JUNE
Sacred Heart of Jesus
June is the month of the Sacred Heart, a devotion to Christ's burning, merciful love for us, symbolized by His wounded heart. Learn about the 12 Promises Jesus made to St. Margaret Mary, the tradition of the First Fridays, and how you can consecrate your own heart and home to Him.
An Ocean of Love and Mercy
The Heart of Our Savior
The month of June, which follows the great feasts of Pentecost and the Holy Trinity, is dedicated by the Church to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is one of the most beautiful and profound of all our devotions. It is a devotion not just to a part of Christ's body, but to the very source of His love—His divine and human heart, which burned with love for humanity and was wounded for our sake.
This devotion is a powerful reminder that our faith is not in an abstract set of rules, but in a Person who loves us with a passionate, merciful, and personal love.
A Love Wounded for Us
The image of the Sacred Heart, familiar to so many of us, comes from the visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun in the 17th century. Jesus appeared to her and showed her His heart, saying:
"Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love."
He showed her His heart, aflame with love (the fire), crowned with thorns (representing our sins and indifference), and pierced with a wound (from the spear on the cross, a wound that remains open as a fount of grace for us). He asked for a new devotion to honor His love and to make reparation for the coldness and ingratitude He receives from humanity.
How to Honor the Sacred Heart This Month
This devotion is a direct invitation from Jesus to find rest in Him. Here are the primary ways we are called to respond:
First Friday Devotion
The most central practice is the First Friday Devotion. Jesus promised St. Margaret Mary that He would grant the grace of final perseverance to all who receive Holy Communion on the first Friday of the month for nine consecutive months.
Enthronement of the Sacred Heart
This is a beautiful tradition where a family formally consecrates their home to Jesus, placing an image of the Sacred Heart in a place of honor. This act invites Christ to be the King and center of the home.
Pray the Litany
The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a powerful prayer that recalls all the virtues and promises of His heart.
Prayers to the Sacred Heart
An Act of Consecration
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You. I offer You my whole heart, and I consecrate to You all that I am. In Your love I find my peace, in Your mercy I find my strength, and in Your heart I find my home. May I live this day, and all the days of my life, in a manner worthy of Your great love for me. Amen.
A Short Invocation
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom come.
A Closing Thought
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is an open wound of love, a safe refuge for us in times of trial. This June, let us respond to His invitation. Let us not be indifferent to His love, but instead, let us rest our own hearts in His, making reparation for our sins and drawing strength from this burning fount of mercy.
A Closing Thought
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is an open wound of love, a safe refuge for us in times of trial. This June, let us respond to His invitation. Let us not be indifferent to His love, but instead, let us rest our own hearts in His, making reparation for our sins and drawing strength from this burning fount of mercy.