if they have but the approbation of the guides of their souls. The road they have to traverse is so difficult, their daily occupations so absorbing, their temptations so intense, their faults so numerous, how shall they ever reach the goal except in the strength of a Bread Divine? “Arise and eat: for thou hast yet a great way to go.” “As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth Me, the same shall also live by Me.”

Our Prayer
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by my Ingratitude, pierced by my sins, yet loving me still; accept the consecration that I make to Thee of all that I am and all that I have. Take every faculty of my soul and body and draw me, day by day, nearer and nearer to Thy Sacred Heart, and there, as I can understand the lesson, teach me Thy blessed ways. Amen. (Prayer of St. Padre Pio).

[Mention Intention]

Let us pray:
I fly to Thee Sacred Heart of my Savior, for Thou art for my refuge, my only hope. Thou art the remedy for all my miseries, my consolation in all my wretchedness, the reparation for all my infidelities, the supplement for all my deficiencies, the expiation for all my sins, and the hope and end of all my prayers.

Thou art the only one Who is never weary of me and Who can bear with my faults, because Thou lovest me with an infinite love. Therefore, O my God, have mercy on me according to Thy great mercy, and do with me, and for me, and in me, whatever Thou wilt, for I give myself entirely to Thee, divine Heart, with full confidence that Thou will never reject me. Amen.

Say the Our Father and the Hail Mary.

Final Invocations:
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! Have mercy on us!
O Sacred Eucharistic Heart of Jesus! Make us love Thee more and more!

Jesus seeks to be the King and center of all hearts

Jesus first reveals His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673

The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary

FOURTH DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations posted each day)
Topic to Contemplate: Strengthening Your Heart

Holy Scripture
“Amen I say to you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, ‘Be thou removed and be cast into the sea!’ and shall not stagger in his heart, but believe, that whatsoever he saith shall be done; it shall be done unto him” (Mark 11:23).

Words of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
“Have no fears, for your shortcomings are repaired by My Heart, and so are those of all souls. But the one thing that I ask is that they should not fail in trust, since I am their Savior and their Spouse.” ” (Words the Sacred Heart spoke to Josefa Menendez, Words of Love by Fr. Gottemuller).

Meditation
We want to be strong, but we know what it is to be weak. St. Peter was full of talk about being strong before the Passion of Christ--“Jesus said to them: ‘All you shall be scandalized in Me this night. For it is written: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be dispersed.” But after I shall be risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.’ And Peter answering, said to Him: ‘Although all shall be scandalized in Thee, I will never be scandalized!’ Jesus said to him: ‘Amen I say to thee, that in this night before the cock crow, thou wilt deny Me thrice!’ Peter saith to him: ‘Yea, though I should die with thee, I will not deny thee!’ And in like manner said all the disciples” (Matthew 26:32-35).

Cometh the hour, runneth the man! When the chips were down and the hands were played—all the Apostles fled from the Garden of Gethsemane at the betrayal and arrest of Jesus. Peter, to give him some credit, pulled out a sword and tried to fight, but he too eventually fled and, as Jesus had prophesied, betrayed Him thrice when being questioned by mere women!

Whence this weakness and lack courage of heart? It came from a lack of prayer! In Gethsemane, at the outset of His agony in the Garden, Our Lord had told Peter, James and John: “Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh weak” (Matthew 26:41). Yet they fell asleep when they should have been praying. Three times Our Lord asked them to pray! Three times they fell asleep! Three times Peter betrayed Our Lord!

St. Paul, was reeling under temptation, of which he says: “there was given me a sting of my flesh, an angel of Satan, to buffet me.” Three times he asked God to remove it from him. He then adds: “The Lord said to me: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee; for power is made perfect in infirmity!’ Gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

In Holy Communion, the stronger life absorbs the weaker, our being is transformed into His. Our Divine Lord's blessed soul takes possession more and more of our whole nature, speaks with our lips, thinks with our brain, and moves in all our actions. In proportion as our old human life disappears before His influence, human views and feelings grow less, and the thoughts and desires of Jesus are substituted for them. To the point—if we show no resistance to Him—that we will be able to say, one day, with St. Paul: “I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me!” (Galatians 2:20). We will then know, understand and experience what St. Paul means when he tells us: “I can do all these things in Him who strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13) and he encourages us likewise: “Thou, therefore, be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1).

“We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise; we are weak, but you are strong” (1 Corinthians 4:10). But… “The foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that He may confound the wise; and the weak things of the world hath God chosen, that He may confound the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Who confounds whom? God confounds man! When St. Peter had cured the lame man, to the astonishment of the bystanders, He said: “Why wonder you at this? Or why look you upon us, as if by our strength or power we had made this man to walk?” (Acts 3:12).

If we have Faith in God—a Faith that only comes through fervent frequent prayer—then, as Jesus said: “If you have Faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Remove from hence hither, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you” (Matthew 17:19) ... “Amen, amen I say to you, he that believeth in Me, the works that I do, he also shall do; and greater than these shall he do” (John 14:12). “Amen I say to you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, ‘Be thou removed and be cast into the sea!’ and shall not stagger in his heart, but believe, that whatsoever he saith shall be done; it shall be done unto him” (Mark 11:23).

Have Faith in the Sacred Heart! Have confidence in His promises! Take heart from them and be strong! For is God be with us, who can stand against us? “If God be for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31).

Resolution
“I can do all these things in Him who strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). That has to be our mantra or motto. Yet this depends upon our Faith in the Sacred Heart. Time and time again, we read in the Gospels the piercing questions and comments of Jesus: “Do you believe, that I can do this unto you?” (Matthew 9:28) … “Why are you fearful? Have you not faith yet?” (Mark 4:40) … “Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee!” (Matthew 8:13). We may feel that our Faith and confidence is weak—then let us cry out with man from the Gospels: “I do believe, Lord: help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23).

Our Prayer
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by my Ingratitude, pierced by my sins, yet loving me still; accept the consecration that I make to Thee of all that I am and all that I have. Take every faculty of my soul and body and draw me, day by day, nearer and nearer to Thy Sacred Heart, and there, as I can understand the lesson, teach me Thy blessed ways. Amen. (Prayer of St. Padre Pio).

[Mention Intention]

Let us pray:
I fly to Thee Sacred Heart of my Savior, for Thou art for my refuge, my only hope. Thou art the remedy for all my miseries, my consolation in all my wretchedness, the reparation for all my infidelities, the supplement for all my deficiencies, the expiation for all my sins, and the hope and end of all my prayers.

Thou art the only one Who is never weary of me and Who can bear with my faults, because Thou lovest me with an infinite love. Therefore, O my God, have mercy on me according to Thy great mercy, and do with me, and for me, and in me, whatever Thou wilt, for I give myself entirely to Thee, divine Heart, with full confidence that Thou will never reject me. Amen.

Say the Our Father and the Hail Mary.

Final Invocations:
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! Have mercy on us!
O Sacred Eucharistic Heart of Jesus! Make us love Thee more and more!

Jesus seeks to be the King and center of all hearts

Jesus first reveals His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673

The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary

VICTORY BELONGS
TO THE LORD

The small number of souls, who hidden, will preserve the treasures of the Faith and practice virtue will suffer a cruel, unspeakable and prolonged martyrdom. Many will succumb to death from the violence of their sufferings and those who sacrifice themselves for the Church and their country will be counted as martyrs. In order to free men from the bondage to these heresies, those whom the merciful love of my most Holy Son has designated to effect the restoration, will need great strength of will, constancy, valor and confidence of the just. There will be occasions when all will seem lost and paralyzed. This then will be the happy beginning of the complete restoration.” (Our Lady of Good Success).

"Blood will flow on all sides. Churches will be locked up or desecrated. Priests and religious orders will be hunted down, and made to die a cruel death. Several will abandon the Faith, and a great number of priests and members of religious orders will break away from the true religion; among these people there will even be bishops .... France, Italy, Spain, and England will be at war. Blood will flow in the streets. Frenchman will fight Frenchman, Italian will fight Italian. A general war will follow which will be appalling. Men will kill each other, massacre each other even in their homes. At the first blow of His thundering sword, the mountains and all Nature will tremble in terror, for the disorders and crimes of men have pierced the vault of the Heavens. Paris will burn and Marseilles will be engulfed. Several cities will be shaken down and swallowed up by earthquakes. People will believe that all is lost. Nothing will be seen but murder, nothing will be heard but the clash of arms and blasphemy. The righteous will suffer greatly. Their prayers, their penances and their tears will rise up to Heaven and all of God’s people will beg for forgiveness and mercy and will plead for my help and intercession. (Our Lady of La Salette).

God Will Then Intervene
“And then Jesus Christ, in an act of His justice and His great mercy, will command His Angels to have all His enemies put to death. Suddenly, the persecutors of the Church of Jesus Christ, and all those given over to sin, will perish and the Earth will become desert-like. And then peace will be made, and man will be reconciled with God. Jesus Christ will be served, worshiped and glorified. Charity will flourish everywhere. The new kings will be the right arm of the Holy Church, which will be strong, humble, pious in It’s poor but fervent imitation of the virtues of Jesus Christ. The Gospel will be preached everywhere and mankind will make great progress in its Faith, for there will be unity among the workers of Jesus Christ and man will live in fear of God. (Our Lady of La Salette).

FIFTH DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations posted each day)
Topic to Contemplate: Exercise Your Heart By Fighting For Christ

Holy Scripture
“Exercise thyself unto godliness. For bodily exercise is profitable to little: but godliness is profitable to all things” (1 Timothy 4:7-8).

“Know you not that they that run in the race, all run indeed, but one receiveth the prize? So run that you may obtain! And every one that striveth for the mastery, refraineth himself from all things: and they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible one! I therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty: I so fight, not as one beating the air: but I chastise my body and bring it into subjection” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

Words of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Sister Mary (Louisa Jaques) of the Holy Trinity was born in 1901 of French-Swiss, Protestant parents in South Africa, where her father was a Protestant missionary. Shortly after her birth, the family returned to Switzerland. At one point in her life she experienced a loss of Faith in the existence of God. It was at that moment that she had a vision of a nun, which moved her to begin to cherish a secret desire to go and pray in a convent—that is, to go and become a religious. She began visiting churches, and, in time, God in His providence brought her into the Catholic Church. Once a Catholic, she did not immediately follow her desire to be a nun; she had a fear of doing so. However, after experiencing a rather striking cure, she started in earnest to look for a convent to enter. There followed a nightmare of attempts. She was refused by many, accepted only for a while by others, but unable to attain her goal in any of them. Finally, while on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where she had heard there was a convent of Poor Clares, she stopped to pray in their chapel. This was in Jerusalem. God brought about Sister Mary’s entrance there, in June 1938, with an ease that clearly manifested His hand. She was to live only four more years.

Our Lord never appeared to Sister Mary of the Holy Trinity; she only heard His inner voice speaking to her. This had happened several times before she entered, but in the convent it became more frequent. Her confessor ordered her to write down what Our Lord said to her. Our Lord had a special mission. He asked her to make a vow to be a victim soul, saying that others would follow her in this. His words were:

“I ask four things of the souls who bind themselves more closely to Me by the vow of victim:
(1) To listen to Me more than to speak to Me.
(2) To strive to reproduce My actions, My way of acting, rather than My words.
(3) To be before men as they are before God, in a state of poverty that begs, not in a state of spiritual wealth that gives alms of its superfluity .
(4) To confine their efforts to spreading My Spirit, My gentleness, and My kindness which does not dwell on evil, but overcomes evil by good ... Being exacting with no one, but themselves.” (Words the Sacred Heart spoke to Sister Mary of the Trinity, Words of Love by Fr. Gottemuller).

Meditation
Now, let it be said and stressed that nobody should sentimentally, or emotionally, or ambitiously seek to be a victim soul. A victim soul is much like a vocation—it is a calling, not a self-designated position. If one ever has such a desire, then one should reveal and place such a desire in the hands of one’s confessor or spiritual director, accepting their advice and final decision on the matter. However, victim souls should be an example and an encouragement to us to imitate them in whatever little ways Providence chooses to lead us along—for everyone has a vocation to suffer and without suffering there is no salvation, nor Heaven. Our Lord “said to all: ‘If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23) ... “And he that taketh not up his cross, and followeth Me, is not worthy of Me!” (Matthew 10:38). Sacrifice and suffering is the lot of anyone and everyone who wishes to get to Heaven: “Unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). The victim soul just does these things to a very high level and to an intense degree. Souls must learn to walk before they can run in the ways of the Lord.

Spiritual exercise is, therefore, not an option but an obligation. Heaven has repeatedly come to coach us and assign to us the exercises that it deems to best for our current spiritual condition. One of those spiritual exercises is devotion to the Sacred Heart. Yet how few are those fervent souls that regularly exercise in this field! How many are the spiritual couch potatoes, who know what they should be doing, but refuse—due their apathy, laziness or distractions with worldliness—to do what is asked of them. Victim souls are a rarity—fervent souls should not be a rarity. Victim souls can be compared to military elites such as those listed below. The regular Catholic still has to fight battles like any soldier must fight, but the victim souls are like the elite soldier in one of many elite military outfits around the world. We shall take a brief look at the “cream of the crop”—as rated by the military experts themselves. Hopefully this gives a serious parallel to our role as a Soldier for Christ, into whose army we all enlisted at our Confirmation.

No. 8 Ranking: EKO-Cobra – Austria
As a result of the attack on the Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, Austria created the Einsatzkommando Cobra for anti-terrorist operations. The force is made up of 450 men who have served in the Austrian Federal Police Force. Training, like every special-force, involves several months of specialized courses focused on marksmanship, languages, hand-to-hand combat and tactical and assault training. Of course, only those who pass strict psychological and physical testing qualify for the full training. In order to be as diverse as possible, extra specialized training often follows this ‘general’ training and focuses on things like explosives, diving and sniping.

No. 7 Ranking: Delta Force — USA
The full name of this USA military group is the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta. In addition to counter-terrorism operations, Delta Force can also take part in hostage rescue, raids, reconnaissance and less covert direct action operations. The group was formed in 1977 as a result of an increasing number of high-profile terrorist operations. Since then it has been composed largely of soldiers who have served in US special-forces, like the Green Berets or Rangers. To be considered for training, potential candidates must be male, at least 21 years old, score highly on an aptitude test and be between the rank of corporal and master sergeant. A series of grueling physical and mental tests follow with the aim of weeding out the weakest. Allegedly, this testing means less than 1 in 10 make it through to the 6 month-long training course. Delta Force operations remain highly guarded secrets but you can bet they are in the vanguard of any US-led operation.

No. 6 Ranking: JTF2 – Canada
Created in 1993 and expanded to several hundred members following the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, Canada’s Joint Task Force 2 is an elite counter-terrorism and special operations unit. Composed of military personnel from the Canadian Forces, JTF2 undertakes a range of operations. They have been known to escort VIPs and provide site security at events like the 2010 Winter Olympics. More covertly, they have operated in many world hotspots, whether it be rescuing hostages in Iraq, or hunting down Serbian snipers in Bosnia. The force’s time in Afghanistan is largely guarded, but it is known they were involved before most ground forces arrived, and worked beside other special forces, like the US Navy SEALs. Their operations were so secret that even the Canadian Prime Minister was unaware the force was involved in Afghanistan during the early days.

No. 5 Ranking: Alpha Group — Russia
Within the Russian special-forces, Alpha Group is as brutal and efficient as they come. This force started out in the mid-1970’s and came to fame during the invasion of Afghanistan, during which members of Alpha Group stormed the Presidential Palace in Kabul, killing everyone in the building. In 1985, a group was dispatched to Beirut to try and rescue four Soviet diplomats. When the diplomats were killed, Alpha Group allegedly hunted down relatives of the hostage takers and returned them to their families in much smaller pieces to send a message to would-be terrorists. It apparently worked for over 20 years. Domestically, Alpha Group has been involved in most of the major anti-terrorist/hostage operations in Russia: such as the Moscow theatre siege of 2002 and the Beslan school siege in 2004. Both events demonstrated the rather heavy handed nature of the Russian special-forces, as hundreds of hostages were killed during operations.

No. 4 Ranking: Shayetet 13 – Israel
Another Israeli special-forces group, Shayetet 13 is associated with the Israeli navy. Created in 1948, this force has taken part in every major Israeli operation and war conducting everything from hostage rescue and counter-terrorism to intelligence gathering and boarding. Training is 20 months long and pushes candidates under the most stressful psychological and physical testing before specialized training even begins. You name the specialized type of training and odds are the members of Shayetet 13 have done it – whether it be parachute training, demolitions, underwater warfare or cold/dark training. Operationally, Shayetet 13 members have recently been involved in a number of high profile operations involving boarding ships and seizing weaponry bound for Gaza. Their most notable operation was after the 1972 Munich Olympics when they were used to hunt down and eliminate those responsible for the attack on the Israeli athletes.

No. 3 Ranking: Navy SEALs – USA
You knew these guys were going to have to show up sometime. The SEALs are an American special-forces group created in 1962 which have achieved near mythical status. The SEALs are elite and the physical and mental strength required to make it in this force is ridiculously high. Training takes over a year and most applicants can’t even get past the physical qualification test, which involves a lot of swimming, push-ups, sit-ups and running, all accomplished in a very strict time limit. Get past that and you enter general training. Pass that, and you move on to SEAL qualification training, which then opens the door to specialized training. All of this ensures that SEAL members are physically and mentally as tough as nails and capable of undertaking the most difficult operations in the world, wherever that may be.

No. 2 Ranking: SAS – Britain
What’s this, a group rated higher than the SEALs? Indeed. The British Special Air Service was created in 1941 as a force which could operate behind German and Italian lines and support resistance movements against the occupation forces. Understandably, the force is made up of British military personnel, with the most coming from the airborne forces. Physical requirements are harsh and require a lot of marching with full pack. This culminates in a 40 mile march with a full pack that must be finished in 20 hours. Candidates must also be able to swim two miles in an hour-and-a-half; and run four miles in 30 minutes. After this, you get dropped in the jungle to learn survival and navigational skills, after which you endure survival practice. The final test is a 36-hour interrogation session meant to break the candidate’s will. The small handful who make it through this get transferred to an operation force for further training. Not convinced this is ‘better’ than the SEALs? It may help you to know that the SAS is also trained by MI5 and MI6 security and intelligence services to undertake counter-espionage operations. It’s like having a SEAL and a top-level spy all rolled into one.

No. 1 Ranking: VS (Victim Soul) – the Catholic Church
As St. Paul would say, these military athletes put in all this effort, endure all this pain, take all these risks, expose themselves to these dangers for a worldly reward, for worldly fame, or human ambition. How much more should not a Soldier for Christ strive to perfect himself? “Everyone that striveth for the mastery, refraineth himself from all things: and they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible one! I therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty: I so fight, not as one beating the air: but I chastise my body and bring it into subjection” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). “Not every one that saith to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven … The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away” (Matthew 11:12; 7:21). “For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the Gospel, shall save it!” (Mark 8:35).

Resolution
Our life is one long war—“The life of man upon earth is a warfare” (Job 7:1)—and the whole world is our enemy: “Know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world, becometh an enemy of God” (James 4:4). As Jesus said: “If the world hate you, know ye, that it hath hated me before you” (John 15:18) … “In the world you shall have distress: but have confidence, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). “For whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world: and this is the victory which overcometh the world—our Faith” (1 John 5:4). “Fight the good fight of Faith: lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art called!” (1 Timothy 6:12). “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31). “Fear them not: for the Lord your God will fight for you” (Deuteronomy 3:22).

Our Prayer
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by my Ingratitude, pierced by my sins, yet loving me still; accept the consecration that I make to Thee of all that I am and all that I have. Take every faculty of my soul and body and draw me, day by day, nearer and nearer to Thy Sacred Heart, and there, as I can understand the lesson, teach me Thy blessed ways. Amen. (Prayer of St. Padre Pio).

[Mention Intention]

Let us pray:
I fly to Thee Sacred Heart of my Savior, for Thou art for my refuge, my only hope. Thou art the remedy for all my miseries, my consolation in all my wretchedness, the reparation for all my infidelities, the supplement for all my deficiencies, the expiation for all my sins, and the hope and end of all my prayers.

Thou art the only one Who is never weary of me and Who can bear with my faults, because Thou lovest me with an infinite love. Therefore, O my God, have mercy on me according to Thy great mercy, and do with me, and for me, and in me, whatever Thou wilt, for I give myself entirely to Thee, divine Heart, with full confidence that Thou will never reject me. Amen.

Say the Our Father and the Hail Mary.

Final Invocations:
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! Have mercy on us!
O Sacred Eucharistic Heart of Jesus! Make us love Thee more and more!

Jesus seeks to be the King and center of all hearts

Jesus first reveals His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673

The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary

SIXTH DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations posted each day)
Topic to Contemplate: Firing-Up Your Heart

Holy Scripture
“I am come to cast fire on the earth; and what will I, but that it be kindled?” (Luke 12:49).

Words of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
“Have no fears, for your shortcomings are repaired by My Heart, and so are those of all souls. But the one thing that I ask is that they should not fail in trust, since I am their Savior and their Spouse.”  (Words the Sacred Heart spoke to Josefa Menendez, Words of Love by Fr. Gottemuller).

Meditation

God Loves Fire!
Of all the elements that He could choose to represent Himself, God chooses fire! “The Lord thy God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24-36). St. John the Evangelist, in the New Testament, says that God is charity (1 John 4:8) and what better symbol of charity than the flames of the fire?

We see God choose fire as a symbol of Himself when He first appears to Moses in the burning bush: “And the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he saw that the bush was on fire and was not burnt” (Exodus 3:2).

We see the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Love, come down upon Our Lady and the Apostles at Pentecost in the form of tongues of fire: “And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them: and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:1-4).

The Sacred Heart of Jesus appears to St. Margaret Mary and shows her His heart with flames of love shooting out from it. Jesus told her: “My Divine Heart is so inflamed with love for men, and for thee in particular that, being unable any longer to contain within Itself the flames of Its burning charity, It needs to spread them abroad.”

Seek the Fire of God
“When thou shalt seek there the Lord thy God, thou shalt find Him: if thou seek Him with all thy heart, and all the affliction of thy soul … Because the Lord thy God is a merciful God: He will not leave thee, nor altogether destroy thee… Ask of the days of old, from the day that God created man upon the earth, if ever there was done the like thing, or it hath been known at any time, that a people should hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of fire, as thou hast heard, and lived ... Know that the Lord He is God, and there is no other besides Him. From Heaven He made thee to hear His voice, that He might teach thee. And upon earth He showed thee His exceeding great fire, and thou didst hear His words out of the midst of the fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24-36).

Fearsome Fire
Fire is a fearsome thing and it is used to good effect by God—both in imagery and in reality. It is frequently used as imagery in Holy Scripture to instill a wholesome fear of God: “And the Lord thundered from Heaven, and the highest gave His voice: hail and coals of fire” (Psalms 17:14). “The earth shook and trembled, the foundations of the mountains were moved, and shaken, because He was angry with them. A smoke went up from His nostrils, and a devouring fire out of His mouth: coals were kindled by it” (2 Kings 22:8-9) ... “Out of His mouth go forth lamps, like torches of lighted fire” (Job 41:10).

Reality of Fire Has The Same Effect
Fire was the visual that God gave the wandering Israelites in the desert: “And all Mount Sinai was on a smoke: because the Lord was come down upon it in fire, and the smoke arose from it as out of a furnace: and all the mount was terrible” (Exodus 19:18). “And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a burning fire upon the top of the mount, in the eyes of the children of Israel” (Exodus 24:17). Moses then goes up the mountain and stays there in conversation with God for forty days and forty nights. When he returns, he finds that the Israelites had made the Golden Calf! Moses destroys this and burns it up in a fire.

Nightly Fireworks
The Israelites had a nightly ‘firework show’ in the desert, as God was with them in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night: “Now on the day that the tabernacle was reared up, a cloud covered it. But from the evening there was over the tabernacle, as it were, the appearance of fire until the morning. So it was always: by day the cloud covered it, and by night as it were the appearance of fire … And Moses said to the Lord: ‘Thy cloud protecteth them, and thou goest before them in a pillar of a cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night’” (Number 9:15-16; 14:13-14). “There never failed the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, before the people” (Exodus 13:22).

Fire on the Altar of Our Hearts
The altar can be a symbol of our hearts, and the following indicates how our hearts should burn within us, just as the disciples of the Lord, on the Road to Emmaus, confessed—“Was not our heart burning within us, whilst He spoke” (Luke 24:32). The fire of love should always be burning on the altar of our hearts: “Put fire on the altar … and the fire on the altar shall always burn, and the priest shall feed it, putting wood on it every day in the morning, and laying on the holocaust, shall burn thereupon the fat of the peace offerings. This is the perpetual fire which shall never go out on the altar … And behold a fire, coming forth from the Lord, devoured the holocaust, and the fat that was upon the altar: which when the multitude saw, they praised the Lord, falling on their faces” (Leviticus 1:7; 6:12-13; 9:24).

Baptism of Fire
“John [the Baptist] answered, saying unto all: ‘There shall come one mightier than I, He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire!’” (Luke 3:16). The Holy Ghost indeed came with fire on Pentecost: “And when the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place: and suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them: and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:1-4). This is echoed in our prayer to the Holy Ghost, which we should say each day: “Come Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in us the fire of Thy love!” For that is the wish of Christ: “I am come to cast fire on the earth; and what will I, but that it be kindled?” (Luke 12:49).

Fire of Zeal and Devotion
“He that maketh His ministers a flame of fire” (Hebrews 1:7). “A hot soul is a burning fire” (Ecclesiasticus 23:22). “My heart grew hot within me: and in my meditation a fire shall flame out” (Psalms 38:4). “Can a man hide fire in his bosom, and his garments not burn?” (Proverbs 6:27).

How wonderful it would be if more Catholics would imitate the prophet Elias, of whom Scripture says: “And Elias the prophet stood up, as a fire, and his word burnt like a torch … By the word of the Lord he shut up the Heaven, and he brought down fire from Heaven thrice ... Who wast taken up in a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot of fiery horses” (Ecclesiasticus 48:1, 3, 9). Possible? Little Blessed Jacinta Marto of Fatima said: “Oh! If only I could put into all hearts the fire I feel in my own, which makes me love the Hearts of Jesus and Mary so much!”

Trial By Fire
Our mettle, like metal, is tried in the fires of temptation, suffering and persecution, “For gold and silver are tried in the fire, but acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation” (Ecclesiasticus 2:5). “As silver is tried by fire, and gold in the furnace: so the Lord trieth the hearts” (Proverbs 17:3). “He has tried me as gold that passeth through the fire” (Job 23:10). “Thou hast proved my heart, and visited it by night, thou hast tried me by fire” (Psalm 16:3).

Punishment By Fire
Our Lady warns of punishment by fire for our times: “Fire will rain from Heaven” says Our Lady of Good Success; “Water and fire will give the Earth’s globe convulsions … Water and fire will purge the Earth and consume all the works of man’s pride and all will be renewed” adds Our Lady of La Salette; while Our Lady of Akita states: “The Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful.” This is nothing new, as we see Holy Scripture speak of this in the Old Testament:

“And the Lord rained, upon Sodom and Gomorrha, brimstone and fire out of Heaven” (Genesis 19:24). “Fire being sent from above to consume mountains and woods, doth as it is commanded” (Baruch 6:62). “A fire shall go before Him, and shall burn His enemies round about ... Like wax that melteth, they shall be taken away: fire hath fallen on them, and they shall not see the sun … As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God … Burning coals shall fall upon them; Thou wilt cast them down into the fire: in miseries they shall not be able to stand” (Psalm 96:3; 57:9; 67:3; 139:11). “Behold they are as stubble, fire hath burnt them, they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flames … They would melt as at the burning of fire, the waters would burn with fire, that Thy Name might be made known to Thy enemies: that the nations might tremble at Thy presence … For the Lord shall judge by fire” (Isaias 47:14; 64:2; 66:16). “And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth … Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished” (Matthew 13:50; Mark 9:45).

Resolution
We Were Made To Burn!  A shocking, yet very true thought! We really were made to burn—we cannot escape burning. We can choose where we want to burn—we can either burn with a great love of God here below; or if we refuse to burn in love on Earth, we will either have to burn in Purgatory or burn in Hell—but burn we must. It is time to kindle our fire or book our ticket. What shall it be?

Our Prayer
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by my Ingratitude, pierced by my sins, yet loving me still; accept the consecration that I make to Thee of all that I am and all that I have. Take every faculty of my soul and body and draw me, day by day, nearer and nearer to Thy Sacred Heart, and there, as I can understand the lesson, teach me Thy blessed ways. Amen. (Prayer of St. Padre Pio).

[Mention Intention]

Let us pray:
I fly to Thee Sacred Heart of my Savior, for Thou art for my refuge, my only hope. Thou art the remedy for all my miseries, my consolation in all my wretchedness, the reparation for all my infidelities, the supplement for all my deficiencies, the expiation for all my sins, and the hope and end of all my prayers.

Thou art the only one Who is never weary of me and Who can bear with my faults, because Thou lovest me with an infinite love. Therefore, O my God, have mercy on me according to Thy great mercy, and do with me, and for me, and in me, whatever Thou wilt, for I give myself entirely to Thee, divine Heart, with full confidence that Thou will never reject me. Amen.

Say the Our Father and the Hail Mary.

Final Invocations:
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! Have mercy on us!
O Sacred Eucharistic Heart of Jesus! Make us love Thee more and more!

Jesus seeks to be the King and center of all hearts

Jesus first reveals His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673

The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary

SEVENTH DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations posted each day)
Topic to Contemplate: The Effects of Divine Love in Your Heart

Holy Scripture
“If then you obey My commandments, which I command you this day, that you love the Lord your God, and serve him with all your heart, and with all your soul: He will give to your land the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your corn, and your wine, and your oil, and your hay out of the fields to feed your cattle, and that you may eat and be filled … If you keep the commandments and do them, to love the Lord your God, and walk in all His ways, cleaving unto Him, the Lord will destroy all these nations before your face, and you shall possess them which are greater and stronger than you. Every place, that your foot shall tread upon, shall be yours. None shall stand against you: the Lord your God shall lay the dread and fear of you upon all the land that you shall tread upon. Behold I set forth in your sight this day a blessing and a curse: a blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: a curse, if you obey not the commandments of the Lord your” (Deuteronomy 11:13-15; 11:22-28).

Words of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
“All souls could rapidly attain to the plenitude of their sanctity if they allowed Me to act, without resisting. Oh, the unacknowledged reserves of selfishness which paralyze the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit within you!” (Our Lord to Sr. Mary of the Trinity, Words of Love, by Fr. Gottemuller).

Meditation

The Wonderful Effects of Divine Love!
The Imitation of Christ has a most beautiful chapter that describes the effects of divine love in souls of those who abandon themselves to loving God as God demands: "With our whole heart, mind, soul and strength!"

Love is an excellent thing, a very great blessing, indeed. It makes every difficulty easy, and bears all wrongs with equanimity. For it bears a burden without being weighted and renders sweet all that is bitter. The noble love of Jesus spurs to great deeds and excites longing for that which is more perfect. Love tends upward; it will not be held down by anything low. Love wishes to be free and estranged from all worldly affections, lest its inward sight be obstructed, lest it be entangled in any temporal interest and overcome by adversity.

Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger or higher or wider; nothing is more pleasant, nothing fuller, and nothing better in heaven or on earth, for love is born of God and cannot rest except in God, Who is above all created things.

One who is in love flies, runs, and rejoices; he is free, not bound. He gives all for all and possesses all in all, because he rests in the one sovereign Good, Who is above all things, and from Whom every good flows and proceeds. He does not look to the gift but turns himself above all gifts to the Giver.

Love often knows no limits but overflows all bounds. Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of troubles, attempts more than it is able, and does not plead impossibility, because it believes that it may and can do all things. For this reason, it is able to do all, performing and effecting much where he who does not love fails and falls.

Love is watchful. Sleeping, it does not slumber. Wearied, it is not tired. Pressed, it is not straitened. Alarmed, it is not confused, but like a living flame, a burning torch, it forces its way upward and passes unharmed through every obstacle.

If a man loves, he will know the sound of this voice. For this warm affection of soul is a loud voice crying in the ears of God, and it says: "My God, my love, You are all mine and I am all Yours. Give me an increase of love, that I may learn to taste with the inward lips of my heart how sweet it is to love, how sweet to be dissolved in love and bathe in it. Let me be rapt in love. Let me rise above self in great fervor and wonder. Let me sing the hymn of love, and let me follow You, my Love, to the heights. Let my soul exhaust itself in praising You, rejoicing out of love. Let me love You more than myself, and let me not love myself except for Your sake. In You let me love all those who truly love You, as the law of love, which shines forth from You, commands."

Love is swift, sincere, kind, pleasant, and delightful. Love is strong, patient and faithful, prudent, long-suffering, and manly. Love is never self-seeking, for in whatever a person seeks himself there he falls from love. Love is circumspect, humble, and upright. It is neither soft nor light, nor intent upon vain things. It is sober and chaste, firm and quiet, guarded in all the senses.

Love is subject and obedient to superiors. It is mean and contemptible in its own eyes, devoted and thankful to God; always trusting and hoping in Him even when He is distasteful to it, for there is no living in love without sorrow. He who is not ready to suffer all things and to stand resigned to the will of the Beloved is not worthy to be called a lover. A lover must embrace willingly all that is difficult and bitter for the sake of the Beloved, and he should not turn away from Him because of adversities.

Our Prayer
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by my Ingratitude, pierced by my sins, yet loving me still; accept the consecration that I make to Thee of all that I am and all that I have. Take every faculty of my soul and body and draw me, day by day, nearer and nearer to Thy Sacred Heart, and there, as I can understand the lesson, teach me Thy blessed ways. Amen. (Prayer of St. Padre Pio).

[Mention Intention]

Let us pray:
I fly to Thee Sacred Heart of my Savior, for Thou art for my refuge, my only hope. Thou art the remedy for all my miseries, my consolation in all my wretchedness, the reparation for all my infidelities, the supplement for all my deficiencies, the expiation for all my sins, and the hope and end of all my prayers.

Thou art the only one Who is never weary of me and Who can bear with my faults, because Thou lovest me with an infinite love. Therefore, O my God, have mercy on me according to Thy great mercy, and do with me, and for me, and in me, whatever Thou wilt, for I give myself entirely to Thee, divine Heart, with full confidence that Thou will never reject me. Amen.

Say the Our Father and the Hail Mary.

Final Invocations:
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! Have mercy on us!
O Sacred Eucharistic Heart of Jesus! Make us love Thee more and more!

Jesus seeks to be the King and center of all hearts

Jesus first reveals His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673

The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary

EIGHTH DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations posted each day)
Topic to Contemplate: Persevere and Do Not Fear

Holy Scripture
“Jesus spoke to them, saying: ‘Be of good heart: fear ye not!’” (Matthew 14:27).
“Jesus said: … ‘Fear not, only believe!’” (Mark 5:36).
“And when you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, fear ye not!” (Mark 13:7).
“And fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him that can destroy both soul and body in Hell!” (Matthew 10:28).
“Fear not, little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

Words of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
“Love Me, and don’t be afraid of your weakness, for I will sustain you. You love Me and I love you, you are Mine and I am yours. What more do you want?” (Our Lord to Sr. Josefa Menendez, from Words of Love, by Fr. Gottemuller).

Meditation
Don’t be afraid to be pious. “Being pious” or “being devout” is just a pious way of saying “loving God.” Who is afraid of loving God? Are you afraid of loving God? Then don’t be afraid of being pious or being devout—for they are the means to the end. We lose nothing in being pious or devout—except perhaps the esteem of the worldly folk—but we gain unspeakable benefits.

Do not be afraid to bend your knees or even prostrate yourself before God and be simply pious or devout. Man was made to be pious and devout. Devotion is the heart of our Faith—the love of God—without which we are “as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal ... If I have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing!” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

“My little daughter, to hit the target, good marksmen aim above it―they then hit it. Do you understand? To practice a virtue, do not be afraid of exaggerating that virtue―to attain to the love of the Cross, you must know the folly of the Cross” (Our Lord speaking to Sr. Mary of the Trinity, from Words of Love, by Fr. Gottemuller).

We are often too afraid because we lack confidence in God: lacking confidence in His mercy, power and love for us. When we suffer, or things go wrong for us, or we have some overwhelming difficulties, we are afraid that God hates us and is punishing us vengefully!

“Do you think that anything happens without My permission? I dispose all things for the good of each and every soul. Though this hour seems dark to you, My power dominates it and My work will gain by it. I am your All, Josefa, so do not be afraid, for you are not alone. I have not brought you here for your ruin, but from love, and because it is fitting that all this should happen ... Do not fear, for I am looking after you with jealous care, such care as the tenderest of mothers takes of her little child” (Our Lord speaking to Sr. Josefa Menendez, from Words of Love, by Fr. Gottemuller).

“Consolata, you know that I am thinking of everything, that I am providing for everything down to the smallest detail. Therefore, do not let one thought enter your mind, not one outside interest.... Have no fear! I am taking care of you!” (Our Lord speaking to Sr. Consolate Betrone, from Words of Love, by Fr. Gottemuller).

“Have no fears, for your shortcomings are repaired by My Heart, and so are those of all souls. But the one thing that I ask is that they should not fail in trust, since I am their Savior and their Spouse … Why fear? I am your Savior and Bridegroom. If only souls understood all these two words imply! Let them [souls] give themselves up to thoughts of confidence, not fear, for I am a God of pity, ever ready to receive them into My Heart” (Our Lord speaking to Sr. Josefa Menendez, from Words of Love, by Fr. Gottemuller).

“Fear nothing. My work is wrought in the dark, but when it sees the light, all will wonder at its every detail” (Our Lord speaking to Sr. Josefa Menendez, from Words of Love, by Fr. Gottemuller).

“Oh, if instead of wounding My Heart with such distrust, you would give a little thought to the Heaven which awaits you! I did not create you for Hell, but for Heaven, not as a companion for the devil, but to enjoy Me in everlasting love! You see, Consolata, to Hell go only those who wish to go there. . . . How foolish is your fear of being damned! After having shed My Blood in order to save your soul, after having surrounded your soul with graces upon graces all through your entire existence ... would I permit Satan, My worst enemy, to rob Me of that soul, at the last moment of her life, just when I am about to gather in the fruit of the Redemption and when, therefore, that soul is on the point of loving Me forever? Would I do that, when in the Holy Gospel I have promised to give the soul eternal life and that no one can snatch her from My Hands? Consolata, how is it possible to believe such a monstrosity? You see, final impenitence is found only in a soul who purposely wishes to go to Hell and therefore obstinately refuses My mercy, for I never refuse to pardon anyone. I offer the gift of My immense compassion to all, for My Blood was shed for all, for all! No, it is not the multiplicity of sins which condemns a soul, for I forgive everything if she repents, but it is the obstinacy of not wishing to be pardoned, of wishing to be damned! Dismas on the cross had only one single act of faith in Me, but many, many sins; he was pardoned in an instant, however, and on the very day of his repentance he entered into My kingdom and is a saint! Behold the triumph of My Mercy and of faith in Me!” (Our Lord speaking to Sr. Consolate Betrone, from Words of Love, by Fr. Gottemuller).

Why then is it, that most souls are lost? It is not because Jesus does not love them; it is not because Jesus hates them—it is because they do not really love Jesus. As He Himself says: “I never refuse to pardon anyone ... I forgive everything if she repents [see below] … Dismas on the cross was pardoned in an instant … I did not create you for Hell, but for Heaven, not as a companion for the devil, but to enjoy Me in everlasting love! You see, to Hell go only those who wish to go there ... [who are in an] obstinacy of not wishing to be pardoned, of wishing to be damned!”

* to truly “repent” means: (1) to confess one sin, (2) to have a firm desire not to sin again, (3) to have concrete plans on what you will do to avoid future sin, (4) to be sorry for your sin out of some supernatural motive—love of God, fear of His eternal punishments, etc., (5) to do penance for the sin—the ‘down-payment’ or ‘first-payment’ usually being given by the priest when we confess the sin.

Dismas publicly repented and was ready and willing to fully pay and make reparation for his sins; and so he openly stated, on the cross, that he accepted the torture of death on the cross as a just punishment for his sins. Our Lord’s response was: “Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise!” (Luke 23:43).

Mary Magdalen—a woman once possessed by seven devils—was not afraid to repeatedly and publicly weep for her sins. Our Lord’s response was: “Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less” (Luke 7:47).

As Holy Scripture says: “Fear is not in charity: but perfect charity casteth out fear, because fear hath pain. And he that feareth, is not perfected in charity” (1 John 4:18). “Ye that fear the Lord, love Him, and your hearts shall be enlightened” (Ecclesiasticus 2:10).

Our Prayer
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by my Ingratitude, pierced by my sins, yet loving me still; accept the consecration that I make to Thee of all that I am and all that I have. Take every faculty of my soul and body and draw me, day by day, nearer and nearer to Thy Sacred Heart, and there, as I can understand the lesson, teach me Thy blessed ways. Amen. (Prayer of St. Padre Pio).

[Mention Intention]

Let us pray:
I fly to Thee Sacred Heart of my Savior, for Thou art for my refuge, my only hope. Thou art the remedy for all my miseries, my consolation in all my wretchedness, the reparation for all my infidelities, the supplement for all my deficiencies, the expiation for all my sins, and the hope and end of all my prayers.

Thou art the only one Who is never weary of me and Who can bear with my faults, because Thou lovest me with an infinite love. Therefore, O my God, have mercy on me according to Thy great mercy, and do with me, and for me, and in me, whatever Thou wilt, for I give myself entirely to Thee, divine Heart, with full confidence that Thou will never reject me. Amen.

Say the Our Father and the Hail Mary.

Final Invocations:
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! Have mercy on us!
O Sacred Eucharistic Heart of Jesus! Make us love Thee more and more!

Jesus seeks to be the King and center of all hearts

Jesus first reveals His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673

The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary

NINTH DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations posted each day)
Topic to Contemplate: One Heart and One Soul

Holy Scripture
“And the multitude of believers had but one heart and one soul” (Acts 4:32).

“If any one love Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and will make our abode with him” (John 14:23).

“He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me, and I in him” (John 6:57).

“If any one abide not in Me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth” (John 15:6).

Words of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
“When you are united among yourselves, you can obtain everything from God, because you have obtained from yourselves the most difficult thing. And I have the joy of giving rewards” (Our Lord to Sr. Mary of the Trinity, from Words of Love, by Fr. Gottemuller).

“Many souls exhaust themselves in efforts, in acts of generosity, which leave their soul bruised and impoverished, because they strain at an ideal of virtue, of sanctity that I do not ask of them. They will be rewarded for their pure intention and their generosity, but their efforts do not produce the fruit that they would produce if they were united to My will.” (Our Lord to Sr. Mary of the Trinity, from Words of Love, by Fr. Gottemuller).

Sr. Consolata Betrone said to Our Lord: “O Jesus, I am so worthless!” Jesus: replied: “Then unite yourself to strength!” Sr. Consolata asked: “How can I do that?” Jesus replied: “By remaining in love. United to strength, you will be stronger than the strong!” (from Words of Love, by Fr. Gottemuller).

“What does all the rest matter? ... Your sins? Why, I can wipe them out ... Your miseries? I consume them ... Your weakness? I will be its support ... Let us remain united!” (Our Lord to Sr. Josefa Menendez, from Words of Love, by Fr. Gottemuller).

“You are a very little one, but if you are united to Me, My Father will listen to you” (Our Lord to Sr. Josefa Menedez, from Words of Love, by Fr. Gottemuller).

Meditation
The Imitation of Christ tells us how to find union with Christ: through prayer and meditation on His life and sufferings.

“Why do you look about here when this is not the place of your repose? Dwell rather upon heaven and give but a passing glance to all earthly things. They all pass away, and you together with them. Take care, then, that you do not cling to them lest you be entrapped and perish. Fix your mind on the Most High, and pray unceasingly to Christ.

“If you do not know how to meditate on heavenly things, direct your thoughts to Christ's passion and willingly behold His sacred wounds. If you turn devoutly to the wounds and precious stigmata of Christ, you will find great comfort in suffering, you will mind but little the scorn of men, and you will easily bear their slanderous talk.

“When Christ was in the world, He was despised by men; in the hour of need He was forsaken by acquaintances and left by friends to the depths of scorn. He was willing to suffer and to be despised; do you dare to complain of anything? He had enemies and defamers; do you want everyone to be your friend, your benefactor? How can your patience be rewarded if no adversity test it? How can you be a friend of Christ if you are not willing to suffer any hardship? Suffer with Christ and for Christ if you wish to reign with Him.

“You have here no lasting home. You are a stranger and a pilgrim wherever you may be, and you shall have no rest until you are wholly united with Christ” (The Imitation of Christ, Book 2, Chapter 1).

“Truly you will never attain this happiness unless His grace prepares you and draws you on, so that you may forsake all things, to be united with Him alone” (The Imitation of Christ, Book 2, Chapter 8). “For this, indeed, great grace is needed, grace that will raise the soul and lift it up above itself. Unless a man be elevated in spirit, free from all creatures, and completely united to God, all his knowledge and possessions are of little consequence” (The Imitation of Christ, Book 3, Chapter 31).

The problem is that we want the best of both worlds—enjoy life here below, suffer as little as possible, pray as little as possible and as quickly as possible, preferably multitasking at the same time; and, at the end of day, go to Heaven, with as little or no time in Purgatory! O what wonderful imagination we have and what great fairy tales we can write! Fairy tales that are far removed from the Gospel stories!

We quickly forget the demands and commands of Our Lord: “Love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength!” (Mark 12:30) … “And he spoke also a parable to them, that we ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1) … “No, I say to you: but unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish!” (Luke 13:3) ... “For I tell you, that unless your justice abound more than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:20) ... “Not every one that saith to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven: but he that doth the will of My Father Who is in Heaven, he shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 7:21) … “Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat. How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!” (Matthew 7:13-14). “Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be able!” (Luke 13:24).

However, very few too have that version of the Bible! Their versions have just the sweet quotes and the tougher quotes have been shelved—or at least shelved for themselves, but applicable only to others. Listen to Our Lady in her modern day apparitions to get a hint of which quotes Heaven wishes us to focus upon—this is because most of the world sees God as unconditionally, ever-forgiving, merciful and toothless God. A God who eats no meat, but just drinks smoothies!

Our Lord is waiting to unite Himself to us, but on His conditions. Our Lord is waiting in Holy Communion to unite Himself to us, yet there are few takers—or shall we say few FERVENT takers. Holy Communion, as the word CommUNION implies, is the best way on Earth to unite ourselves to Our Lord—and the more often we go the more we unite ourselves. The more fervently we go, the stronger is the bond, to the point where we too have “...but one heart and one soul” (Acts 4:32).

Our Prayer
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by my Ingratitude, pierced by my sins, yet loving me still; accept the consecration that I make to Thee of all that I am and all that I have. Take every faculty of my soul and body and draw me, day by day, nearer and nearer to Thy Sacred Heart, and there, as I can understand the lesson, teach me Thy blessed ways. Amen. (Prayer of St. Padre Pio).

[Mention Intention]

Let us pray:
I fly to Thee Sacred Heart of my Savior, for Thou art for my refuge, my only hope. Thou art the remedy for all my miseries, my consolation in all my wretchedness, the reparation for all my infidelities, the supplement for all my deficiencies, the expiation for all my sins, and the hope and end of all my prayers.

Thou art the only one Who is never weary of me and Who can bear with my faults, because Thou lovest me with an infinite love. Therefore, O my God, have mercy on me according to Thy great mercy, and do with me, and for me, and in me, whatever Thou wilt, for I give myself entirely to Thee, divine Heart, with full confidence that Thou will never reject me. Amen.

Say the Our Father and the Hail Mary.

Final Invocations:
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! Have mercy on us!
O Sacred Eucharistic Heart of Jesus! Make us love Thee more and more!

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO
THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

Most sweet Jesus, redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before Thy altar. We are Thine and Thine we wish to be! But to be more surely united with Thee, behold, each one of us freely consecrates himself, today, to Thy most Sacred Heart.

Many indeed have never known Thee. Many, too, despising Thy precepts, have rejected Thee. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Thy Sacred Heart.

Be Thou king, O Lord, not only of the faithful, who have never forsaken Thee, but also of the prodigal children, who have abandoned Thee. Grant that they may quickly return to their Father's house lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.

Be Thou King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof; and call them back to the harbor of truth and the unity of Faith so that soon there may be but one flock and one shepherd.

Grant O Lord, to Thy Church, assurance of freedom and immunity from harm. Give peace and order to all nations and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: Praise to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to it be glory and honor forever. Amen.

Another Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee.

I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death.

Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine infinite Goodness.

Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee.

I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants. Amen.

ACT OF REPARATION TO
THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

O most sweet Jesus, Whose overflowing charity for men is requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before Thy altar eager to repair by a special act of homage the cruel indifference and injuries, to which Thy loving Heart is everywhere subject.

Mindful, alas, that we ourselves have had a share in such great indignities, which we now deplore from the depths of our hearts, we humbly ask Thy pardon and declare our readiness to atone, by voluntary expiation, not only for our own personal offenses, but also for the sins of those, who, straying far from the path of salvation, 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 such and every deplorable outrage committed against Thee; we are determined to make amends for the manifold offenses against Christian modesty in unbecoming dress and behavior; for all the foul seductions laid to ensnare the feet of the innocent; for the frequent violation of Sundays and holidays, and the shocking blasphemies uttered against Thee and Thy Saints.

We wish also to make amends for the insults to which Thy 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 rights and the teaching authority of the Church, which Thou hast founded.

Would, O Divine Jesus, that we were able to wash away such abominations with our blood!

We now offer, in reparation for these violations of Thy divine honor, the satisfaction Thou didst once make to Thine eternal Father on the Cross and which Thou dost continue to renew daily on our altars; we offer it in union with the acts of atonement of Thy Virgin Mother and all the Saints and of the pious faithful on earth; and we sincerely promise to make recompense, as far as we can, with the help of Thy grace, for all neglect of Thy great love and for the sins we and others have committed in the past.

Henceforth we will live a life of unwavering Faith, of purity of conduct, of perfect observance of the precepts of the Gospel and especially that of Charity.

We promise to the best of our power to prevent others from offending Thee and to bring as many as possible to follow Thee.

O loving Jesus, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our model in reparation, deign to receive the voluntary offering we make of this act of expiation; and, by the crowning gift of perseverance, keep us faithful unto death, in our duty and the allegiance we owe to Thee, so that we may all, one day, come to that happy home, where Thou with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest, God, world without end. Amen.