A Way to Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
To the Sacred Heart of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I give myself and I consecrate my person and my life, my actions, pains, and sufferings so that I may be unwilling to make use of any part of my being other than to honor, love, and glorify the Sacred Heart.
This is my unchanging purpose, namely, to be all his and to do all things for the love of him, at the same time renouncing with all my heart whatever is displeasing to him. I therefore take you, O Sacred Heart, to be the only object of my love, the guardian of my life, my assurance of salvation, the remedy of my weakness and inconstancy, the atonement for all the faults of my life, and my sure refuge at the hour of death.
Be then, O Heart of goodness, my justification before God the Father, and turn away from me the strokes of his righteous anger. O Heart of love, I put all my confidence in you; for I fear everything from my own wickedness and frailty, but I hope for all things from your goodness and bounty.
Remove from me all that can displease you or resist your holy will; let your pure love imprint your image so deeply upon my heart that I shall never be able to forget you or to be separated from you.
May I obtain, from your loving kindness, the grace of having my name written in your heart; for in you, I desire to place all my happiness and glory, living and dying, in bondage to you.
Concluding Prayer
Father,
we honor the heart of your Son,
broken by our cruelty,
yet symbol of love's triumph,
pledge of all that we are called to be.
Teach us to see Christ in the lives we touch
and to offer him living worship
by love-filled service to our brothers and sisters.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Reflect
We have spent this first week together diving more deeply into the mystery of the Heart of Jesus: so merciful, so gentle, and so personally loving to each one of us. What a gift to start 2020 with several weeks of reflection and prayer of the gift of the Heart of Jesus to us!
There are many different types of prayers of consecration to the Sacred Heart. Today we reflect on one from St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.
I am most struck by one element I notice in this particular consecration prayer. Everything in our lives—joys, sorrows, disappointments, achievements—can be used to honor, love, and glorify the Sacred Heart.
Literally every single experience or situation in my life can become an offering to Jesus. It's all a way to honor, glorify, and love Him through His Sacred Heart, which ardently burns for each one of us.
I will be very honest with you. More often than not, I do not live my life under that reality. My daily life does not always have space for the reality that all things can be offered to Jesus as a way to love and honor Him. Sometimes I just forget or am lazy. Other days I am spiritually crabby and don’t want to bring Jesus into whatever is going on. Instead, I try to manage or figure it out on my own. That never goes the way I intend.
I don’t think any of us will perfect this heart shift this side of Heaven, but we can continue to show up and ask Jesus to help us glorify and offer more to Him.
Do you have an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in your home? Maybe it is something as simple as a little prayer card. Today, as we close this first week of the Prayer Pledge, pray the above consecration prayer in front of whatever image you have in your home.
As a part of this prayer, offer to Jesus, in your own words, your desire to honor and love His Heart in how you live your life and in your thoughts, words, and actions.
Let Us Pray
Jesus, each time Your Heart beats, You say my name and think of me. As a sign of my love for You, help me to offer you all the spaces of my life and heart so that I can make You more known and loved in the world. Amen.
For Discussion
Are there parts of your life, your story, that are difficult to offer to Jesus? Why?
How can your daily living be offered more to Jesus as a sign of your love for Him?
In His Heart: The 2020 Prayer Pledge // Day 10 #BISblog #prayerpledge //Click to tweet
Patty Breen serves as Ministry Formation Manager of Ascension Health and writes online in several different spaces. Her loves include CrossFit, writing and speaking, strong cups of coffee, Ignatian spirituality, and loving on her godchildren, niece, and nephew. Patty is passionate about messy and deep conversations at the intersection of faith, culture, and ministry. Find out more about her here.
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