The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart

A Loving Heart

Jesus,

above all else, Your heart stands for love.
All virtues and qualities are but the various facets of Your love.
A love so immense that You chose to willing give your life
so that I could be reconciled with You.
Sinful, imperfect me.
I was that important to You --
thank you.
Your love for me is personal, passionate, enduring, heroic, eternal.
Grant me the grace to adequately contemplate Your love.
May I experience Your love in new and powerful ways.
And most importantly,
may I truly respond to Your love in new and selfless ways.
May I see You in every person I encounter.
May I hear Your voice speaking in the depths of my heart.
I ask You to set my heart totally on fire
with love for everyone.
Grant me the courage to proclaim my love for You
and to share my faith with others.
O Jesus, I love You!

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

whose heart is filled with Love,

make my heart like unto Yours.

Some scripture texts for further prayer and meditation:

John 1:14, 3:16
Galations 2:20
1 John 4:10

Novena to the Sacred Heart, Day 9

A Radical Heart

Jesus,

while extremely patient, You never hesitated to mince words.
You cut through pious appearances and flowery speech
and got directly to the heart of the matter.
And You readily pointed out when thoughts and ideas were worldly,
and not in conformity with the Father's plan.
You would not allow anyone to hinder You
in fulfilling of God's will.
May I whole-heartedly embrace my crosses in life
just as you embraced Yours.
May I see my crosses as gifts from You,
gifts meant for my growth in faith and love.
May I see them as possibilities
not as things to be endured.
May I accept the Father's will
just as You did --
You gave me the perfect example to follow.
In taking up my crosses,
 may I follow You along the path to holiness.

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

Radically committed to the Father's Will,

make my heart like unto Yours.

Some scripture texts for further prayer and meditation:

Matthew 5:29; 16:22, 23
John 4:34

Novena to the Sacred Heart, Day 8

A Patient Heart

Jesus,

the lack of faith you encountered at various times
surely exasperated You, yet You modeled a heroic patience.
Patient, kind, not boastful, not arrogant, not rude --
all these and so much more describe Your forbearance.
Your own disciples gave you cause to need much patience:
slow to understand, resisting God's grace,
lessons unlearned, worldly standards,
pettiness, jealousy and betrayal.
Yet in all this You accept human weakness and flaws,
and respond with tenderness and compassion.
Lord, how often I fail You in matters great and small,
You could easily throw in the towel
and begin again with someone more "qualified."
Yet You chose me, a broken vessel,
to show others what patience means.
Thank you for Your example of
patience and forbearance
and for bearing with my defects, limitations, and failings.
May I learn from Your example,
and may Your grace shine through me.
Most of all, Lord,
thank you for being patient with me.
May I ever more and more mirror that patience
to those whom I meet.

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

whose heart is filled with Patience,

make my heart like unto Yours.

Some scripture texts for further prayer and meditation:

Matthew 14:31, 16:4, 17:17
Luke 24:13-35
John 20:25, 27
1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Novena to the Sacred Heart, Day 7

A Joyful Heart

Jesus,

true joy shines from within
reflecting the fullness of life.
Sadness, frustration, anxiousness and fearfulness
are not Your desire.
You wish to share your happiness with me.
Little children naturally were attracted to You --
and basked in your company.
Mary sat at your feet, choosing the better part.
You teach me about the Father's love,
so that I may knew true joy.
It is Your own joy that you desire to share with me.

Lord, may my joy be true:
not a painted-on, artificial smile
but rather reflected from my inmost being.

May I know the true joy
of knowing You day by day,
in the little as well as in the great events.

May my anguish and vanity vanish,
and be replaced with the deep joy that only You can give.
May joy be the gift I offer to others,
and may I always be a cheerful giver.

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

joyful of heart,

make my heart like unto Yours.

Some scripture texts for further prayer and meditation:

Luke 10:21
John 15:11
John 16:22, 24
Romans 8:38-39
Philippians 4:4

Novena to the Sacred Heart, Day 6

A Courageous Heart

Jesus,

You chose the path to Calvary
when You could have walked away.
You chose to leave Nazareth
and the home You had with Mary.
You chose to teach the truth,
even when it angered your hearers
and brought the hatred of the the Pharisees.
During your Passion,
You demonstrated courage at a new height
before the Sanhedrin, Herod, Pilate and you executioners.

Too often I am paralized by my fear:

the fear of being misunderstood,

the fear of not being loved or wanted,

the fear of not being accepted,

the fear of being myself,

the fear that prohibits me from taking risks

so that I might grow in ways I never dreamed,

the fear of loving without counting the cost.

So many fears, yet leaning on You

I can overcome my fears

and become the person You desire me to be.

Lord, give me the courage

to follow the path less traveled --

the path that will lead me to an ever deeping union with You.

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

bold and courageous of heart,

make my heart like unto Yours.

Some scripture texts for further prayer and meditation:

Matthew 7:14
Matthew 26:53
Luke 9:51
John 10:17-18

Novena to the Sacred Heart, Day 5

A Grateful Heart

Jesus,

your gratitude flowed both in your communion with the Father
and in your interactions with those You encountered.

Yet, all too often, when I receive gifts and graces from You
I forget to give You both credit and thanks.

The Samaritan leper you cured along with nine others
is a tremendous example of the noble virtue gratitude
that You treasure.

You showed me in your words to your father
recorded in the Gospel how important it is to say "thank you"
even for the little things I take so much for granted:

every small act of kindness and gesture of love
are important and should be acknowledged with gratitude. 

Make me humble that I may notice the little acts of kindness,
the gifts I receive each day.
May this awareness lead me to You.
Thank you for creating me, for giving me life.
Thank you for my family,
my experiences.
Thank you for my faith and
for the gift of Your Body and Blood which nourishes my soul.
Thank you for companions on the journey
who encourage as well as challenge.
And thank you for being You!

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

full of gratitude to all,

make my heart like unto Yours.

Some scripture texts for further prayer and meditation:

Matthew 11:25

Luke 10:21
Luke 17:11-17

Novena to the Sacred Heart, Day 4

A Prayerful Heart

Jesus, in your prayer,

You show me the intimate communion You shared with the Father.
Whether on mountain top or in the dessert,

You were immersed in conversation with Him.

You shared your thoughts, ideas,

expressed your thanks and pleaded with him,

and in so doing gave me an example to follow.

You told your disciples that You and the Father were one

and indeed that I too may enjoy that same intimacy with the Father.

May I persevere in my efforts to pray as You did

so that I too may have that dynamic relationship

as You, the Father and Holy Spirit share.

May I trust unreservedly.

May I be ever mindful to make time to spend with You in prayer.

May I value prayer as a priority

and appreciate it.

Make me ever grateful for the communion I share with You.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,

full of prayer and devotion,

make my heart like unto Yours.

Some scripture texts for further prayer and meditation:

Mark 14:36

John 17:21, 23

Novena to the Sacred Heart, Day 3

An Undivided Heart

Jesus, in your undivided heart,

You show us that it is impossible to serve two masters,

it is only in single-hearted devotion that we are able to bear fruit.

In Your devotion to the Father

You model what it means to not waver, or second guess.

You were happily committed and thoroughly faithful.

You carefully guarded your heart

and never allowed anything to take the Father's place.

Your love for the Father was mirrored in what You taught and modeled:

You loved Him with your whole heart,

your whole soul and with all your strength

and your neighbor as self,

for if I cannot love my neighbor who I see,

how can I love God who I cannot see?

May I be mindful of my struggles with the sin of idolarty

-- of putting wealth, position, power, prestige and possessions

 ahead of my love for You.

May my love be pure and single-hearted,

reaching out to my brothers and sisters

so that as my love for You grows,

so will my love for them grow as well.

Help us to love truly, profoundly, intensely.

Help me to let God alone reign supreme in my heart.

 

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,

undivided of of heart,

make my heart like unto Yours.

Some scripture texts for further prayer and meditation:

Matthew 22:37
Luke 14:26
Luke 16:13
2 Cor 1:19

Novena to the Sacred Heart, Day 2

A Pure Heart

Jesus, in your purity of heart,

You show us that our love

must be untainted by anything unworthy.

Yours was an authenticity with which none could compare.

Your love is true without self-interest or other intentions.

You see each person as they truly are

and not for what You could gain from them.

Your love wasn't conditional on what you could gain;

Your love was simple and untainted, clean and umblemished.

Help us to put aside self-interest, secondary motives,

and motives that are not noble.

May we be mindful to watch and pray.

When we experience the purifying fire of your love,

may we not shrink back,

but rather examine ourselves

to help unearth the impurities

that hinder our ability to love.

Help us with the fire of your love.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,

pure and clean of heart,

make my heart like unto Yours.

Some scripture texts for further prayer and meditation:

Matthew 5:8
Luke 7:36-50

Novena to the Sacred Heart, Day 1

A Compassionate Heart

Jesus,

in your commpassion You showed us what it means

to share in the sufferings of others.

You did not idlely stand by

but worked to alleviate their sufferings.

You were not indifferent to the situations of others,

but empathized with and shared in their pain and sorrow.

You put their needs above Your own.

Take away our selfishness, preoccupation,

and hardness toward others' difficulties

and give us a heart as compassionate as Your own.

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

full of compassion for others,

make my heart like unto Yours.

Some scripture texts for further prayer and meditation:

Matthew 14:12

Mark 8:2-3

1 Corinthians 12:26



A Heart Like His

Last year for my birthday I received an excellent book:  A Heart Like His, Meditations on the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Father Thomas D. Williams.  Father Williams takes his reader through thirty expressions of the Sacred Heart as found in scripture, particularly the Gospels.   From these I have selected nine to create a series of reflections on the Sacred Heart in the form of a novena, and I am indebted to Father Williams as the source of the quotes and scriptural references as well.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart often linked only to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, but it goes back further to the mystics like St. Mechtild (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude the Great (d. 1302).  St. Jean Eudes (1602-1680) honored it with an Office and established a feast for it.

In a letter to the Most Rev. Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach on May 15, 2006, Pope Benedict XV writes:  devotion to the Sacred Heart “has an irreplaceable importance for our faith and for our life in love.”  He goes on further:  it is by deepening our relationship with the Heart of Jesus that “we will be able to understand better what it means to know God’s love in Jesus Christ, to experience him, keeping our gaze fixed on him to the point that we live entirely in the experience of his love, so that we can witness it to others.”

John Paul II tells us that when we speak of the heart, we refer to "our whole being, all that is within each one of us." The heart represents "all that forms us from within, in the depths of our being. All that makes up our entire humanity, our whole person in its spiritual and physical dimension."

With that said, tomorrow we will begin our Novena.