Greeting to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Greeting to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Hail, sweetest Heart of Jesus, most tuneful instrument of the Holy Trinity. Hail, Heart of Jesus, flowing with honey, living stream of all goodness and grace. Hail, loving Heart of Jesus, most noble treasury of the riches of God. I bless and salute a thousand times the divine Goodness in thee. Thou art the Fountain and Source whence all good and all mercy stream forth. O noble and precious Heart of Jesus Christ, I salute and adore thee, through the mutual love of the worshipful Trinity, in the abundance of all graces, where with thou dost evermore inundate all holy and devout souls, bedewing them so often and inebriating them with the torrent of thy divine pleasures.

O Heart of Jesus, Heart most sweet; Heart of Jesus, Heart most precious; Heart of Jesus, Heart most worthy of love; O Heart flowing with sweetness, abounding with pity, overflowing with charity; in thy most hidden recesses I bury all the burden of my iniquity and neglect. To thee I offer all my labours and my toils, to thee I dedicate all my anguish and misery, to thee I commend my life, and the end of my life. O Heart, sweet smelling spikenard, frankincense most fragrant, most worthy sacrifice; offer thyself upon the golden altar of propitiation for mankind, to compensate for all the days of my life wherein I have brought no fruit to God.

I bless thee, most kingly Heart of Jesus, in that love wherewith the Holy Ghost formed thee out of the chaste blood of Mary the Virgin. I glorify thee, sweetest Heart of Jesus, in that love wherewith the Holy Trinity adorned thee with all heavenly gifts. I magnify thee, gentlest Heart of Jesus, in that love wherewith thou didst glow for all the human race. I adore thee, most kind Heart of Jesus, in that love whereby thou wast broken upon the cross. I extol thee, Heart of Jesus, most true and faithful, in that love wherewith thou didst will to be pierced with the lance and to shed blood and water.

Therefore, O Trinity glorious beyond words, I praise thee, I glorify and bless thee, through that surpassingly blessed Heart, that thou hast willed and desired to bestow on it such manifold gifts and such abundance of grace. With all possible love and reverence I offer to thy divine majesty that heart, so ravishing in sweetness, and so supremely and alone worthy, in that fullness of divine beauty and that perfection of manifold bliss with which thou hast filled it for ever. And I beseech thee for his sake to pardon whatever I have done amiss, and to make good whatever I have failed to do. Amen

by Saint Mechtild of Hackeborn

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Daily Act of Oblation

Daily Act of Oblation

O LORD JESUS CHRIST, in union with that divine intention with which Thou didst on earth offer praises to GOD through thy Sacred Heart, and now dost continue to offer them in all places in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and wilt do so to the end of the world, I most willingly offer Thee, throughout this entire day without the smallest exception, all my intentions and thoughts, all my affections and desires, all my words and actions, that they may be conformed to the most sacred heart of the blessed Virgin Mary ever Immaculate.

From the Raccolta
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Act of Consecration

Act of Consecration

JESUS, adorable LORD, hidden in thy Sacrament of love, Thou who abidest with us to sweeten our exile, should I not occupy myself in consoling Thee in thine ? To Thee who givest me thy heart, how should I not offer Thee mine ? Truly, to give myself to Thee is to benefit myself; it is to find an ineffable treasure, a heart, loving, disinterested, and faithful, such as I would wish my own to be. I cannot be for ever receiving, and giving nothing in return. Dear LORD, I could never vie with Thee in generosity, but I love Thee; deign to accept my poor heart, and though it is worthless, yet because Thou lovest it, it may become something by thy grace; make it good and take it into thy custody.

Eucharistic Heart of JESUS, I consecrate to Thee all the powers of my soul, and all the powers of my body; I desire to apply myself to the work of knowing Thee and loving Thee ever more and more, in order to make Thee better known and loved by others. I would do nothing except what tends to thy glory, nor and in anything but as thy divine FATHER wills. I consecrate to Thee all the moments of my life in a spirit of adoration before thy real presence, in a spirit of thanksgiving for this incomparable gift, of reparation for our cruel indifference, and of incessant supplication, so that our prayers offered to Thee, with Thee, and in Thee may rise to the throne of divine mercy pure and efficacious, and for GOD’S eternal glory. Amen.

From the Raccolta
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Sacred Heart Chaplet

Sacred Heart Chaplet

V/. O GOD, come to my assistance.

R/. O LORD, make haste to help me.

V/. Glory be to the Father...

R/. As it was in the Beginning...

I. MY most loving JESUS, when I ponder over thy most Sacred Heart, all tenderness and sweetness for sinners, then doth my heart rejoice, and I am filled with hope of thy kind welcome. But, ah me, my sins!  how many and how great! With Peter and with Magdalene, I bewail and abhor them, because they are an offence to Thee, my Sovereign Good. Oh, grant me pardon for them all. I pray thy Sacred Heart that I may rather die than offend Thee again, and may live only to love Thee. 

PATER once, Gloria five times, in honour of the Sacred Heart, then : Sweet Heart of my JESUS, Make me love Thee ever more and more,

II. MY JESUS, I bless thy most humble Heart; and I give thanks unto Thee, who in making It my model dost urge me with strong pleadings to imitate It, and also, at the cost of so many humiliations, dost vouchsafe thyself to point out and smooth for me the way to follow Thee. Fool and ungrateful that I am, how have I wandered far away from Thee! Pardon me, my JESUS! Take away from me all hateful pride and ambition, that with lowly heart I may follow Thee, my JESUS, amidst humiliations, and so gain peace and salvation. Strengthen me, Thou who canst, and I will ever bless thy Sacred Heart. 

PATER once, Gloria five times, in honour of the Sacred Heart, then : Sweet Heart of my JESUS, Make me love Thee ever more and more,

III. MY JESUS, I marvel at thy most patient Heart, and I give Thee thanks for all the wondrous examples of unwearied patience which Thou hast left us. It grieves me that these examples still have to reproach me for my excessive delicacy, shrinking from every little pain. Pour, then, into my heart, O dear JESUS, a fervent and constant love of suffering- and the cross, of mortification and of penance, that, following- Thee to Calvary, I may with Thee attain the joys of Paradise. 

PATER once, Gloria five times, in honour of the Sacred Heart, then : Sweet Heart of my JESUS, Make me love Thee ever more and more,

IV. DEAR JESUS, beside thy most gentle Heart I set my own, and shudder to see how unlike mine is to thine.  How am I wont to fret and grieve when a hint, a look, or a word thwarts me! Pardon all my violence, and give me for the future grace to imitate in every contradiction thy unalterable meekness, that so I may enjoy an everlasting holy peace. 

PATER once, Gloria five times, in honour of the Sacred Heart, then : Sweet Heart of my JESUS, Make me love Thee ever more and more,

V. LET us sing praise to JESUS for his generous Heart, Conqueror of death and hell; for well It merits every praise. Still more than ever confounded am I, looking upon my coward heart, which dreads even a rough word or injurious taunt. But it shall be so with me no more. My JESUS, I pray Thee for such strength that, fighting and conquering self on earth, I may one day rejoice triumphantly with Thee in heaven. 

PATER once, Gloria five times, in honour of the Sacred Heart, then : Sweet Heart of my JESUS, Make me love Thee ever more and more,

NOW let us turn to Mary, and dedicating ourselves yet more and more to her, and trusting in her Mother s heart, we say to her: By all the virtue of thy most sweet heart obtain for me, great Mother of GOD, our Mother Mary, a true and enduring devotion to the Sacred Heart of JESUS, thy Son, that, bound up in every thought and affection in union with his Heart, I may fulfil each duty of my state, serving JESUS ever more with readiness of heart, and specially this day.

V/. Heart of JESUS, burning with love or us,

R/.. Inflame our hearts with love of Thee.

Let us pray

LORD, we beseech Thee, let thy HOLY SPIRIT kindle in our hearts that fire of charity which our LORD JESUS CHRIST, thy SON, sent forth from his inmost Heart upon this earth, and willed that it should burn exceedingly. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the same HOLY SPIRIT, GOD for ever and ever. Amen.

From the Raccolta
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Acts of Devotion to the Sacred Heart

Acts of Devotion to the Sacred Heart

I. The Word was made Flesh, and dwelt amongst us.

ETERNAL Word, made Man for love of us, humbly kneeling at thy feet we adore Thee with the deepest veneration of our souls; and in order that we may repair our ingratitude for this great benefit of thy Incarnation, we unite ourselves to the hearts of all those who love Thee, and together with them we offer Thee our humble loving thanksgiving-. Pierced by the excess of humility, goodness, and sweetness which we behold in thy Divine Heart, we beseech Thee to give us thy grace, that in our lives we too may imitate these virtues so dear to Thee. PATER, Ave, and Gloria.

II. He was crucified also for us; suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried.

JESUS our loving SAVIOUR, humbly kneeling at thy feet we adore Thee with the deepest veneration of our souls; and, in order that we may give Thee proof of the sorrow w r e feel at our insensibility to the outrages and sufferings which thy loving Heart made Thee undergo for our salvation in thy painful Passion and Death, we here unite ourselves with the hearts of all those who love Thee, and together with them we give thanks unto Thee with our whole soul. We wonder at the boundless patience and generosity of thy divine Heart; and we entreat Thee to fill our hearts with such a spirit of Christian penance as may enable us courageously to embrace suffering, and to make thy Cross our great comfort and all our glory. PATER, Ave, Gloria.

III. Thou didst give them bread from heaven to eat, containing in itself all sweetness.

JESUS, who dost burn with love for us, humbly kneeling at thy feet we adore Thee with the deepest veneration of our souls; and, in order to make Thee reparation for the outrages which thy divine Heart daily receives in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar, we unite ourselves with the hearts of all those who love Thee, and give Thee tenderest thanks. We love in thy divine Heart this thy incomprehensible fire of love towards thy Eternal FATHER, and we entreat Thee to inflame our hearts with ardent charity towards Thee and towards our neighbour. PATER, Ave, and Gloria.

LASTLY, O most loving JESUS, we pray Thee, by the sweetness of thy Divine Heart, convert the sinner, console the afflicted, help the dying, lighten the pains of the souls in purgatory. Make all our hearts one in the bonds of true peace and charity, deliver us from sudden and unforeseen death, and grant us a death holy and peaceful. Amen.

V/.. Heart of JESUS, burning- with love of us,

R/. Inflame our hearts with love of Thee.

Let us pray

GRANT, we beseech Thee, Almighty GOD, that we who glory in the most Sacred Heart of thy well beloved SON, and call to mind the chief benefits of his heavenly charity towards us, may be gladdened by the operation and the fruit of those graces in our souls. Through the same CHRIST, Our Lord.  Amen

O Divine Heart of my JESUS! I adore Thee with all the powers of my soul; I consecrate them to Thee for ever, together with all my thoughts, my words, my works, and my whole self. I purpose to offer to Thee, as far as I am able, acts of adoration, love, and glory, like unto those which Thou dost offer to thine.

Eternal FATHER. I beseech Thee, be Thou the reparation for my transgressions, the protector of my life, my refuge and asylum in the hour of my death. By thy sighs, and by that sea of bitterness in which Thou wast immersed for me throughout the whole course of thy mortal life, grant me true contrition for my sins, contempt of earthly things, an ardent longing for the glory of heaven, trust in thy infinite merits, and final perseverance in thy grace.

Heart of JESUS, all love! I offer Thee these humble prayers for myself, and for all who unite with me in spirit to adore Thee; vouchsafe, of thy infinite goodness, to receive and to answer them, and especially for that one of us who shall first end this mortal life. Sweet Heart of my SAVIOUR, pour down upon him, in the agony of death, thine inward consolations; place him in thy sacred wounds; cleanse him from every stain in that furnace of love, that so Thou mayest open to him speedily the entrance into thy glory, there to intercede with Thee for all those who yet tarry in their land of exile.

Most Holy Heart of my most loving JESUS, I purpose to renew these acts of adoration and these prayers for myself, miserable sinner that I am, as well as for all who are associated with me to adore Thee, every moment while I live, down to the last instant of my life. I recommend to Thee, my JESUS, the Holy Church, thy well-beloved Spouse, our own true Mother, the souls that undergo thy justice, all poor sinners, those who are in affliction, the dying, and all mankind let not thy Blood be shed in vain for them; and, last of all, vouchsafe to receive my poor prayers for the relief of the souls in purgatory, and, above all, for those who in the course of their life were wont devoutly to adore Thee.

Most loving heart of Mary, which, amongst the hearts of all creatures of GOD, art at once the most pure, most inflamed with love for Jesus, and most compassionate towards us poor sinners, gain for us from the Heart of JESUS our REDEEMER all the graces which we ask of thee. Mother of mercies, one single throb, one beat of thy heart, all on fire with love towards the Heart of JESUS, has power to console us to the full.

Only grant us this favour and the Heart of JESUS, out of that filial love It had and will ever have for thee, will not fail to hear and answer us. Amen.

From the Raccolta
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Act of Reparation

Act of Reparation

JESUS, my GOD, my SAVIOUR, true GOD and true Man, in that lowly homage with which the faith itself inspires me, with my whole heart I adore and love Thee in the most august Sacrament of the Altar, in reparation for all the acts of irreverence, profanation and sacrilege, which I myself may ever have been so unhappy as to have committed, as well as for all such like acts that ever have been done by others, or that may be done in ages yet to come. I adore Thee, my GOD, not indeed as Thou deservest, nor as much as I am bound to adore, but as far as I am able; and I would that I could adore Thee with all the perfection of which a reasonable creature is capable. Meantime I purpose now and ever to adore Thee, not only for those Catholics who adore and love Thee not, but also for the conversion of all bad Christians, and of all Heretics, Schismatics, Mohammedans, Jews and idolaters. JESUS, my GOD, mayest Thou be ever known, adored, loved and praised every moment, in the most holy and divine Sacrament. Amen

From the Raccolta

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Acts of Adoration and Reparation

Acts of Adoration and Reparation

I ADORE Thee, my JESUS, in the Blessed Sacrament; I acknowledge Thee, true GOD and true Man. By this my act of adoration I intend to make Thee reparation for the coldness of so many of thy people, who pass before thy churches, nay, before thy very tabernacle, where hour after hour Thou dost deign to dwell in loving impatience to communicate thyself to thy faithful, yet do not even bow the knee before Thee, but like the Israelites in the wilderness, seem by their indifference to loathe this heavenly manna. I offer Thee thine own most precious Blood which Thou didst shed from the wound in thy Left Foot, in reparation for this hateful coldness, and entering therein, I cry, and will never cease to cry: ---- Blessed and praised every moment Be the most holy and divine Sacrament !  

PATER, Ave, Gloria.

I PROFOUNDLY adore Thee, my JESUS; I acknowledge Thee present in the most holy Sacrament. By this acl; of adoration I would fain make amends for the forgetfulness of so many Christian people, who, when they see Thee go to the poor sick, to be their strength in their great journey to eternity, leave Thee unescorted, and hardly give Thee even one outward sign of homage. I offer Thee, in reparation for this coldness, that most precious Blood which Thou didst shed from the wound in thy Right Foot, and entering therein, I cry, and will never cease to cry:---- Blessed and praised every moment Be the most holy and divine Sacrament!  

PATER, Ave, Gloria

I PROFOUNDLY adore Thee, my JESUS, true Bread of life eternal; and by this my act of adoration I would fain make Thee compensation for all the wounds with which thy Sacred Heart bleeds daily to see the profanation of those churches wherein Thou dost vouchsafe to abide, beneath the sacramental species, to receive the love and adoration of thy people. I offer Thee, in reparation for all these irreverences, that most precious Blood which Thou didst shed from the wound in thy Left Hand, and, entering therein, I will ever cry: ---Blessed and praised every moment Be the most holy and divine Sacrament!

PATER, Ave, Gloria.

I PROFOUNDLY adore Thee, my JESUS, Living Bread come down from heaven; and by this act of adoration I would fain make amends for all the acts of irreverence which thy people day by day commit whilst they assist at holy Mass, in which bloodless Sacrifice Thou dost renew the very Sacrifice which once Thou didst consummate on Calvary for our salvation. I offer Thee, in reparation for all this ingratitude, that most precious Blood which Thou didst shed from the wound in thy Right Hand; and, entering- therein, I unite my voice with the voices of the holy angels who adore around thy throne: ---- Blessed and praised every moment Be the most holy and divine Sacrament !

PATER, Ave, Gloria

I PROFOUNDLY adore Thee, my JESUS, true Victim of expiation for our sins; and I offer Thee this act of adoration in compensation for the sacrilegious outrages Thou dost receive from so many of thy ungrateful people, who dare to draw nigh to Thee and receive Thee in Communion with mortal sin upon their souls. In reparation for these hateful sacrileges, I offer Thee those last drops of thy most precious Blood which Thou didst shed from the wound in thy Side; and, entering therein, I approach Thee with acts of adoration, love, and thanksgiving, and, with all holy souls who are devout to Thee in this most holy Sacrament, I cry:--- Blessed and praised every moment Be the most holy and divine Sacrament !

PATER, Ave, Gloria

From the Raccolta
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Prayers Before the Blessed Sacrament

Prayers Before the Blessed Sacrament

I ADORE Thee, Eternal FATHER, and I give Thee thanks for the infinite love with which Thou didst deign to send thy only-begotten SON to redeem me, and to become the food of my soul. I offer Thee all the acts of adoration and thanksgiving that are offered to Thee by the angels and saints in heaven and by the just on earth. I praise, love, and thank Thee with all the praise, love, and thanksgiving that are offered to Thee by thine own SON in the Blessed Sacrament ; and I beg Thee to grant that He maybe known, loved, honoured, praised, and worthily received by all, in this most divine Sacrament. PATER, Ave, Gloria.

I ADORE Thee, Eternal SON, and I thank Thee for the infinite love which caused Thee to become man for me, to be born in a stable, to live in poverty, to suffer hunger, thirst, heat, cold, fatigue, hardships, contempt, persecutions, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, and a cruel death upon the hard wood of the Cross. I thank Thee, with the Church militant and triumphant, for the infinite love with which Thou didst institute the most blessed Sacrament to be the food of my soul. I adoreThee in all the consecrated hosts throughout the whole world, and I return thanks for those who know Thee not, and who do not thank Thee. Would that I were able to give my life to make Thee known, loved, and honoured by all, in this sacrament of love, and to prevent the irreverences and sacrileges that are committed against Thee ! I love Thee, divine JESUS, and I desire to receive Thee with all the purity, love, and affection of thy blessed Mother, and with the love and affection of thy own most pure Heart. Grant, O most amiable spouse of my soul, in coming to me in this most holy Sacrament, that I may receive all the graces and blessings which Thou dost come to bestow on us, and let me rather die than receive Thee unworthily. PATER, Ave, Gloria.

I ADORE Thee, Eternal SPIRIT, and I give Thee thanks for the infinite love with which Thou didst work the ineffable mystery of the Incarnation, and for the infinite love with which Thou didst form the sacred body of our LORD JESUS CHRIST out of the most pure blood of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to become in this Sacrament the food of my soul. I beg Thee to enlighten my mind, and to purify my heart and the hearts of all men, that they all may know this great benefit of thy love, and receive worthily this most blessed Sacrament. PATER, Ave, Gloria.

From the Raccolta
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Litany of Our Lady 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, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.

R./ pray for us

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Queen of peace and clemency,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, dispensatrix of God's gifts,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, subduer of hearts,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Mother of mercy,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Mother of Divine grace,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, sweet gift from Heaven,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, sovereign benefactress,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, incomparable treasurer,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, august Mediatrix,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, refuge in danger,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, help of the abandoned, 

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Mother of the orphan and the destitute,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Hope of the hopeless,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, blessed by all generations, .
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, sweeter than honey and the honeycomb,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, immaculate lily perfuming the universe with thy perfumes, 
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, mysterious fountain,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, safe asylum amid the dangers of the world,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, the purest and loveliest of creatures, 

May Heaven revere thee, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
May the earth publish thy benefits, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
May the young take refuge under thy virginal mantle, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
May mothers confide to thee their children, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
May the aged invoke and bless thee, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. 

Triumph over the insensibility of our hearts, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Draw from our eyes fountains of tears, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Convert the most hardened sinners, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Be our defense when Satan assaults us, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Help us to sanctify our trials, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Bless and fertilize our labors, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Guard us under thy shield, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Be moved by our misfortunes and our dangers, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. 

In thy charity give us refuge in thine arms, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
In thy compassion cover our sins and our faults, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
In thy tenderness never abandon us, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. 

By thy humility overcome our pride, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
By thy prayers assist us in our last hour, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. 

In thy love lead us to the Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Protect us at the tribunal of God, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Preserve our Sovereign Pontiff, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Preserve the faith in our land which loves thee, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Guide the bishops and the clergy in the way of holiness, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Protect the Catholic world against the efforts of the impious, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Bring back to the Church heretics and schismatics, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Make the light of the Gospel to shine among infidels, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

V. Pray for us, O invincible Lady of the Sacred Heart,
R. That through thee, O sublime Hope of the hopeless, 

we may become worthy of the promises of Jesus Christ, Our Savior.

Let Us Pray: 

O God, Who for the triumph of Thy mercy and the salvation of souls hast granted to the Immaculate Virgin Mary boundless powers over the Heart of Jesus, grant by her prayers and intercession that we may live and die in Thy holy love. We ask this of Thee through the same Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Chaplet of the Blessed Sacrament

Chaplet of the Blessed Sacrament

The Blessed Sacrament Beads, consisting of the medal of the Blessed Sacrament and thirty-three beads, one for each year of Christ's life on earth.

The chaplet is said by starting on the medal of the Blessed Sacrament, on which a spiritual communion can be made, and reciting "As I cannot now receive Thee, my Jesus, in Holy Communion, come spiritually into my heart and make it Thine own forever."

On each of the thirty-three beads recite "Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament on the altar, have mercy on us!"

Approved May 30, 1911 by Pope Pius X

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Prayer to the Sacred Heart for the Church

Prayer to the Sacred Heart for the Church

O MOST sacred Heart of JESUS, pour down thy blessings abundantly upon thy Church, upon the Supreme Pontiff, and upon all the clergy; give perseverance to the just, convert sinners, enlighten unbelievers, bless our parents, friends and benefactors, help the dying, free the souls in Purgatory, and extend over all hearts the sweet empire of thy love. Amen

From the Raccolta

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Consecration of the Family to the Sacred Heart

Consecration of the Family to the Sacred Heart

SACRED Heart of JESUS, who didst manifest to Blessed Margaret Mary the desire of reigning in Christian families, we today wish to proclaim thy most complete regal dominion over our own. We would live in future with thy life, we would cause to flourish in our midst those virtues to which Thou hast promised peace here below, we would banish far from us the spirit of the world which Thou hast cursed; and Thou shalt reign, over our minds in the simplicity of our faith, and over our hearts by the whole-hearted love with which they shall burn for Thee, the flame of which we shall keep alive by the frequent reception of thy divine Eucharist.

Deign, O divine Heart, to preside over our assemblings, to bless our enterprises, both spiritual and temporal, to dispel our cares, to sanctify our joys, to alleviate our sufferings. If ever one or other of us should have the misfortune to afflict Thee, remind him, O Heart of JESUS, that Thou art good and merciful to the penitent sinner. And when the hour of separation strikes, when death shall come to cast mourning into our midst, we will all, both those who go and those who stay, be submissive to thy eternal decrees. We will console ourselves with the thought that a day will come when the entire family, reunited in Heaven, can sing for ever thy glories and thy mercies.

May the immaculate heart of Mary and the glorious Patriarch, St Joseph, present this consecration to Thee, and keep it in our minds all the days of our life. All glory to the Heart of JESUS, our King and our FATHER

From the Raccolta

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Prayer to the Eucharistic Heart

Prayer to the Eucharistic Heart

O EUCHARISTIC Heart, O sovereign love of our LORD JESUS, who hast instituted the august Sacrament, in order to dwell here below with us and to give to our souls thy Flesh as food and thy Blood as drink, we confidently trust, O LORD JESUS, in the supreme love which instituted the most holy Eucharist; and here, in the presence of this Victim, it is just that we should adore, confess, and exalt this love, as the great store-house of the life of thy Church. This love is an urgent invitation for us, as though Thou didst say to us: "See how I love you! giving you my Flesh as food, and my Blood as drink; I desire by this union to excite your charity, I desire to unite you to myself, I desire to effect the transformation of your souls into my crucified Self, I who am the Bread of eternal life. Give me then your hearts, live in my life, and you shall live in GOD." We recognise, O LORD, that such is the appeal of thy Eucharistic Heart, and we thank Thee for it, and we desire earnestly to respond to it. Grant us the grace to be keenly alive to this supreme love, with which, before thy Passion, Thou didst invite us to receive and feed upon thy sacred Body. Print deeply on our souls the firm determination to respond faithfully to this invitation.  Give us devotion and reverence whereby we may honour and receive worthily the gift of thy supreme love, and of thy Eucharistic Heart. Grant that we may thus be able, with thy grace, to celebrate profitably the remembrance of thy Passion, to make reparation for our offences and our coldness, to nourish and increase our love for Thee, and to keep ever living within our hearts this seed of a blessed immortality.  Amen

From the Raccolta

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Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart II

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart II

I N.N., give and consecrate to the Sacred Heart , of our LORD JESUS CHRIST my person and my life, my actions, penances, and sufferings, not wishing to make use of any part of my being for the future except in honouring, loving, and glorifying that Sacred Heart.

It is my irrevocable will to be entirely his, and to do everything for his love, renouncing with my whole heart whatever might displease Him. I take Thee then, O most Sacred Heart, as the sole object of my love, as the protector of my life, as the pledge of my salvation, as the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, as the repairer of all the defects of my life, and as my secure refuge in the hour of death.

Be then, O Heart of goodness, my justification before GOD the FATHER, and remove far from me the thunderbolts of his just wrath. O Heart of love, I place my whole confidence in Thee. While I fear all things from my malice and frailty, I hope all things from thy goodness.

Consume then in me whatever can displease or be opposed to Thee, and may thy pure love be so deeply impressed upon my heart that it may be impossible that I should ever be separated from Thee, or forget Thee.

I implore Thee, by all thy goodness, that my name may be written in Thee, for in Thee I wish to place all my happiness and all my glory, living and dying in very bondage to Thee. Amen.

by Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

From the Raccolta

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Daily Act of Oblation

Daily Act of Oblation

O LORD JESUS CHRIST, in union with that divine intention with which Thou didst on earth offer praises to GOD through thy Sacred Heart, and now dost continue to offer them in all places in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and wilt do so to the end of the world, I most willingly offer Thee, throughout this entire day without the smallest exception, all my intentions and thoughts, all my affections and desires, all my words and actions, that they may be conformed to the most sacred heart of the blessed Virgin Mary ever Immaculate.

From the Raccolta

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Beads of the Sacred Heart

Beads of the Sacred Heart

As there is nothing so ingenious as love, several great saints in their great eagerness to make, each day, numerous acts of their favorite virtues according to the various inspirations of grace, have Invented several kinds of chaplets composed of acts of these virtues. After their example, the beads of the Sacred Heart has been formed. It is composed of five large beads and thirty-three small ones in honor thirty-three years Our Lord spent on earth.

Instead of the Creed the following prayer may be said.

Soul of Jesus Christ, sanctify me.
Heart of Jesus, inflame me with love. Body of Jesus Christ, save me
Blood of Jesus Christ, inebriate me.
Water our of the Side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

O good Jesus, hear me. Within Thy Wounds, hide me. Let me not be separated from Thee. Defend me from the malignant enemy. At the hour of death, call me And bid me to come unto Thee That with the Saints, I may praise Thee For all eternity.
Amen.

Before each large bead say:

Jesus most meek, make my heart like unto Thine.

On each large bead say:

We adore Thee, O Jesus, who hast been afflicted in the Garden of Gethsemani and who still in our time art outraged in the Blessed Sacrament by the impious conduct of men. O most amiable Saviour, we recognize that Thou alone art Holy, Thou alone art Lord, Thou alone art Most High.

On each small bead say:

I adore Thee, O most Sacred Heart of Jesus, inflame my heart with the divine love with which Thine Own is all on fire.

At the end of the beads say an Our Father and a Hail Mary, and the following prayer:

O Lord Jesus Christ, who by an ineffable miracle of love, hast deigned to give Thy Heart to men to serve as their nourishment, in order thereby to gain their hearts, graciously hear our humble prayers, and pardon us for the sins of which we confess ourselves guilty before Thee. Cast an eye of compassion and mercy upon those towards whom Thou dost condescend to direct the affections of Thine amiable Heart. And since we desire to honor Thee in the adorable Mystery of the Altar to the utmost of our power and to render Thee most pleasing homage and for that intention, weep for and detest from the bottom of our hearts all the outrages, contempt, mockery, sacrileges, and other acts of impiety which ungrateful men in every part of the world have committed against Thee, enkindle therefore in our hearts this divine love with which Thine Own is inflamed, and inspire us with sentiments like unto Thine, in order that we may be able worthily to praise for all praise for all eternity the love with which this Sacred Heart burns for us. This is our prayer to Thee who livest and reignest with the Father, in unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen

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Words of the Lord to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

Words of the Lord to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

"Behold how sinners treat Me. . . My daughter, wilt thou give Me thy heart and ease My suffering love which everyone despises?"

"I love so much a soul's desire to receive Me, that I hasten to it each time it summons Me by its yearnings."

“My Divine Heart so ardently loves men that, unable to contain within itself any longer the flames of its burning love, it needs must spread them with your assistance, and thus it will show itself that all men may be enriched with its most precious treasures...”

“It is the ingratitude of men which has hurt Me more than all the suffering I underwent during My Passion. If only they would make some return for My love, I should think but little of all I have done for them and would wish, were it possible, to suffer still more. But the sole return they make for all My eagerness to do them good is to reject Me and treat Me with coldness. Do thou at least console Me by supplying for their ingratitude as far as thou art able.”

“Behold this Heart, Which has loved men so much, that It has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming Itself, in order to testify to them Its love; and in return I receive from the greater number nothing but ingratitude by reason of their irreverence and sacrileges, and by the coldness and contempt which they show Me in this Sacrament of Love. But what I feel most keenly is that it is hearts which are consecrated to Me, that treat Me thus...”

'Dost thou know why I give thee My graces in such abundance? To make of thee a sanctuary in which the fire of My love may continually burn. Thy heart is like a sacred altar which nothing sullied may touch; I have chosen it as an altar of holocausts for My Eternal Father.'

Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons

It Was As If You Opened to Me the Heart in Your Most Sacred Body

It Was As If You Opened to Me the Heart in Your Most Sacred Body

It was as if you opened to me the heart in your most sacred body. I seemed to see it directly before my eyes. You told me to drink from this fountain, inviting me, that is, to draw the waters of my salvation from your wellsprings, my Savior. I was most eager that streams of faith, hope, and love should flow into me from that source. I was thirsting for poverty, chastity, obedience. I asked to be made wholly clean by you, to be clothed by you, to be made resplendent by you. "So, after daring to approach your most loving heart, and to plunge my thirst into it, I received a promise from you of a garment made of three parts: these were to cover my soul in its nakedness, and to belong especially to my religious profession. They were peace, love, and perseverance. Protected by this garment of salvation, I was confident that I would lack nothing but all would succeed and give you glory.

St. Peter Canisius
Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons

The Sacred Heart of Christ

The Sacred Heart of Christ

 The sacred heart of Christ is an inexhaustible fountain and its sole desire is to pour itself out into the hearts of the humble so as to free them and prepare them to lead lives according to his good pleasure.

From this divine heart three streams flow endlessly. The first is the stream of mercy for sinners; it pours into their hearts sentiments of contrition and repentance. The second is the stream of charity which helps all in need and especially aids those seeking perfection in order to find the means of surmounting their difficulties. From the third stream flow love and light for the benefit of his friends who have attained perfection; these he wishes to unit to himself so that they may share his knowledge and commandments and, in their individual ways, devote themselves wholly to advancing his glory.

This divine heart is an abyss filled with all blessings, and into the poor should submerge all their needs. It is an abyss of joy in which all of us can immerse our sorrows. It is an abyss of lowliness to counteract our foolishness, an abyss of mercy for the wretched, an abyss of love to meet our every need.

Are you making no progress in prayer? The you need only offer God the prayers which the Savior has poured out for us in the sacrament of the altar. Offer God his fervent love in reparation for your sluggishness. In the course of every activity pray as follows: "My God, I do this or I endure that in the heart of your Son and according to his holy counsels. I offer it to you in reparation for anything blameworthy or imperfect in my actions." Continue to do this in every circumstance of life.

But above all preserve peace of heart. This is more valuable than any treasure. In order to preserve it there is nothing more useful than renouncing your own will and substituting for it the will of the divine heart. In this way his will can carry out for us whatever contributes to his glory, and we will be happy to be his subjects and to trust entirely in him.

from a letter by Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
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Novena of Confidence to the Sacred Heart

Novena of Confidence to the Sacred Heart

O Lord Jesus Christ, To your most Sacred Heart, I confide this/these intention: (mention your intention)  Only look upon me,  And then do What your Sacred Heart inspires.  Let your Sacred Heart decide I count on it, I trust in it I throw myself on Your mercy, Lord Jesus!  You will not fail me.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You.  Sacred Heart of Jesus, I believe in Your love for me.  Sacred Heart of Jesus, Your Kingdom come.  O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I have asked you for many favors, But I earnestly implore this one.  Take it.

Place it in Your open, broken Heart; And, when the Eternal Father looks upon It, Covered with Your Precious Blood, He will not refuse it.  It will be no longer my prayer, But Yours, O Jesus.  O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.  Let me not be disappointed. Amen

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