Holy
Hill Cross
Novena
and Prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
I. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
On
Margaret Mary was inspired
by Christ to establish the Holy Hour and to pray lying prostrate with her face
to the ground from eleven till midnight on the eve of the first Friday of each
month, to share in the mortal sadness He endured when abandoned by His Apostles
in His Agony, and to receive holy Communion on the first Friday of every month.
In the first great revelation, He made known to her His ardent desire to be
loved by men and His design of manifesting His Heart with all Its treasures of
love and mercy, of sanctification and salvation. He appointed the Friday after
the octave of the feast of
The discussion of the mission and virtues of
Margaret Mary continued for years. All her actions, her revelations, her
spiritual maxims, her teachings regarding the devotion to the Sacred Heart, of
which she was the chief exponent as well as the apostle, were subjected to the
most severe and minute examination, and finally the Sacred Congregation of
rites passed a favourable vote on the heroic virtues
of this servant of God. In March, 1824, Leo XII pronounced her Venerable, and
on
[Editor's Note: St.
Margaret Mary was canonized by Benedict XV in 1920. The Catholic Encyclopedia, www.newadvent.com]
II. First Friday Devotion Promises from
Jesus
Jesus gave the
following promises to Saint Margaret Mary for souls devoted to His most Sacred
Heart:
1. I will give them
all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will establish
peace in their homes.
3. I will comfort
them in their afflictions.
4. I will be their
secure refuge in life and above all in death.
5. I will bestow
abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall
find in My heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls
shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls
shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9. I will bless
every place where a picture of My heart shall be exposed and honored.
10. I will give to
priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who shall
promote this devotion shall have their names written in My heart, never to be
blotted out.
12. I promise you,
in the excessive mercy of my heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all
those who receive Holy Communion on the first Friday for 9 consecutive months
the grace of final repentance; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without
receiving the sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in that
last moment.
III. Novena to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus
FIRST DAY:
The word heart is a
strong word and a beautiful one. "Take heart!" we say, when we want a
man to pick up courage. "He gave her his heart," we say when a man
gives to a woman his pure love With perfect understanding we talk of a motherly
heart ... of a man who puts heart into his work ... of the innocent heart of a
child ... of the pulsing heart of a city.
What more natural
then that when Christ the Savior revealed Himself once more to humanity He
should borrow our word knowing that it would ring with complete familiarity?
"Behold the
heart that hath loved men so much, He cried, indicating His own heart. And men
of good heart and of loving heart answered, "Indeed we know how much you
have loved us."
To the Savior who
revealed Himself to the world that needs love, we say:
The
Prayer of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O God, Who in the heart of thy Son wounded by
our sins, dost deign mercifully to bestow upon us the infinite treasures of thy
love, grant, we beseech thee, that we who now pay Him the devout homage of our
piety may also perform the duty of worthy satisfaction. Through the same Jesus
Christ, Our Lord, who livest and reignest
with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen. (Copyright 1947 Daniel A. Lord,
S.J.)
SECOND DAY:
Ours is a gracious
God of love, of that there is no slightest doubt. God the Father created the
world lov-ingly and tenderly. The long passages of
the ages—a flash of God's eternity-were spent in the preparation of a
beautiful, convenient, well-stocked earth to be man's dwelling place. The newly
made creatures, made to the image and likeness of the heavenly Father, He
adopted as His sons and daughters.
When in dark
rebellion these sons and daughters revolted, "God so loved the world, as
to give His only-begotten Son that . . . the world may be saved . . ."
The love story of
God is written anew in the star of Bethlehem, the smile of the Child Jesus, His
hidden life of service to Mary and to the villagers of Nazareth, the miracles
and parables of His public life, the death by which Christ laid down His Life
for His friends.
Then on the wings
of wind and in the symbolic form of flame the Spirit of love came to dwell in
human souls, divine love taking up its residence in the men and the women that
God had loved into life, loved unto death, loved to their own sanctification.
Before the Three
Persons of the Trinity, who love us with a divine love, we kneel and pray:
The
Prayer of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O God, Who in the
heart of thy Son wounded by our sins, dost deign mercifully to bestow upon us
the infinite treasures of thy love, grant, we beseech thee, that we who now pay
Him the devout homage of our piety may also perform the duty of worthy
satisfaction. Through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who livest
and reignest with thee in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
THIRD DAY:
Christ of the
tender and loving heart…
The Infant heart
that beat with the impulse of love on Christmas…
The heart that
yearned over the world which was dark in ignorance and wandering in sin ...
The heart that
leaped in response to the love of Mary and knew the warmth of a devoted Son for
the foster father who guarded Him
tenderly…
The heart that
could hardly wait for the beginnings of His work among men . . .
The heart that wept
over the lost multitudes . . .
The heart of the
Good Shepherd searching for His lost sheep…
The heart that
speaks in the poetry of the parables and the strength of the sermons . . .
The heart that
yearned for sinners and drove the Savior questing for them far into the night .
. .
The heart that
raised the widow's son from death...
The heart that
selected twelve men as intimate friends and then responded gratefully to the
love of the innocent John…
The heart that
poured itself out in miracles of healing and forgiveness and mercy and loving
kindness . . .
This is the Sacred
Heart of the Savior.
To this heart we
say:
The Prayer of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus
O God, Who in the
heart of thy Son wounded by our sins, dost deign mercifully to bestow upon us
the infinite treasures of thy love, grant, we beseech thee, that we who now pay
Him the devout homage of our piety may also perform the duty of worthy
satisfaction. Through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who livest
and reignest with thee in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
FOURTH DAY:
The heart of
the Savior broke during the course of the Passion.
The paschal
moon that shone with fierce brilliance over the garden was like a searchlight
beating upon the sins of the parading world. Christ saw that world, knew its
horror and vileness, and broke into a bloody sweat.
Yet that
heart held Him captive when the traitor came and made Him call the betrayer
friend.
Upon the
loving Savior, bound, not with cords and chains, but by His heartstrings, fell
the blows of the scourging, the mockery of the mob, the spittle of the
soldiers, the awful humiliation of public rejection.
It was His
heart rather than His head that was crowned with thorns.
Upon the
cross it was His heart that held Him fast. He loved us and delivered Himself
for us. He bore our bruises and our infirmities. Greater love than this no man
hath, that He die for His executioners.
And that the
last drop of love might flow out and the lowest and meanest of His sinners
might find safe entrance to His heart. He offers that heart to the lance of the
centurion. In the cleft of His heart, as in the cleft of a rock, the penitent
world has found warmth, safety, and protection.
Before the suffering
Christ of love we say: The Prayer of the Sacred Heart of Jesus we say:
The
Prayer of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O God, Who in
the heart of thy Son wounded by our sins, dost deign mercifully to bestow upon
us the infinite treasures of thy love, grant, we beseech thee, that we who now
pay Him the devout homage of our piety may also perform the duty of worthy
satisfaction. Through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who livest
and reignest with thee in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
FIFTH DAY:
The ages roll
swiftly along their course. God's love for His creatures is undying.
The love of
Christ lives on in the Mass and in the sacraments and in His abiding presence
upon the altar and in the soul.
But men are
fickle. Doubt is a cold and chilling thing. The hot flame of passion has a way
of dying down to the dark, cold, dusty ashes of bitterness and despair.
So it was
that into an age when men taught the denial of God's love, when they rejected
His presence on the altar or for-bade believers to approach the altar, the God
of love came again.
A little nun,
holy and loving, knelt in her Visitation Convent. Margaret Mary, she was
called. The combination of the two names has become music to the Catholic world
ever since that time.
On the altar
before her was the vision of the loving Christ.
There was
shown the tortured, flaming heart.
There were
spoken such words of pathetic beauty, of such divine yearning, of dignity
combined with passion that only God could have said them.
"Behold
the heart that has loved men so much and has been loved so little in
return."
Beholding
that heart, we kneel adoringly to say:
The
Prayer of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O God, Who in
the heart of thy Son wounded by our sins, dost deign mercifully to bestow upon
us the infinite treasures of thy love, grant, we beseech thee, that we who now
pay Him the devout homage of our piety may also perform the duty of worthy
satisfaction. Through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who livest
and reignest with thee in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
SIXTH DAY:
As the symbol
of love, Christ had chosen the heart, the favorite symbol of human
speech.
It was His
human heart, still pierced with the spear of
Around that
heart was twined the crown of thorns; for though Christ is indeed king, He is a
king who won His kingdom along the bloody course of love.
From the
heart leap up living flames. They are like the tongues that descended upon the
Apostles when the Spirit of love came to inflame them for the apostolate. These
flames are restless, as love is always restless; but while, like fire, they
warm and light, they do not burn or destroy or even
smudge.
A tiny cross,
that unfailing symbol of God's love even unto death, surmounts the
heart.
Poetry has
known that a sequence of sonnets could not say what a single glimpse of this
heart reveals.
Catholics
everywhere have looked upon the heart of the Savior and have known that it was
offered to them. God s heart was theirs for the asking, theirs if only they
would give their own worthless hearts in exchange.
Before the
symbol of the Sacred Heart we say:
The
Prayer of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O God, Who in
the heart of thy Son wounded by our sins, dost deign mercifully to bestow upon
us the infinite treasures of thy love, grant, we beseech thee, that we who now
pay Him the devout homage of our piety may also perform the duty of worthy
satisfaction. Through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who livest
and reignest with thee in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
SEVENTH DAY:
Love is
always generous. It gives without the prospect of reward. It asks only to give
in a flooding desire to be lavishly generous.
Much as the
heart of the Savior had during His public life sought love and responded to
love and been divinely grateful for the slightest sign of love, that heart
always thought first in terms of giving… giving . . . and more giving.
Miracles for
the needy, forgiveness for the sinful faith for those in darkness, hope for the
despairing---these were the outpourings of the heart of the Savior.
Now again He
speaks, this time to promise the sweet gifts of His love.
To those who
love Him, assurance of eternal salvation . . .
To those who
honor, a picture of Him peace in their households and blessings upon their
family.
His reward
for little acts of devotion just before death ... His presence in the Blessed
Sacrament . . .
Favors,
gifts-promises made out of the greatness of His love---to anyone who will show
some little signs of love for Him .
With that
vision the great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, old as Christianity
itself but new in its present manifestation, moves in the wind-fed fire of love
across the earth.
Loving the
Lover of our souls, we say:
The
Prayer of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O God, Who in
the heart of thy Son wounded by our sins, dost deign mercifully to bestow upon
us the infinite treasures of thy love, grant, we beseech thee, that we who now
pay Him the devout homage of our piety may also perform the duty of worthy
satisfaction. Through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who livest
and reignest with thee in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.]
EIGHTH DAY:
"Behold
the heart that has loved men so much and that has been loved so little in
return."
It is upon
the second half of the Savior's statement that the loving Christian focuses his
attention.
We have known
always the love of God.
We have tried
not to remember the love-less-ness of men and women.
With love for
everyone and for everything, now as on the first Christmas, no love remains for
Christ. With love walking in a thousand cheap disguises, as it did even during
the climax of love on
That is why
the Savior Himself asked loving souls for a little reparation:
“Make
up," He pleads, "for the millions who do not love me.”
"Tell me
at least that you wish sinners would stop their sin, and the faithful in name
would become faithful in fact, and the sins committed in the ugly travesty on
love would cease to kill the human power of love.
"Consecrate yourself," He begs, "to my heart. Dedicate your
homes and your children to my loving protection. Spend at least an occasional
hour with me."
We consecrate
ourselves to the loving Christ and say:
The
Prayer of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O God, Who in
the heart of thy Son wounded by our sins, dost deign mercifully to bestow upon
us the infinite treasures of thy love, grant, we beseech thee, that we who now
pay Him the devout homage of our piety may also perform the duty of worthy
satisfaction. Through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who livest
and reignest with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
God, world without end. Amen.
NINTH DAY:
Christ of the
Sacred Heart, Christ of the Blessed Sacrament---these two are identical.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart is inseparably linked to devotion to the Holy
Eucharist. Love for the Sacred Heart must inevitably lead to the tabernacle.
Host and
Heart are equal manifestations of the love of the savior for saints and
sinners.
The impulse
of love in the heart of the Savior made inevitable the promise of the
Eucharist, which climaxed the love feast of the loaves and the fishes.
Love in the
wonderful evening before His Passion, when love was the sole subject of His
speech, inevitably passed beyond words and became bread made flesh and wine
made blood with the guarantee that never would He leave us orphans.
That is why
in His revelation to Saint Margaret Mary, Christ speaks of Holy Communion, that
close union of the human soul with the divine. That is why He asks that on the
first Friday we come to welcome Him. That is why He begs that on our knees
before His loving Presence in the tabernacle we find the Eucharistic Christ and
remember that the love of Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Before the
Eucharistic heart of Christ we kneel and say:
The
Prayer of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O God, Who in
the heart of thy Son wounded by our sins, dost deign mercifully to bestow upon
us the infinite treasures of thy love, grant, we beseech thee, that we who now
pay Him the devout homage of our piety may also perform the duty of worthy
satisfaction. Through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who livest
and reignest with thee in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, God, world without end. Amen. (Copyright 1947, Daniel A. Lord, S.J.
W.H. Lithographing Company,
IV. Daily Prayer and Invocations to the
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
DAILY PRAYER
O most holy
Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore Thee, I love Thee and with
a lively sorrow for my sins, I offer Thee this poor heart of mine. Make me
humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to Thy will. Grant, good Jesus, that
I may live in Thee and for Thee. Protect me in the midst of danger; comfort me
in my afflictions; give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, Thy
blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Within Thy Heart I
place my every care. In every need let me come to Thee with humble trust
saying, Heart of Jesus help me.
INVOCATIONS
TO THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS
Merciful Jesus, I consecrate myself today and always to Thy Most Sacred Heart.
Most
Sacred Heart of Jesus I implore, that I may ever love Thee more and more.
Most
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee.
Most
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
Sacred
Heart of Jesus, I believe in Thy love for me.
Jesus,
meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.
Sacred
Heart of Jesus Thy Kingdom Come.
Most
Sacred Heart of Jesus, convert sinners. save the dying, deliver the Holy Souls
in Purgatory.
(OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY LIBRARY
Litany of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus
|
V. Lord, have
mercy on us. The response
for the following is: Have mercy on us. God, the
Father of Heaven, Holy Trinity,
one God, most holy Virgin Mother, and knowledge,
|
Heart of
Jesus, in whom the Father is well pleased, Heart of
Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills, Heart of
Jesus, patient and most merciful, Heart of
Jesus, enriching all who invoke Thee, Heart of
Jesus, pierced with a lance, V. Lamb of
God, who takes away the sins of the world, R. Spare us, O
Lord. R. Graciously
hear us, O Lord, R. Have mercy
on us. Let us pray, Almighty
and Eternal God, look upon the Heart of Thy dearly beloved Son and upon the
acts of praise and satisfaction He offers Thee in the name of sinners; and to
those who seek Thy mercy, grant Thou peace and forgiveness, in the name of
the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity
of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. |