June: The Month of
the Sacred Heart
About.com GuideJune 1, 2012
On June 1, 2008, at
his weekly Angelus address, Pope Benedict XVI urged
Catholics "to renew, in this month of June, their devotion to the Heart of
Jesus." The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a moveable
feast, but it most often takes place in June, and thus June is traditionally
dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The Sacred Heart, as the Holy Father explained,
is a symbol "of the Christian faith that is especially dear, to ordinary
people as well as to mystics and theologians, because it expresses the 'good
news' of love in a simple and authentic way, encapsulating the mystery of
Incarnation and Redemption."
The Sacred Heart reminds us that
Christ is not God simply appearing as man; He is truly man, just as He is truly
God. As Pope Benedict put it, "From the boundless horizon of His love, God
entered the limitations of history and of the human condition. He took a body
and a heart so that we can contemplate and encounter the infinite in the
finite, the invisible and ineffable Mystery in the human Heart of Jesus of
Nazareth." In that encounter, we feel the presence of Christ's heart
within our own.
We can join Pope Benedict in renewing
our devotion to the Sacred Heart by making use of these prayers for June, the month of the Sacred Heart. O
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
(Sacred Heart of Jesus statue next to
right side altar in St. Mary's Oratory,
Rockford, Illinois. Photo by Scott P. Richert.)
In the apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Jesus gives these twelve promises for those who are devoted to His Sacred Heart.
- I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
- I will establish peace in their families.
- I will console them in all their troubles.
- They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of their death.
- I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
- Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.
- Tepid souls shall become fervent.
- Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
- I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
- I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts.
- Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced.
- The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under my displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.
