St. Vincent's Manual/Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
DEVOTIONS TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS.
AN ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS.
O MOST amiable Heart of my divine Redeemer! considering thy infinite love for all men, and for me in particular ; in view of the oppressing grief and other pains thou hast endured for my sins; in view of the most precious blood thou hast been pleased to shed for my redemption; in view of the excessive love thou hast shown us in the institution of the most blessed Sacrament of the altar; and in view of those infinite perfections, which make thee so amiable; I, N. do this day consecrate myself to thee without reserve, for the remainder of my life: I consecrate to thee my body, my soul, my thoughts, my desires, my words, my actions and my sufferings, desiring thereby to contribute to thy greater glory. In particular, I consecrate to thee my heart with all its motions, desiring it may love thee alone, rejoice in thee alone, and breathe for thee alone. Receive it then, O divine Heart of Jesus! purify it, sanctify it, and inflame it with thy most pure love, that it may no longer act but by the motion of thy love; nor suffer, but for thy love; grieve only, because it loves thee so little; find its only joy in thy love; desire nothing but a continual increase of that love; and fear nothing but the extinction, of even a diminution of that love. In a word, make my heart like to thee; that by thee, with thee, and in thee, it may eternally love the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
REPARATION OF HONOR TO THE SACRED HEART.
O MOST amiable and adorable Heart, centre of all hearts, glowing with charity, and inflamed with zeal for the interest of thy Father, and the salvation of mankind ! O Heart, ever sensible of our misery, and ever ready to redress our evils; the real victim of love in the holy Eucharist, and a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of men! Seeing that the generality of Christians make no other return for these thy mercies than contempt of thy favors, forgetfulness of their own obligation, and ingratitude to the best of benefactors, is it not just that we, thy servants, penetrated with the deepest sense of the like indignities, should enter upon a due and satisfactory reparation of honor to thy most sacred majesty? Prostrate, therefore, in body, and humbled in mind, before heaven and earth we solemnly declare our utter detestation and abhorrence of such a conduct. Inexpressible, we know, was the bitterness which the multitude of our sins brought on thy tender Heart; insufferable the weight of our inequities, which pressed thy face to the earth in the garden of Olives; and insurmountable thy anguish, when, expiring with love, grief and agony, on Mount Calvary, with thy last breath thou wouldst reclaim sinners to their duty and repentance. This we know, O dear Redeemer! and would most willingly redress these thy sufferings by our own, or share with thee in thine.
O merciful Jesus, ever present on our altars, and with a heart open to receive all who "labor and are burdened;" O adorable Heart, source of true contrition! impart to our hearts the true spirit of penance and to our eyes a fountain of tears, that we may bewail and cast off our sins, and those of the world. Pardon, divine Jesus! all the injuries, reproaches and outrages done thee, through the course of thy holy life and bitter passion: pardon all the impieties, irreverences and sacrileges which have been committed against thee in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, from its first institution. Graciously receive the small tribute of our sincere repentance, as an agreeable offering in thy sight, and in requital for the benefits we daily receive from the altar, on which thou art a living and continual sacrifice, and in union with that bloody Holocaust thou didst present to thy eternal Father on Mount Calvary from the cross.
Sweet Jesus! give thy blessings to the ardent desire we now entertain, and the holy resolution we have taken of ever loving and adoring thee, after a proper manner, in the holy Eucharist, thy Sacrament of Love; thus to repair, by a true conversion of heart, and a becoming zeal for thy glory, our past negligence and infidelity. But thou, O adorable Heart! who knowest the clay of which we are formed, be thou our mediator with thy heavenly Father, whom we have so grievously offended. Strengthen our weakness; confirm our resolution; and with thy charity, humility, meekness and patience, cover, the multitude of our iniquities. Be thou our support, our refuge and our strength, that nothing henceforward, in life or death, may separate us from thee. Amen.
THE PRAYER OF ST. GERTRUDE TO THE HEART OF JESUS.
HAIL, O sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quickening source of eternal life, infinite treasury of the divinity, burning furnace of divine love ! thou art my refuge and my sanctuary. O my amiable Saviour! consume my heart with that burning fire with, which thine is ever inflamed; pour down on my soul those graces which flow from thy love, and let my heart be so united with thine that our wills may be one, and mine in all things conformed to thine. May thine be the standard and rule of my desires and of my actions. Amen.
THE LITANY OF THE SACRED HEART.
| LORD, have mercy on us. | ||
| Christ, have mercy on us. | ||
| Lord, have mercy on us. | ||
| Christ, hear us. | ||
| Christ, graciously hear us. | ||
| God the Father of heaven, | Have mercy on us. | |
| God the Son, Redeemer of the world, | ||
| God the Holy Ghost, | ||
| Holy Trinity, one God, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, formed in the womb of the most blessed Virgin, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, hypostatically united to the eternal Word, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, sanctuary of the divinity, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the most holy Trinity, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, temple of all sanctity, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, fountain of all graces, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, most meek, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, most humble, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, most obedient, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, furnace of love, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, treasure of wisdom, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, ocean of bounty, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, throne of mercy, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, sorrowful in the garden, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, spent with a bloody sweat, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, satiated with reproaches, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, wounded for our sins, | ||
| Heart of Jesus, made obedient even unto the death of the cross. |
Heart of Jesus, refuge of sinners,
Heart of Jesus, fortitude of the just,
Heart of Jesus, comfort of the afflicted,
Heart of Jesus, main strength of the tempted,
Heart of Jesus, terror of the devils,
Heart of Jesus, sanctification of hearts,
Heart of Jesus, perseverance of the good,
Heart of Jesus, hope of the dying,
Heart of Jesus, joy of the blessed,
Heart of Jesus, the delight of all the Saints,
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the World, hear us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Jesus.
V. O most sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
R. That we may worthily love thee with our whole hearts.
LET US PRAY.
O GOD! who, out of thy immense love, hast given to the faithful the most sacred Heart of thy dear Son, our Lord, as the object of their tender affections; grant, we beseech thee, that we may so love and honor this pledge of thy love on earth, that by it we may merit to love both thee and thy gift, and be eternally loved by thee and this most blessed Heart in heaven: through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
O sacred Heart of Jesus, overflowing with all sweetness! to thee we recommend ourselves and all our concerns, parents and relations, our superiors, benefectors, friends and enemies: take under thy protection this house, congregation, and State: extend thy care to all such as lie under any affliction, and to those who labor in the agony and pangs of death: cast an eye of compassion on the obstinate sinner, but particularly on the poor souls in purgatory, and also on those who are engaged and linked with us in the holy confederacy of honoring and worshipping thee. Bless these in particular, O bountiful Heart! and bless them according to the extent of thy goodness, mercy and charity. Amen.
A DEVOUT ASPIRATION TO THE SACRED HEART.
MOST amiable Heart of Jesus, beloved object of our most tender affections, may all honor, glory, love and benediction, be ever given to thee! Be thou our comfort in adversity, our guide in prosperity, our safety in dangers, and protection against all our enemies, visible and invisible. Amen.
THE BEADS OF THE SACRED HEART.
ON THE CROSS.
O JESUS! give us thy Heart as a pledge of thy love, and as a place of refuge, that we may find therein a secure repose during our life, and a sweet comfort at the hour of death. Amen.
ON THE LARGER BEADS.
THEE I adore, praise and love, O sacred Heart of my dear Jesus! penetrated with grief at the thought of so many offences, which have been hitherto committed against thee, in the most holy Sacrament of the altar, I offer up to thee the most amiable Heart of thy beloved Mother, with the merits of the Saints, in satisfaction thereof. Amen.
ON THE SMALLER BEADS.
O SACRED Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us! inflame our hearts with the love of thee.
ACTS OF ADORATION.
The ensuing four- and- twenty acts of adoration to Jesus Christ in the blessed Sacrament, may be recited by way of reparation for all the offences committed against him by mankind.
JESUS, our Lord and our God, ever adorable! Oh, that we could be present in all the churches throughout the universe, where thou art not adored as thou oughtest to be, and where thy inflamed love is not repaid with gratitude worthy of thy majesty! we fly, at least in spirit, to these holy places now profaned, and offer on thy altars there, the fervent love and adoration of thy holy Mother, in compensation for the injuries ever done thee by the Jews, by heretics, and bad Christians. Eternal praise and thanksgiving be to the most holy and most divine Sacrament.
2. O Jesus, true Sun, that enlightens the Church, and raises into a flame the hearts of thy servants! we adore thee; and to repair the sloth, indifference and tepidity of so many religious persons, who, though favored with the aspect of so burning a luminary, remain cold, insensible, and inanimate, we offer up to thee all the inflamed desires of the Seraphim. Eternal praise, &c.
3. We adore thee, O eternal Wisdom! and to repair the gross ignorance which has caused us to offend thee, we offer up to thee all the knowledge of those most enlightened Spirits, the Cherubim. Eternal praise, &c.
4. We adore thee, O most meek arid merciful God! and to repair all the sins of anger, passion and revenge, highly offensive in thy sight, we offer up to thee the peace, mildness and tranquillity of the Thrones. Eternal praise, &c.
5. We adote thee, O Sacrament of Love! and to repair all tho thoughts and criminal desires, conceived even at the foot of thy altars, we offer up to thee all the pure affections and chaste desires of the Dominations. Eternal praise, &c.
6. We adore thee, O immaculate Lamb, that takest away the sins of the world! and to repair all the irreverences, gazing at dangerous objects, and disrespectful postures during the time of holy Mass, we offer to thee the profound respect of the choir of Virtues. Eternal praise, &c.
7. We adore thee, O source and origin of all sanctity and innocence! and to repair the abomination committed by wicked priests, who consecrate and receive thee in the state of mortal sin, we offer up to thee the profound adoration and holiness of the Powers. Eternal praise, &c.
8. We adore thee, sovereign Lord of the universe, to whom all knees both in heaven and earth should bend, all reverence be paid! and in order to repair the many blasphemies against thy honor, we offer up to thee the praises and homage of the Principalities. Eternal praise, &c.
9. We adore thee, Saviour of the world, to whom all fidelity and glory is due! and to repair the sacrilegious communions and treacheries of so many false consciences, we offer up to thee the fervent and faithful zeal of the Archangels. Eternal praise, &c.
10. We adore thee, the delight of heaven and earth! and to repair the neglect, indifference and contempt which mankind show of that loving invitation, by which thou callest them to thy sweet embraces in the holy Eucharist, we offer up to thee the ready obedience, content and happiness of the Angels. Eternal praise, &c.
11. We adore thee, never failing bounty and goodness! and to repair man's offensive diffidence in thy tender mercy, we offer up to thee the steadfast reliance and assurance of the holy Patriarchs in thy promises. Eternal praise, &c.
12. We adore thee. O amiable Jesus! and revere the sacred mystery of the blessed Eucharist, revealed by thy divine word, taught by the Church, and proved by miracles; and to repair the doubts which men have had of thy real presence in the holy Sacrament, we offer up to thee the due submission shown by the Prophets to thy divine oracles. Eternal praise, &c.
13. We adore thee, most tender and most amiable of all Fathers! and to make reparation for the errors and infidelities of thy own children, we offer up to thee the faith of the Apostles. Eternal praise, &c.
14. We adore thee, most loving Shepherd, pattern of true charity ! and to make reparation for the designs of revenge, conceived in defiance of thy divine prohibitions, we offer up to thee the patience and prayers of the Martyrs in favor of their persecutors. Eternal praise, &c.
15. We adore thee, inexhaustible fund of treasures ! and to make reparation for all the robberies committed in thy churches, we offer up to thee the rich and bountiful donations of thy devout servants. Eternal praise &c.
16. We adore thee, O most watchful Advocate! and to make reparation for the many negligences of those who have any authority in the Church, to correct the abuses and irreverences there committed against thee, we offer up to thee the exact attention and careful solicitude of holy bishops and prelates. Eternal praise, &c.
17. We adore thee, O God of infinite majesty, whom we can never sufficiently adore and reverence ! and to make reparation for all the impious oaths pronounced against thee, we offer up to thee the pious discourses made in thy honor by the holy doctors of the Church. Eternal praise, &c.
18. We adore thee, O hidden God ! and to make reparation for all the contests, disputes, punctilios of honor, and scandal, by which thou hast been offended. we offer up to thee the humility of the holy confessors. Eternal praise, &c.
19. We adore thee, eternal Priest, whose delight is to offer sacrifice! and to make reparation for the insults and affronts done to thy priests, religious and virgins, we offer up to thee thy own invincible patience, together with the true and fervent zeal of all good priests and apostolic preachers. Eternal praise, &c.
20. We adore thee, true Bread of Angels! and to make reparation for the sins committed against thy command of abstinence, we offer up to thee the fasts and temperance of the holy Anchorets. Eternal praise, &c.
21. We adore thee, O God of all purity! and to make reparation for all the sins which have hitherto been committed against the virtue of purity, we offer up to thee the modesty and penance of all holy religious men and women. Eternal praise, &c.
22. We adore thee, amiable Spouse of our souls! and to make reparation for all the lukewarmness and indifference shown by many, particularly in time of holy communion, we offer up to thee the raptures and ecstasies of holy virgins. Eternal praise, &c.
23. We adore thee, most worthy object of the love and affection of men and Angels! and to repair the profanations committed in thy churches by the effusion of so much innocent blood, as also to make some atonement for the poor and indigent manner thou art entertained there, we offer up to thee the piety of all the blessed Saints, and the. distress and want in which thy persecuted servants were. Eternal praise, &c.
24. We adore thee, Son of the ever-glorious Virgin! and to make a general reparation, as much as lies in our power, for all the indignities thou hast suffered from men, since the institution of this adorable Mystery, we have recourse to thy holy Mother, looking upon her, as, under thee, the greatest and most secure refuge of sinners. Eternal praise, &c.
O Queen of heaven and earth, hope of mankind, who adorest thy Divine Son incessantly! we entreat thee, that, since we have the honor to be of the number of thy children, thou wouldst interest thyself in our behalf and make satisfaction for us, and in our name, to our eternal Judge, by rendering to him the duties which we ourselves are incapable of performing. Amen.
It would be advisable to recite those Acts every Thursday or Friday. Their number corresponds to the hours of the day and night : in each of these hours, the most amiable Heart of Jesus, in the Eucharist, is offended and insulted throughout the world. This recital of the above Acts, is a reparation of honor which we make for such offences : nor can it seem too much. However, if, on account of other occupations, it should appear so, fail not, once a month at least, and particularly on the feast of the sacred Heart, to acquit yourself of this duty. You will do well also to observe the following most easy practice. You have perhaps a number of friends, and these are equally engaged With you in this holy devotion. Take to yourself one of these Acts, divide the others amongst your friends; let each of them recite daily and offer up to God her respective Act of adoration : nothing can be more practicable; nothing more agreeable to the amiable and offended Heart of our Divine Saviour, or more satisfactory for so many offences daily committed against him.
A NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS.
All who are impressed with an affectionate love for the adorable Heart of Jesus, and share in its afflictions oh account of the ingratitude of mankind, are invited to perform these nine days' devotion, to make some atonement; 1st, for sins committed by their parents, relations and families ; 2d, for sins committed by the. congregation of which they are members ; 3d, for their own particular sins, and the faults of those whom Providence has placed over them, in order to teach and conduct them in the way of salvation. It is also recommended to pious Christians to make this Novena frequently during the year, in order to make some atonement for the great ingratitude done to Jesus Christ in the blessed Eucharist.
Kneeling before the blessed Sacrament, or a picture of the sacred Heart of Jesus, endeavor to divest your soul of all worldly concerns; let your attention be fixed on his inflamed heart, and making the sign of the cross, say the following prayer:
O SACRED Heart of my dear Redeemer! I adore thee with all the powers of my soul; I consecrate them for ever to thee, with each of my thoughts, words, actions, and my whole being. I offer to thee, O divine Heart! all those acts of adoration, love and glory, which thou didst render to thy eternal Father, whilst in this mortal life. Be thou die repairer of my deficiencies, the protector of my life, my refuge and security at the hour of my death. Grant me, through the merits of that anguish and bitterness, which for me thou hast suffered through the whole course of thy mortal life, a perfect contrition for my sins; grant me a constant disgust of all worldly allurements, an ardent desire of eternal glory, and a lively hope of partaking of thy infinite merits.
O most loving Heart of Jesus! I present to thee, these my humble supplications, not for myself only, but for all those whom I earnestly recommend to thee in this Novena.
It is my ardent wish, O my dearest Lord, that all may join me in spirit to serve and obey thee. Accept these my humble petitions, and graciously grant my request through thy infinite mercy. Impress us, O Lord, with due sentiments of gratitude for the beneficent tenderness of thy divine heart to us forlorn sinners; receive us in the yet gaping wound of that loving Heart, that in it we may admire thy divine attributes, practise thy heavenly virtues, find the effect of thy sacred passion, and our poor afflicted souls be thereby encouraged to shelter themselves within thy sacred wounds.
AN ACT OF REPARATION OF HONOR.
O HEART of Jesus, infinitely merciful, ever desirous to communicate thy divine love to our cold hearts! thy delight is to remain for ever with the children of men: for this reason, O amiable Redeemer! thou hast instituted a peculiar sacrament of love, in which we might find the treasure and source of all heavenly blessings, through which we might enter into the sanctuary of thy inflamed Heart, and there meet with secure repose in life, and sweet comfort in death. With these most bountiful dispositions, thou hast vouchsafed to reside in this very house, in which I dwell, to repose on our altars, to be our constant sacrifice, in order to avert the anger of thy eternal Father, excited by our repeated sins: hither thou continually invitest us to come, and partake of this heavenly food, which none but an infinite love could have prepared. What is there thou couldst have done to gain the heart of thy people, and hast not done? But how insensible, O bountiful Redeemer, have we been of those great blessings and favors! We have showed irreverence, disrespect, and even contempt before thy divine Majesty, in whose presence the Saints and Angels bend with awe, and the heavens themselves tremble. Whilst offered on our altars, the same offences, the same indignity and ingratitude are committed by those very people, who have often been fed at thy sacred table, nourished with thy own substance, and on whom thou hast placed the love of thy Heart.
O amiable Heart of my dearest Saviour, who can express thy affliction at the sight of such ingratitude! But how long, sweet Jesus, will thy adorable Heart be thus despised and contemned by wicked man! How long wilt thou permit thyself to be betrayed into the hands of thy mortal enemies! How long wilt thou suffer their scorn and contempt of thy Majesty, in the adorable sacrament of the altar! Sorely afflicted at the thought of these injustices and sacrileges, I cast myself, with all humility, at the throne of thy mercy: graciously hear, sweet Jesus, the worst of thy servants, who, in behalf of the Community and of the whole Church, here presents to thee, thy own adorable Heart, inflamed with love for these thy persecutors, and praying for thy enemies: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Most merciful Heart of Jesus! propitiously hear the uninterrupted supplications of thy Saints and Angels, of thy holy martyrs and confessors, in atonement for these repeated insults and injuries; while in satisfaction for the same, I offer the following tribute of reparation on my own and their part.
Here say any five acts you please, of the four and twenty, beginning page 357.
AN OBLATION
Of the sacred Heart and sufferings of Jesus Christ to his Eternal Father, in satisfaction for offences committed.
ALMIGHTY and eternal Father! permit me to offer thee the sacred Heart of thy dearest Son, inflamed with the love of thee, and wounded with the love of us. Receive, O merciful Father, this divine heart pleading for us, through that ready obedience to thy holy will, by which he subjected himself on earth to all our miseries, pains and afflictions. Receive, in satisfaction for our sins, that love of his sacred Heart, which caused him to undergo for us that cruel flagellation at the pillory, that tormenting crown of thorns. Receive that divine Heart, which, through love of us, embraced the heavy cross, and bore its weight to Mount Calvary. Receive, O eternal Father, that most inflamed and humble Heart of Jesus, which, through love of us, laid itself on the hard wood of the cross, and offered its sacred hands and feet to cruel executioners, to be transpierced with iron nails, Behold, O heavenly Father, this sacrifice of love, offered to thee for us poor sinners, in the Heart of thy dear Son: it is wounded, it bleeds, it expires through the infinite love it has for us. My God, if we have offended thee, will not the sight of this Heart suffice to appease thy anger? Receive it, O merciful Father, in atonement for our many offences; it is most worthy of thy love and everlasting complacency. Amen.
Then conclude the Novena by the following prayer:
MOST amiable Heart of Jesus, beloved object of our most tender affections, may all honor, glory, love and benediction, be ever given to thee! Be thou our comfort in adversity, our guide in prosperity, our safety in dangers, and protection against all our enemies, visible and invisible. Amen.
A NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART.
O SACRED adorable Heart of Jesus! Furnace of eternal charity! Ocean of infinite mercy! Consolation of the afflicted! Refuge of sinners! and Hope of the whole world! I most fervently adore thee, and unite my heart, my affections, and supplications, to the perpetual homage thou thyself, on our altar, renderest to thy eternal Father.
Most amiable Heart, which hast loved us with an eternal love! supply what is wanting in my love, and receive my desire, at least of loving thee with all the ardor and sincerity thou so justly meritest. But remember, O adorable Heart! that thou hast not disclosed thyself to us only as an object of our adorations; thou desirest much more to engage our love, and to become the ground and tender motive of our tender confidence. For this end thou wert pierced through with a lance on the cross; and for the same purpose thou, remainest a dally victim of thy own love on our altars. O infinitely compassionate Heart of Jesus, which was overwhelmed with sorrow in the Garden of Olives, at the view of our spiritual and corporal miseries! I recur to thee now with all the confidence thou desirest I should repose in the extent of thy power, and the riches of thy mercy. Convinced that those things which are impossible to human means, are infinitely easy to thee; and relying with an humble, steadfast faith on the sacred words of Truth itself, that whatever we ask the Father in the name of Jesus should be granted; I now most humbly implore, in that adorable name, in virtue of that promise, and through the abundant mercies of the sacred Heart of Jesus, the particular favor I petition for in this Novena. [Specify it.]
O blessed St. Gertrude, and all ye glorious servants of Christ, who, while on earth, were particularly devoted to the sacred Heart of Jesus! join your prayers with mine, and implore the object of the petition which I now make, and specially offer up through your intercession. Beg likewise, from this adorable Heart, which has dominion over all hearts, and could in a moment change the most Obdurate, to have compassion on those who are in the dreadful state of mortal sin, and to open to us all the treasures of its mercy at the hour of our death. Amen.