Luis Miguel Castillo, a priest of the Archdiocese of Valencia, Spain, and rector of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, shares this article with Exaudi readers on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart is the last of the feasts of the Lord celebrated after Easter (after the  Ascension , Christ the High and Eternal Priest and  Corpus Christi )  and, although the devotion and cult of the Heart of the Savior began since the antiquity of the Church, it had a great impetus with Saint John Eudes (1601-1680), Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1648-1690), nun of the Visitation in Paray-le-Monial, and Saint Claude de la Colombière SI (1641-1682), having been introduced the feast in the liturgical calendar in relatively recent times with Pius XI.

Let us consider, then, that this is a feast especially appropriate for the man of our time. It is celebrated on the Friday after the octave of  Corpus Christi,  in accordance with what was revealed to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque by the will of Jesus Christ : “ I ask that on the first Friday after the octave of  Corpus Christi  a special feast be celebrated to honor my Heart, and that Communion be received on that day to ask its forgiveness and to make reparation for the insults it has received during the time it has remained exposed on the altars. I also promise you that my Heart will expand to shed abundantly the influences of its divine love on those who do it this honor and procure that homage be paid to it” (fourth revelation during the octave of  Corpus Christi  in the year 1675).

Like every feast in the Church, it must be contemplated from its biblical-liturgical perspective. The entire history of salvation arises through love, since God seeks the healing of fallen humanity, after original sin, through the healing of its heart, to which he promises a renewed heart, capable of living in love. And for love, I will give you a new heart; I will take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ez 36:26).

So that the human being ceases to have a hard heart that does not fear God nor respect man (cf. St. Bernard, Book I of the Consideration), and acquires a heart capable of God, capable of receiving the great gift of the Spirit, since the love of God has been poured into our hearts with the Holy Spirit that has been given to us (Rom 5:5).

This divine action that traces in history a universal will of salvation, culminates by showing the Heart of Jesus, the heart of the Savior of the human race, which is the source of life and salvation, you will draw water with joy from the springs of salvation (Isaiah 12, 3), we pray in the responsorial psalm of the Mass of this feast in the present cycle B. 

In fact, the patristic tradition converged in presenting the Heart of Christ as the source of life,  cor Christi Fons vitae , it is St. Ambrose who exclaims: 

Drink Christ, for he is the rock from which water flows.

Drink Christ, for he is the source of life.

Drink Christ, for He is the current whose rush gladdens the city of God.

Drink Christ, for He is peace

Drink Christ, for from his body flow streams of living water.

 (Commentary on Psalms 1, 33). 

Jesus himself, at the Feast of Tabernacles, had exclaimed, “Whoever is thirsty, let him come to me; whoever believes in me, let him drink” (Jn 7:37), and the Gospel tells how, when the Lord was dying on the cross, “a soldier pierced his side, and immediately blood and water came out” (Jn 19:31), a fact that the Fathers of the Church interpret mystically as the sacraments of the Eucharist and Baptism, which build up the Church.

Thus, the cult of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is connected with the sacramental life of the Church, which springs from the Sacred Heart. It was Saint Augustine who established a beautiful typology between Adam and Eve and Christ and the Church when contemplating this Gospel scene of the death of the Savior: “Adam sleeps so that Eve may arise; Christ dies so that the Church may be born; Eve is formed from the side of the sleeper; Christ is pierced with the lance after death, so that the sacraments, the foundation of the Church, may spring forth” (Saint Augustine, Treatises on the Gospel of St. John 9, 10).

The living God, the Father of Christ, who bowed before humanity in the Incarnation of his Word, did not remain impassive in his silence and abysmal solitude, but revealed his mercy, saying through the prophet Hosea: “My heart is troubled, my soul is moved” (Hosea 11:8). God, then, has a heart, figuratively speaking, and he manifests in Christ the movements proper to a heart rich in mercy.

Let us therefore imitate Christ who tells us: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29), and let us be more tenderly human, more merciful, more forgiving, more humble, let us not return evil for evil, let us not look down on others, let us not be too sure of ourselves, because our strength consists in trusting in the Lord. 

This endearing solemnity expresses that the Redeemer possesses a heart capable of loving and suffering in the same way as the hearts of men, and, furthermore, this feast reminds us how necessary it is to communicate with the Lord heart to heart, especially in these times when we are so tempted to disperse in a society that lives as quickly as it is superficial, and in which we are subjected to great stress of information and activity. 

The solution to our ills stemming from the dispersion in which we live will be to return to the heart, as St. Augustine invites us: return to your heart and from there ascend to God. If you return to your heart, you return to God from a place close to you (St. Augustine, Sermon 311), and, having conquered our heart, we will be able to give it to the Lord who asks us with those words: “Give me, my son, your heart” (Prov 23:26), establishing a profound communion of life with Him. 

Let us consider, therefore, that in today’s feast Christ calls us to live at the deep level of the heart, to connect with Him who is meek and humble of heart (Mt 11:29) and invites us to go to Him to find comfort and rest from our existential struggles, and you will find rest for your souls.

In short, we Christians, who are essentially listeners to the Word and therefore worship a  Deus Verbi , a God of the Word, who communicates, are called to accept God as  Deus cordis ,  as a God of the heart, who speaks from the Heart of his Son to our heart,  cor ad cor loquitur  (heart speaks to heart). We need the Word to penetrate us and descend into our hearts, making our hearts similar to those of Christ.

Fundamental aspects

The cult of the Sacred Heart presents two fundamental aspects: reparation and consecration, which are worth mentioning, albeit briefly.

The idea of ​​reparation runs throughout the history of salvation, in which man is called to atone for his sin through contrition and the rejection of sin (Is 2:11-17; Mal 1:8 and 3:5). To make amends for evil means to associate ourselves with Christ’s sacrifice, on which all atoning value depends, for we are called to complete in ourselves what is lacking in his sufferings for the Church (Col 1:24), through the sacrifice of our lives as martyrs in a bloody way or as confessors in an unbloody way, thus bearing witness to love, “for greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13).

This commitment to share with Christ the pain of the world’s atonement for its sin responds to the dynamic of the loving heart that desires to console the beloved in its afflictions and must be accepted only from a theological perspective of charity: “Love impels the one who loves to share in the fate of the beloved, so that the faithful seek to compensate for the offenses committed against the Lord by men, which is achieved by sharing in Christ’s sufferings and by offering sacrifices for their brothers and sisters” (cf. Pius XI,  Miserentissimus Redemptor  nn. 6;10;12).

Pius XII, in his encyclical  Haurietis Aquas,  affirmed that love and reparation are typical notes of the cult of the Sacred Heart and its essential elements (nn. 52;56).

Thus, we understand reparation as suffering with Christ out of love, to restore the love that sin has damaged. The capacity to adhere to suffering for God’s sake obviously grows with increasing love. This suffering consists in accepting life’s many forms of suffering with faith, hope, and charity. All works, prayers, family life, daily work, and life’s trials, if borne with patience, become a sacrifice pleasing to God through Jesus Christ (LG 34).

The words of St. Peter seem appropriate: “Rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Pet 4:13).

It was in the third private revelation to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1674 when Christ communicated to her: Give me the pleasure of making up for their ingratitude (of those from whom I received ingratitude) as much as you can, and in the fourth of 1675 he asked her that the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi be dedicated to a feast to honor his Heart by repairing its honor with an act of reparation for the injustices that he had received exposed on the altars.

Along with reparation, the cult of the Sacred Heart is associated with the practice of consecration to the Heart of Jesus. Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, whom the Lord had asked for her heart, already said that the Lord desired consecration to His Heart, and she herself wrote several formulas for carrying it out. This consecration essentially consists of a surrender of one’s heart with trusting abandonment into the hands of the Lord, reminiscent of the admonition in the Book of Proverbs that says, “Give me, my son, your heart” (Prov 23:26).

Pius XII, in  Haurietis Aquas  4, stated: “This cult demands from us a full and absolute decision to give and consecrate ourselves to the love of Christ.” Paul VI, in his message for the 50th anniversary of the Cerro dei Angeli, dated May 25, 1969, maintained that living and applying in reality the supreme commandment of love for God and neighbor is a primary requirement of a conscious and consistent consecration to the Heart of Jesus.

And, in an address on April 27, 1969, he said: “By consecration we understand not only separating something from the world to reserve it for God, but restoring something to its relationship with God according to the order of its nature. Therefore, we order everything to God if we consecrate our hearts to the Lord.”

Logically, this consecration is consistent with our condition as baptized persons; therefore, it implies abounding in baptismal consecration to God, entrusting ourselves confidently to the love of God manifested in the Heart of Jesus.

Devotion and worship to the Sacred Heart leads us to trust in the Lord, because loving and giving our heart to a person means trusting in them, and Christ inspires trust by having given his life for us, which popular piety has been able to express concisely in the ejaculation: Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You!

*Prayer

Divine Heart of Jesus,
I offer to you, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Mother of the Church, in union with the Eucharistic Sacrifice,
the prayers, actions, joys, and sufferings of this day
in reparation for sins and for the salvation of all people,
in the grace of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of the Divine Father.
Amen.

*Enthronement and Consecration of the family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Sacred Heart of Jesus asks to reign in every home through his image blessed by a priest. He desires to occupy a place where he is loved and where his paternal protection is constantly sought.

Consecration is nothing other than surrendering oneself to Jesus Christ; it is the dedication of our persons and our possessions, recognizing them as received from God’s eternal charity. Through consecration, we accept His rule of truth, justice, and charity in our lives.

To consecrate oneself is to place oneself totally at the disposal of Christ; therefore, it is a serious and well-considered act. Just as when a chalice or an altar is consecrated, it ceases to be at the service of drinks and meals and becomes the exclusive service of God, when a person or a house is consecrated, it is placed at the service of the Lord, seeking to do His will in all things. This is why it is also called enthronement, because you place a royal throne in your house, the throne of Christ, whom you proclaim as your King and desire to serve out of love.

Giving the Sacred Heart of Jesus its rightful place in our family means trying to offer everything we do and experience—suffering, joy, work, and anxiety—to the Lord for the redemption of our own family and the world.

1. Preparation for the enthronement

Choose a day that has special significance for the family (a wedding anniversary, for example), or the day of an appropriate liturgical feast, for the enthronement and renewal ceremony.

The greater and more serious the preparation for the enthronement, the greater the blessings that will follow this event. The preparation can extend to three days (a triduum) or nine days (a novena), as suggested in the manual “Devotion to the Sacred Heart and the Ways to Live It.”

As immediate preparation it is recommended:

1. Learn what the enthronement is and its importance. It is recommended to follow the preparation suggested in this manual.
2. It is recommended that a priest perform the ceremony. If this is not possible, it may be performed by the presiding priest in the family, a father, mother, or eldest son.
3. Ideally, the family should have offered the Holy Eucharist that day for the reign of the Sacred Heart in their home. If this is not possible, the family should resolve to attend Mass the following Sunday and try to receive the Eucharist as an act of love and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
4. Place the altarpiece, statue or image of the Sacred Heart in a place of honor reserved exclusively for the Sacred Heart, which may be decorated with candles and flowers.
5. Invite family and friends to be present at the enthronement, and you will begin to be an apostle of the Sacred Heart.

After the ceremony, it is suggested that a celebration be held, according to each family’s means, as a manifestation of joy at the enthronement.

2. Blessing of the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

When the presence of a priest is impossible, the image must be blessed beforehand by a priest.

If the enthronement is presided over by a priest, the family places themselves in front of the image. The priest, wearing an alb and white stole, begins the blessing.
V. Our help is in the Name of the Lord.
R. Who made heaven and earth.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, we beseech Thee, in Thy goodness, to bless and sanctify this image in honor and memory of the Most Sacred Heart of Thy only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, so that, whenever we behold its appearance with the eyes of the body, we may with the eyes of the mind meditate on its holiness and be led to imitate its works. All who in its presence endeavor to honor and humbly serve Thy only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through its merits and intercession, may obtain from Thee grace in the present life and eternal glory in the life to come. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The priest then sprinkles the image with holy water.

3. Enthronement of the image

Then, the father of the family places the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the place of honor, to pay homage to the Reign of Love of Jesus Christ.

4. Recitation of the Creed

After the blessing, as an explicit expression of the family’s faith, everyone prays the Creed, standing and aloud.

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father, through whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit and became man for us. He was crucified under Pontius Pilate and suffered and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and of his kingdom there will be no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who is adored and glorified with the Father and the Son, and who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess that there is one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

5. Message from the person presiding over the enthronement

Everyone takes their seats, while the person presiding over the enthronement addresses those present.

Reminds you:

• The meaning of enthronement,
• The Christian life of obedience, trust and love that the Sacred Heart expects from the families who have given it this honor;
• The special and abundant blessings given to those families faithful to the promises to the Sacred Heart of Jesus;
• The family’s promise to frequently renew their consecration, especially on first Fridays and on the anniversary of the enthronement.

6. Formula of Consecration

Approved by Saint Pius X for the enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the family

Those present then pray the following consecration.

O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, you expressed to Saint Margaret Mary your desire to reign over Christian families; we come to proclaim your absolute dominion over ours. From now on, we want to live in your life; we want the virtues through which you promised peace on earth to flourish in our families, and we want to banish the worldly spirit from us. You must reign in our minds through the simplicity of our faith, and in our hearts through the love that will burn for you alone, as we strive to keep this flame alive through frequent reception of the Eucharist.

Deign, O Divine Heart, to preside over our meetings, bless our spiritual and temporal undertakings, remove from us our vain cares, sanctify our joys, and console our sorrows. If ever anyone among us should have the misfortune to offend you, remind them, O Heart of Jesus, that you are good and merciful to repentant sinners.

And when the hour of separation strikes, when death comes to bring mourning among us, all of us, both those who leave and those who remain, will be content with your eternal decrees. We will console ourselves with the thought that a day will come when the whole family, reunited in heaven, will be able to eternally sing of your glories and your benefits.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary, may the glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph, deign to present this consecration to you and remind us of it every day of our lives. Amen.

7. Prayer for the absent and deceased

No one in the family should be absent on this solemn occasion. Therefore, those who have passed away should be remembered. Pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Gloria for them and for those who are absent.

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be

V. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen.

8. Final blessing

The priest or whoever presides at the enthronement makes a final prayer.

*Added by Exaudi staff, June 2024