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The Love of the Sacred Heart
DailyCatholic.org ^ | 06/07/05 | Father James F. Wathen

Posted on 06/07/2005 6:41:56 AM PDT by murphE

Blood and water poured forth from His Most Sacred Heart revealing why the Yoke is so Sweet: because of the ultimate Sacrifice offered for us, if we are to share in the infinite reward, we must be willing to share in the sacrifice and carry whatever crosses God has in store for us. We've seen the Love He has for us, now it is time for us to return that love. The yoke is only heavy when we forget the price of sacrifice and our role in salvation of souls.

Matthew 11:29-30: "Take up My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: And you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is sweet and My burden light."

His yoke does not seem sweet, to be sure, rather, very heavy and irksome. What does He mean? We find in the writings and sayings of the saints expressions which verify our dear Lord’s words. They who suffered at least as much as any of us, many of them considerably more, exclaimed how they loved the Lord’s yoke, how joyful they were under it, and the world’s harsh treatment, all the same to them. How can this be? The answer can only be in the strength of the love that they bore Him, which prompted them to want to offer Him more than words of love and devotion.

For them, words alone were too cheap an offering, and had to be accompanied by what the Scriptures call "works," which translate into everything that can be offered--physical sufferings, chronic illness, heavy and futile labors, deprivation of sleep, hours of prayers, fasting, poverty (which means not being able to afford thing that make life easier, or being without things for want of which life is much more difficult); the scorn of relatives and neighbors, betrayal and abandonment by trusted friends, unconcerned acceptance of the cold of winter and the heat of summer, tasteless food; to say nothing of years of living without complaint with difficult, inconsiderate, and selfish companions. The yoke of Christ always consists of things which violate the natural and carnal self and the human will. It is this last that must always be denied. As our Lord prayed in the Gethsemani: "But not what I will, but what Thou wilt" (Mark 14:36).

These things are said with the love of the Sacred Heart in mind, for the Lord Jesus gave us an example of patience by taking on Himself the yoke of His Father’s hard will, which was severe and unyielding. He, the all-holy Second Person of the Godhead, bore with all patience His life on earth. He Who possessed all things lived with only the necessities. In His public life, He made nothing of the heat of semitropical Palestine. He walked everywhere, through all the towns and villages of Galilee, and numerous times back and forth to Jerusalem. On His missionary tours, He and the Apostles often spent the night under the stars. His days were filled with preaching and healing, followed by nights in prayer. He welcomed the poor, the sick, the diseased, and the possessed. From the early days of His preaching, He was dogged by his jealous enemies, who made no secret of their hatred and skepticism. He made it clear to all that it was out of loving obedience to His Father in Heaven, and for the sake of the salvation of the Jews (and ourselves) that He lived and labored.

On Calvary, He was offered a drink of wine and gall, which had been prepared by the women of Jerusalem for all three of the condemned. This drink had the purpose of numbing to some small extent the bodies of those to be crucified. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus, "when He had tasted, he would not drink" (Matthew 27:34). Thus He, Whose Flesh had been torn to the bare bone by the merciless scourging, would not mitigate to the smallest degree the terrible torment of the crucifixion. This revelation gives us insight into how He lived His whole life, sparing Himself no pain or sacrifice in order that His offering to the Father be perfect and His love of us be exhaustive. Therefore, O Christian soul, gaze and reflect often on your holy crucifix. Ponder what it is that He suffered for you, to the limit of His endurance, for sheerest, purest love.

St. John gives us further insight into the completeness and perfection of His sacrifice when he writes:

19:33-35: But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

19:34. But one of the soldiers with a spear opened His side: and immediately there came out blood and water.

19:35. And he that saw it hath given testimony: and his testimony is true. And he knoweth that he saith true: that you also may believe.

Verse 35 is written to substantiate the miracle described in verse 34. The Evangelist assures his readers that he witnessed the event of the piercing of the Heart of Christ, that "there came out blood and water." Normally, blood does not flow from the body of a corpse, as, at death, the heart does not beat and the blood congeals. The significance of this miracle is much commented upon, but there is no disagreement that the Lord Jesus shed His blood to the last drop, and endured all the agony which accompanied such an ordeal. Symbolically, the water represents the water of Baptism, and the blood - the Blessed Eucharist; and, by extension, all the Sacraments, which received their power from the immolation of the Cross. Well might we all make our own the aspiration which the priest at Mass expresses to Christ, when, having taken the Sacred Host, he prays, "Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi?" "What shall I render to the Lord for all that He has given to me?"


TOPICS: Catholic; Theology
KEYWORDS: catholic; catholiclist; devotion; sacredheart; suffering

1 posted on 06/07/2005 6:41:57 AM PDT by murphE
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To: murphE

O Jesus,
your heart beating with love,
beat out the moments
in the garden,
as you prayed there,
filled with sorrow,
while all slept.
Your heart
keeping time
with all the sin
you took upon your shoulders,
cascading down upon you
filth of the years before
dirt of the years ahead,
and you knelt there,
your heart beating in your chest
like the rhythm
of heavenly love
as you accepted the Father's will.

O Jesus,
As you hung on the cross,
the beating of your heart,
a lover's song,
growing strained,
each beat
each breath
reaching out
a lover's
goodbye,
hard,
aching,
until the moment
the last beat
the final farewell,
then silence.

O Jesus,
the miracle
of that heart of love,
rekindled
in a burst of glory
that shattered death,
that made your heart
big enough
to hold the whole world
in a lover's embrace.


Heart of Jesus,
glowing furnace of love,
thank you.


2 posted on 06/07/2005 7:11:17 AM PDT by Knitting A Conundrum (Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)
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To: Knitting A Conundrum

May the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time! Amen.


3 posted on 06/07/2005 7:29:12 AM PDT by murphE (These are days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed but his own. --G.K. Chesterton)
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To: murphE

The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
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 Ghost, 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 in the womb of the Virgin Mother by the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, united substantially with the word of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the Divinity, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father is well pleased, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, rich to all who invoke Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, saturated with revilings, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, crushed for our iniquities, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, made obedient unto death, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, delight of all saints, have mercy on us.
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. Jesus, meek and humble of Heart.
R. Make our hearts like unto Thine.

Let us pray

Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.


4 posted on 06/07/2005 7:31:08 AM PDT by Knitting A Conundrum (Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)
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To: Knitting A Conundrum

O Heart of Jesus,
Ocean of Mercy,
who loves us even knowing
our struggles with the darkness,
and how often we let the darkness win,
be with those today
touched with the darkness that haunts men's lives,
the pain of being wronged,
the injury from others' hate,
the victim of others' greed.

O Heart of Jesus,
Ocean of Mercy,
You who love us
in spite of ourselves,
even knowing how much evil we do,
be with those this day
who see their hope fade before their eyes,
who have lost their way
because they chose the wrong way,
or because of disaster,
or the evil of war,
or the behaviors of those around them.

O Heart of Jesus,
Ocean of Mercy,
who loves us even knowing
our struggles with the darkness,
and how often we let the darkness win,
today I also pray
for those who would harm others
out of anger,
out of fear,
out of greed.
Have mercy on them,
may they find healing for the darkness in their hearts,
may they be touched with your light.

Amen.


5 posted on 06/07/2005 7:51:19 AM PDT by Knitting A Conundrum (Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)
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To: murphE

Sacred Heart A Salutation Prayer by Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

Hail, Heart of Jesus, save me!
Hail, Heart of my Creator, perfect me!
Hail, Heart of my Saviour, deliver me!
Hail, Heart of my Judge, grant me pardon!
Hail, Heart of my Father, govern me!
Hail, Heart of my Spouse, grant me love!
Hail, Heart of my Master, teach me!
Hail, Heart of my King, be my crown!
Hail, Heart of my Benefactor, enrich me!
Hail, Heart of my Shepherd, guard me!
Hail, Heart of my Friend, comfort me!
Hail, Heart of my Brother, stay with me!
Hail, Heart of the Child Jesus, draw me to Thyself!
Hail, Heart of Jesus dying on the Cross, redeem me!
Hail, Heart of Jesus in all Thy states, give Thyself to me!
Hail, Heart of incomparable goodness, have mercy on me!
Hail, Heart of splendor, shine within me!
Hail, most loving Heart, inflame me!
Hail, most merciful Heart, work within me!
Hail, most humble Heart, dwell within me!
Hail, most patient Heart, support me!
Hail, most faithful Heart, be my reward!
Hail, most admirable and most worthy Heart, bless me!


6 posted on 06/07/2005 8:43:38 AM PDT by Knitting A Conundrum (Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)
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To: murphE; Knitting A Conundrum

The Love of the Sacred Heart

HAURIETIS AQUAS (On Devotion To The Sacred Heart) - Encyclical by Pope Pius XII

Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary

Sacred Heart a Feast of God's Love, Says John Paul II

The Sacred Heart of Jesus: Symbol of Combativity and the Restoration of Christendom

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus-The Early Church, Middle Ages up to St. Margaret Mary

See this Heart

About Devotion To The Sacred Heart:The Story Of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

Marian Associations Unite to Celebrate Immaculate Heart

Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, AUGUST 22ND

7 posted on 06/07/2005 8:50:15 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Knitting A Conundrum; Salvation

thanks.


8 posted on 06/07/2005 7:39:53 PM PDT by murphE (These are days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed but his own. --G.K. Chesterton)
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