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August Devotion: The Immaculate Heart

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of August is traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The physical heart of Mary is venerated (and not adored as the Sacred Heart of Jesus is) because it is united to her person: and as the seat of her love (especially for her divine Son), virtue, and inner life. Such devotion is an incentive to a similar love and virtue.

This devotion has received new emphasis in this century from the visions given to Lucy Dos Santos, oldest of the visionaries of Fatima, in her convent in Tuy, in Spain, in 1925 and 1926. In the visions Our Lady asked for the practice of the Five First Saturdays to help make amends for the offenses given to her heart by the blasphemies and ingratitude of men. The practice parallels the devotion of the Nine First Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart.

On October 31, 1942, Pope Pius XII made a solemn Act of Consecration of the Church and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart. Let us remember this devotion year-round, but particularly through the month of August.

INVOCATIONS

O heart most pure of the Blessed Virgin Mary, obtain for me from Jesus a pure and humble heart.

Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation.

ACT OF CONSECRATION
Queen of the most holy Rosary, help of Christians, refuge of the human race, victorious in all the battles of God, we prostrate ourselves in supplication before thy throne, in the sure hope of obtaining mercy and of receiving grace and timely aid in our present calamities, not through any merits of our own, on which we do not rely, but only through the immense goodness of thy mother's heart. In thee and in thy Immaculate Heart, at this grave hour of human history, do we put our trust; to thee we consecrate ourselves, not only with all of Holy Church, which is the mystical body of thy Son Jesus, and which is suffering in so many of her members, being subjected to manifold tribulations and persecutions, but also with the whole world, torn by discords, agitated with hatred, the victim of its own iniquities. Be thou moved by the sight of such material and moral degradation, such sorrows, such anguish, so many tormented souls in danger of eternal loss! Do thou, O Mother of mercy, obtain for us from God a Christ-like reconciliation of the nations, as well as those graces which can convert the souls of men in an instant, those graces which prepare the way and make certain the long desired coming of peace on earth. O Queen of peace, pray for us, and grant peace unto the world in the truth, the justice, and the charity of Christ.

Above all, give us peace in our hearts, so that the kingdom of God may spread its borders in the tranquillity of order. Accord thy protection to unbelievers and to all those who lie within the shadow of death; cause the Sun of Truth to rise upon them; may they be enabled to join with us in repeating before the Savior of the world: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will."

Give peace to the nations that are separated from us by error or discord, and in a special manner to those peoples who profess a singular devotion toward thee; bring them back to Christ's one fold, under the one true Shepherd. Obtain full freedom for the holy Church of God; defend her from her enemies; check the ever-increasing torrent of immorality; arouse in the faithful a love of purity, a practical Christian life, and an apostolic zeal, so that the multitude of those who serve God may increase in merit and in number.

Finally, even as the Church and all mankind were once consecrated to the Heart of thy Son Jesus, because He was for all those who put their hope in Him an inexhaustible source of victory and salvation, so in like manner do we consecrate ourselves forever to thee also and to thy Immaculate Heart, O Mother of us and Queen of the world; may thy love and patronage hasten the day when the kingdom of God shall be victorious and all the nations, at peace with God .and with one another, shall call thee blessed and intone with thee, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the everlasting "Magnificat" of glory, of love, of gratitude to the Heart of Jesus, in which alone we can find truth, life, and peace. — Pope Pius XII

IN HONOR OF THE IMMACULATE HEART
O heart of Mary, mother of God, and our mother; heart most worthy of love, in which the adorable Trinity is ever well-pleased, worthy of the veneration and love of all the angels and of all men; heart most like to the Heart of Jesus, of which thou art the perfect image; heart, full of goodness, ever compassionate toward our miseries; deign to melt our icy hearts and grant that they may be wholly changed into the likeness of the Heart of Jesus, our divine Savior. Pour into them the love of thy virtues, enkindle in them that divine fire with which thou thyself dost ever burn. In thee let Holy Church find a safe shelter; protect her and be her dearest refuge, her tower of strength, impregnable against every assault of her enemies. Be thou the way which leads to Jesus, and the channel, through which we receive all the graces needful for our salvation. Be our refuge in time of trouble, our solace in the midst of trial, our strength against temptation, our haven in persecution, our present help in every danger, and especially) at the hour of death, when all hell shall let loose against u its legions to snatch away our souls, at that dread moment; that hour so full of fear, whereon our eternity depends. An,; then most tender virgin, make us to feel the sweetness of thy motherly heart, and the might of thine intercession with Jesus, and open to us a safe refuge in that very fountain of mercy, whence we may come to praise Him with thee in paradise, world without end. Amen.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

Sacred Heart Of Jesus

Sacred Heart Of Jesus image

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Immaculate Heart of Mary image

Blessed be the Most Loving Heart and Sweet Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the most glorious Virgin Mary, His Mother, in eternity and forever. Amen.

....Only the Heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father's love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way ----From the Catechism. P:1439

From the depth of my nothingness, I prostrate myself before Thee, O Most Sacred, Divine and Adorable Heart of Jesus, to pay Thee all the homage of love, praise and adoration in my power.
Amen. - - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

The prayer of the Church venerates and honors the Heart of Jesus just as it invokes his most holy name. It adores the incarnate Word and his Heart which, out of love for men, he allowed to be pierced by our sins. Christian prayer loves to follow the way of the cross in the Savior's steps.-- >From the Catechism. P: 2669

The Salutation to the Heart of Jesus and Mary

An Offering of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Novena Prayer to Sacred Heart of Jesus

Prayer to the Wounded Heart of Jesus

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart

Meditation & Novena Prayer on the Sacred Heart

Beads to the Sacred Heart

Novena Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

A Solemn Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Daily Offering to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Exaltation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin

From: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12, 16-18

Avoiding Idleness. Earning One's Living

[6] Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not
in accord with the tradition that you received from us. [7] For you
yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we
were with you, [8] we did not eat any one's bread without paying, but
with toil and labor we worked night and day, that might not burden any
of you. [9] It was not because we have not that right, but to give you
in our conduct an example to imitate. [10] For even when we were with
you, we gave you this command: If any one will not work, let him not
eat. [11] For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere
busy bodies, not doing any work. [12] Now such persons we command and
exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to
earn their own living.

Prayer and Farewell Wishes

[16] Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in
all ways. The Lord be with you all.

Commentary:

6. St. Paul wants to prevent the misconduct of some Christians
spreading to others; and at the same time he wants to help the
transgressors to turn back--which they may do if they are made to feel
isolated. Excessive tolerance of irregular behavior does nothing to
encourage reform and only helps the spread of permissiveness.

That was the Apostle's usual policy: "I wrote to you in my letter not
to associate with immoral men; not at all meaning the immoral of this
world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since then you would
need to go out of the world. But rather I wrote to you not to
associate with any one who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of
immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber"
(1 Cor 5:10-11).

7-12. Some of the Thessalonians, wrongly thinking that the Parousia was
about to happen, had given up working and were living in idleness,
minding everyone's business but their own. So the Apostle reminds them
all that when he was among them he worked to keep himself and was a
burden on no one.

The Second Vatican Council underlines the value of work when it exhorts
"Christians, as citizens of both cities, to perform their duties
faithfully in the spirit of the Gospel." Far from neglecting earthly
responsibilities, they should, as the Council goes on, realize that by
their faith they "are bound all the more to fulfill these
responsibilities according to the vocation of each one (cf. 2 Thess
3:6-13; Eph 4:28)" ("Gaudium Et Spes", 43).

"For the love of God, for the love of souls, and to live up to our
Christian vocation, we must give good example. So as not to give
scandal, or to provoke even the faintest suspicion that the children of
God are soft and useless, so as not to disedify..., you must strive to
show an example of balanced justice, to behave properly as responsible
people. The farmer who ploughs his field while constantly raising his
heart to God, just as much as the carpenter, the blacksmith, the office
worker, the academic--all Christians in fact--have to be an example for
their colleagues at work, and to be humble about it. Therefore,
everyone, in his job, in whatever place he has in society, must feel
obliged to make his work God's work, sowing everywhere the peace and
joy of the Lord" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 70).

16. "The Lord of peace", or "the God of peace", is a title found in a
number of St. Paul's letters (cf. Rom 15:33; 2 Cor 13:11; Phil 4:9; 1
Thess 5;23), because Redemption, by wiping out sin, establishes
people's friendship with God and with one another. The wish expressed
by the Apostle here echoes the greeting Christians normal used with one
another, a greeting our Lord himself recommended: "Whatever house you
enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house' (Lk 10:5). The Jews used
and continue to use the same greeting--"Shalom" (=peace). When a
Christian greets someone in this way it should be a sincere _expression
of his love of God and love of others and not just mere polite
well-wishing, hoping people will "enjoy themselves".

Referring to empty, selfish peace of that sort, our Lord said that he
had come to bring not peace but a sword (cf. Mt 10:34). He also warned
us that the peace he gives is not peace of the type the world gives
(cf. Jn 14:27), but a peace which comes from the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal
5:22) and which "passes all understanding" (Phil 4:7). "It is useless
to call for exterior calm if there is no calm in men's consciences, in
the center of their souls" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 73).

We should therefore always be "eager to maintain the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph 4;3). If we are, we will be builders
of peace and will receive the reward Christ promised when he
proclaimed, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons
of God" (Mt 5:9). In this connection John Paul II has said, "Peace is
work we have to do; it calls for commitment and solidarity with one
another. But it is also (inseparably and above all) something in God's
gift: we need to pray for it" ("Address", 8 December 1978).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.