The Sacred Heart of Jesus

Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina.
O God, come to my assistance.  O Lord, make haste to help me.

     This past Saturday, June 22, 2013, our extended parish family and our pastor shared with us a very special afternoon.  Father Scott Allen blessed our home, property and family (including pets, chickens, and crops) in a general blessing.

     Even more especially was the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as King and Heart of the home.  
I have a beautiful picture of the Sacred Heart. Christ's sweet face, His hand raised in blessing, gazes out from its frame.  Father blessed the picture and we performed a simple ceremony of enthronement, where I hung the picture in a place of honor.

   A dear priest, Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey, born in Peru in 1875, dedicated his life to honoring Christ's Sacred Heart, drawing families to His devotion. Pope Pius X, in 1907, gave permission for this work of love. Each succeeding Pope during Father Mateo's lifetime, Benedict XV, Pius XI, Pius XII and John XXIII gave their blessing to it. Through his efforts, throughout the world, The Sacred Heart of Jesus reigns visibly in homes, His Social Kingship recognized.  One devotion is an hour of adoration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, at least once a month, with prayers of reparation for the blasphemies committed against Our Lord. Any member of the family can keep the devotion for an hour of prayer in His honor. The object of the Enthronement and devotion is to recognize the influence of Our Lord, and His place in family life.  Prayers are offered for family members, near and far,  in their states of life, for conversions, for recognition that the home is a sanctuary.

   With a priest presiding over the Enthronement, there is an intimate relationship formed between the church and the home, between priest and family.  It is a support for the parish itself.

   Returning to the popes who recognized the worth of this practice, we can point to Pius XI, who early in the 20th century could have been speaking about the world today. "We are living the darkest hour that mankind has lived since the deluge.....But...we are living in its fullness the hour of the Sacred Heart." This was during WWI. The Pope wanted a glorious hour with Christ in souls, in homes, in institutions, in countries, as the King of Kings.

     Popes of modern times have asked again and again that society recognize the reign of Christ over society and nations. They have asked that individuals, families and nations foster devotion to the Sacred Heart. Pope St. Pius X had as his maxim, "To restore all things in Christ."  Pius XII dedicated his reign to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, saying, " At the head of the road which leads to the spiritual and moral bankruptcy of the present day stand the nefarious efforts of not a few to dethrone Christ...In the recognition of the royal prerogatives of Christ...lies the only way to salvation."  It is said that when we enthrone Christ we dethrone Satan.

     The Enthronement is as follows:  Father prays in Latin - Our help is in the Name of the Lord. Who made Heaven and Earth. The Lord be with you. And with your spirit.
   
      Oremus (Let us pray): Almighty and Everlasting God, Who dost approve the painting and sculpturing of the images of Thy saints, so that as often as we gaze upon them we are reminded to imitate their deeds and sanctity: Vouchsafe, we implore Thee, to bless and sanctify this image made in honor and in memory of the Most Sacred Heart of Thy only begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ; and grant, that whosoever in its presence will suppliantly worship and honor the Most Sacred Heart of Thy only begotten Son may obtain through His merits and intercession grace in this life and everlasting glory in the world to come. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
                     Please note that we are not praying to the picture or sculpture, but to Christ, Whom
                     the picture or sculpture represents. It's like having a picture of your  mother on your
                     dresser and looking at it while you talk to her in your mind, or out loud.

     After the picture was hung, all of us recited the Apostles' Creed as an act of Faith on the part of the family, present or away. Then an Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart was recited by Father and by me as head of the family.  I promised Christ's dominion over our home. I promised to banish from our midst "the spirit of the world." We promised to keep the flame of His love burning in our hearts by frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist. We asked that He bless our undertakings, "both spiritual and temporal, to banish all worry and care, to sanctify our joys and soothe our sorrows." We asked that He have mercy toward the repentent sinner, and asked that we one day be reunited in heaven with our departed loved ones.

     The consecration ends with "May the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the glorious Patriarch St. Joseph offer Thee this our Consecration, and remind us of the same all the days of our life. Glory to the Divine Heart of Jesus, our King and our Father."  We all said an Our Father and a Hail Mary for all absent members, living and dead that they might share in the graces of the Enthronement.

     We then made an act of Thanksgiving.  Part of it says, "May our home be for Thee haven as sweet as that of Bethany, where Thou canst find rest in the midst of loving friends, who like Mary, have chosen the better part in the loving intimacy of Thy Heart. May this home be for Thee, O beloved Savior, a humble but hospitable refuge during the exile imposed on Thee by Thine enemies........May Thy triumphant Heart, O Jesus, be forever loved, blessed and glorified in this home. Thy Kingdom Come. Amen."

     We also made Mary the Queen of our home and said this prayer: " Hail Holy Queen, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.  Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of they womb, Jesus. O clement, o loving, o sweet Virgin Mary, pray for us, o holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. " As our spiritual mother, given to us through John at the foot of the cross, we honor her.

     We asked three times: Most Sacred heart of Jesus: Have mercy on us.  and asked Mary, Joseph and St. Margaret Mary, who was also so devoted to the Sacred Heart, to pray for us.
     
                               Glory to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus forever and ever. Amen.

                                              ***********************************
              With Father and our three special couples we had a nice buffet late lunch and a good visit.