Prayers to the Sacred Heart

Devotion to the heart pierced on Calvary is nearly as old as Christianity, but it has undergone many changes over the centuries.

Patristic writers saw in the blood and water issuing from the crucified Lord’s side (John 19:34) the fulfillment of his promise to give living water (John 4:13–14; 7:37), the fountain from which the Spirit flows upon the Church. Medieval piety placed less emphasis on Jesus’s heart as the source of grace and moved toward more personal and sentimental devotion.

The public cult celebrated today began in the seventeenth century, when Saint John Eudes (August 19) pressed for a liturgy (Mass and Office) of the Sacred Heart. Toward the end of that century, Saint Mary Margaret Alacoque (October 16) received visions of the Lord exposing his heart and urging public devotion. Her apparitions gave impetus to the devotion and shape to its purpose: to promote greater use of the sacrament of penance to offset indifference to the Blessed Sacrament.

Pius VI saw the devotion as a means of refuting Jansenism, which rejected the doctrine that Christ died for all people. Clement XIII first granted the petition for a liturgical observance to the Polish bishops and the Roman Archconfraternity of the Sacred Heart in 1765. Pius IX extended the observance to the universal Church in 1856 and, late in the nineteenth century, Leo XIII raised its rank to a feast.

Popular devotion includes the nine First Fridays and the enthronement of an image of the Sacred Heart in homes as a sign that love is the Christian way of life.

---

♥ Prayer of Thanksgiving and Praise to the Sacred Heart

Lord, you deserve all honor and praise,
because your love is perfect and your heart sublime.
My heart is filled to overflowing with gratitude
for the many blessings and graces you have bestowed upon me and those
whom I love.
Forever undeserving, may I always be attentive
and never take for granted the gifts of mercy and love
that flow so freely and generously from your Sacred Heart.
Heart of Jesus, I adore you.
Heart of Jesus, I praise you.
Heart of Jesus, I thank you.
Heart of Jesus, I love you forever and always.
Amen.

♥ Prayer to the Sacred Heart in Times of Loss or Betrayal

Sweet Jesus, your heart beats for the brokenhearted,
and you know their pain. You experienced loss when your friend Lazarus died,
and betrayal when your friends abandoned and rejected you in your darkest hours.
I ask you for relief and release right now in this time of grief.
I cry out to your heart, seeking comfort and consolation.

Take this present heartache and unite it
to your own for the good of others, especially _________________.

Ease my sorrow, and fill my heart with hope
and light to face another day. Amen.

♥ Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

V. Lord, have mercy on us.
R. Christ, have mercy on us.
V. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
R. Christ, graciously hear us.
V. 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.
Heart of Jesus, Son of the eternal Father, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mother’s womb…
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God…
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty…
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God…
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High,..
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven,..
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity,..
Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love,..
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love,..
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues,..
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise,..
Heart of Jesus, King and center of all hearts,..
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,..
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead,..
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father was well pleased,..
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received,..
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills,..
Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy,..
Heart of Jesus, rich to all who call upon you,..
Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness,..
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our offenses,..
Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with reproaches,..
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our iniquities,..
Heart of Jesus, obedient even unto death,..
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance,..
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation,..
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection,..
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation,..
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins,..
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in you,..
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in you,..
Heart of Jesus, delight of all saints,..
V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
R. Spare us, O Lord.
V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
R. Graciously hear us, O Lord.
V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
R. Have mercy on us.
V. Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
R. Make our hearts like unto thine.

Let us pray: Almighty and eternal God, look upon the heart of thy most beloved Son and upon the praises and satisfaction which he offers thee in the name of sinners; and to those who implore thy mercy, in thy great goodness, grant forgiveness in the name of the same Jesus Christ, thy Son, who livest and reignest with thee forever and ever. Amen.

---

---

---