First Day of June

Invitation to Sanctify the Month of the Sacred Heart.

The devotions of the Month of Mary have just been brought to a close, and the result of those devotions should be the resolution to begin well and to sanctify as far as possible the Month dedicated to the Sacred Heart. You owe it to that tender Mother, who says to you: "My child, I am the road which leads to Jesus; go, kneel at His holy altar, and there contemplate the beauties and riches of His Divine Heart. I will impart to you my spirit to understand It, my heart, wherewith to love It, and each day I will implore It to bless you and to shower down on you the treasures of Its love." The Church unites her voice to that of the Blessed Virgin. The month of flowers, consecrated to the Queen of Heaven, is no sooner ended than she ardently desires that the month of fruits should be dedicated to the Heart of Jesus; she wills that we should turn from the powerful mediation of our advocate to the infinite mercy of our Savior. The Church says to us with the prophet: "You shall draw waters with joy out of the Savior’s fountains" (Isa. xii. 3). The illustrious Pius IX, of holy memory, enriched the Month of the Sacred Heart with many precious indulgences, and uttered the following most consoling words: "There is no hope for the Church and society but in the Sacred Heart of Jesus; It alone can remedy the evils of these days" Finally, Jesus invites and urges us to hasten to His Heart. To each of us He shows His wounded side, as He did to the apostle St. Thomas, saying: "Come, touch, see, and taste the sweetness of my Heart; It belongs to you, and Its delights are to be with the children of men. Come, then, to me during these thirty days consecrated to my honor. Come, whatever may be your sorrow and your miseries, and I will refresh you. If you knew the gift of God, if you knew who I am, and what I am able to bestow on you, with what eagerness would you not respond to my loving call."

Let us, then, go, Christians, where the Savior’s love summons us; that place, we know well, should be at His feet, like Magdalen, to bedew them with our penitential tears; but since He offers us the privilege of St. John, let us raise ourselves up to that divine and tender Heart: Accedet homo ad cor altum. "Man shall come to a deep heart" (Ps. lxiii. 7). We shall inhale Its fragrance, listen to Its soft voice, make known to It our sorrows, and we shall obtain for ourselves and relations, for the Church, for our beloved country, for the just, and for poor sinners, all we need. We shall be able to say with Solomon, speaking of the gift of wisdom: "Now all good things came to me together with it" (Wis. vii. 11). That we may spend this month in a proper manner, let us consider, in the presence of God, what are the graces that we hope to gain by our practices of devotion, and let us offer up our prayers, communions, and good works for this intention. Let us have in our rooms a, picture of the Sacred Heart: the sight of it will remind us of our practices of devotions, and enkindle in our breasts the fire of divine love. Our Lord has promised that wherever the representation of His Sacred Heart is exposed and venerated, it will be a source of abundant benedictions. We should communicate, if possible, every Friday, and during the day repeat often the invocation: "Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, inflame our hearts with Thy love!"

EXAMPLE.

A person, known for his devotion to the Heart of Jesus, related the following circumstance: "My grandfather, when eighty years of age, fell dangerously ill. Unfortunately he was an atheist, who believed neither in the existence of God nor the immortality of the soul; he had never had the happiness of making his first communion. I endeavored to speak to him of the necessity and beauty of the Catholic religion, and more especially of the future state of the soul; but all my arguments were useless. I then had recourse to other means. The month of June was about to begin; I resolved to sanctify it, and to invoke daily the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the conversion of this poor sinner. My supplications were not in vain; the first day of this blessed month, the merciful Heart of Jesus granted my request; for that evening the parish priest was seen by the bed side of the sick man, instructing him in the principal mysteries of religion. The next day, my grandfather made his confession and received absolution, after which he affectionately thanked the priest, saying: Oh, how happy you have made me! The day fixed for his first communion was the fourth of June; he was then to receive that God so long unknown, who had waited for him with so much patience and goodness. Children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren surrounded his bed, forming, truly, a touching sight. He afterwards sat up, embraced us all, and, warmly pressing each to his heart, wept with joy and happiness. This was not the only favor granted by the Heart of Jesus; for grace was given him to expiate, by much suffering, a life of sin, and this soul, the object of Its predilection, passed from life on the last day of the month dedicated to this adorable Heart." How true it is, Christians, that; we can obtain all we desire during this month of graces, if we invoke the Heart of Jesus with fervor and perseverance.

PRAYER.

O good Master and Savior Jesus Christ vouchsafe to accept our loving adoration on this first day of the month dedicated to Thy divine Heart. What joy to come each day and offer Thee our homage, and what a source of grace and blessings will it be to us. Oh! help us to profit by this holy time; and do thou, O Virgin Mary, our Mother, lead us to the Heart of Jesus, and lend us thine own, with which to love Him. Amen.

PRACTICE.

Expose an image of the Sacred Heart in a place of honor in your home or room.

*You can right-click on the above picture and then click on "save picture as" to save it to your computer. It will save larger than it appears. You can then print it out and frame it.