The novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus begins today! Jesus, through His Sacred Heart, shows us what it means to be Catholic. Pope Leo XIII wrote, "There is in the Sacred Heart the symbol and express image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love in return.” The Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus best shows what it means to live as a Catholic. As the Sacred Heart is burning with passion for souls, so should we, as Catholics, burn with love for Christ and for one another. The rays of light show that Christ is the light of the world, and we are called to shine that light to all (Mt. 5:14). The arrows represent our sin, which wounds Christ’s heart. We must recognize this and strive to avoid and repent of sin so as not to wound His heart any further. The crown of thorns shows Christ’s triumphant victory over sin and death. We, too, must accept our crowns of thorns in our own lives and humbly carry within us the knowledge that Christ, our King, has won the victory and we have no need to be afraid. The cross on His Sacred Heart reminds us that just as Jesus carried His cross out of love, so must we strive to carry our own with dignity and total trust in God. St. Therese of Lisieux once wrote, “Let us love, since that is what our hearts were made for.” To be Catholic is to fully love and be loved by Love Himself. It is to be so burning with love for Christ that our faith spills out into our everyday lives and is not confined to a church pew. Best of all, when we live out what it means to be Catholic- when we live out of love for God and for others- we console Jesus’ Sacred, wounded heart. I have a special devotion to Jesus' Sacred Heart. My favorite book on the topic is Consoling the Heart of Jesus by Fr. Michael Gaitley. He is the author of the 33 Days to Morning Glory Marian Consecration book and 33 Days to Merciful Love Divine Mercy consecration. All of his books center around this "consoling" spirituality. The basis is that Jesus loves so much and yet is loved by so few. We, as consolers, try to love Jesus and console his wounded heart by trusting totally in Him, in His mercy, and by letting Him do what He'd like with us. It is distrust that winds His hear the most, and He thirsts for souls!! When we trust in His Sacred Heart, and being others to Him, we are consoling the Heart of Jesus. How amazing is that?! I encourage you all to pray the novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. St. Padre Pio prayed it every day and it is well known and loved by thousands upon thousands of people. This is the prayer: Efficacious novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A novena is simply 9 days of prayer leading up to a feast day. In this case, a simple prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus! It's a beautiful devotion and a participation in the life of the Church and one of the greatest devotions.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus- His Eucharistic Heart which beats with love for us- is here for you. During these next nine days leading up to the Feast of the Sacred Heart, would you be here for Him?
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