Sacred Heart of Jesus devotion

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dizzy_dave

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I recently came across the 15 prayers of St. Brigit and Colin Donovan from EWTN said the promises were problematic, because it tends to be superstitious. I would like to have a Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion but with the 12 promises isn’t that kind of the same thing? As well as the St. Gertrude prayer that releases 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is prayed. What are we to make of these conflicting opinions, who’s right?
 
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dizzy_dave:
I recently came across the 15 prayers of St. Brigit and Colin Donovan from EWTN said the promises were problematic, because it tends to be superstitious. I would like to have a Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion but with the 12 promises isn’t that kind of the same thing? As well as the St. Gertrude prayer that releases 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is prayed. What are we to make of these conflicting opinions, who’s right?
Here is good information on the CCC on Piety and Devotions

The Feast of the Sacred Heart

And June Devotion: The Sacred Heart
 
Devotion to the Sacred Heart is worthwhile, but not if you only do it because you expect the 12 promises to fulfilled in a prompt manner as if you entered an earthly contract.

The first link has many exhortations written by Archbishop Raymond Burke. I think you can trust his theology on this devotion. BTW, he has a major devotion to the Sacred Heart.

wf-f.org/SacredHeart.html

The following websites have more information – or the same information presented differently.

p://www.familyland.org/content/Content.aspx?CategoryID=595

kensmen.com/catholic/sh.html

misacor.org/newsite/english/WhoWeAre/devotion_english.htm

We have started this devotion and I see it as a means of reparation for all the homes that have dethroned the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

I understand that Colin Donovan would probably speak of expecting the promises to be a form of vending machine or voo-doo religion – when approached in the improper manner.

Proper piety is never a problem.
 
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Mamamull:
Devotion to the Sacred Heart is worthwhile, but not if you only do it because you expect the 12 promises to fulfilled in a prompt manner as if you entered an earthly contract.

The first link has many exhortations written by Archbishop Raymond Burke. I think you can trust his theology on this devotion. BTW, he has a major devotion to the Sacred Heart.

wf-f.org/SacredHeart.html

The following websites have more information – or the same information presented differently.

p://www.familyland.org/content/Content.aspx?CategoryID=595

kensmen.com/catholic/sh.html

misacor.org/newsite/english/WhoWeAre/devotion_english.htm

We have started this devotion and I see it as a means of reparation for all the homes that have dethroned the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

I understand that Colin Donovan would probably speak of expecting the promises to be a form of vending machine or voo-doo religion – when approached in the improper manner.

Proper piety is never a problem.
Correct. As my father used to say: If you don’t follow Christ then you are just blowing in the wind. A superticious piety is no good at all. But the Sacred Heart Devotion is a powerful Prayer Practice which has stood my family well forl over 100 years.

btw…St. Margaret Mary is the Patron Saint of “Polio sufferers.” I stand and walk today as a polio survivor with great Devotion to the First Fridays and Trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. ❤️
 
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dizzy_dave:
I recently came across the 15 prayers of St. Brigit and Colin Donovan from EWTN said the promises were problematic, because it tends to be superstitious. I would like to have a Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion but with the 12 promises isn’t that kind of the same thing? As well as the St. Gertrude prayer that releases 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is prayed. What are we to make of these conflicting opinions, who’s right?
I think the issue of them being problematic is not riased in order to create doubts about the promises, but rather to riase questions about why one pursues devotions. If they are pursued purely for the hope of receiving benefits, rather than for the sake of expressing love and repentence as they were designed, then the merit behind the devotions is probably less. However, if they are pursued with the intention that the promises would be great if they occured but that receiving benefits is not the prime motivation behind practicing devotions, then there is no worry about superstition entering the picture.

It is easy some times to treat prayers and devotions like magic spells…to think that saying a combination of words will create an effect, and to lose heart and thought when doing the practice, an attitude which needs to be avoided…I hope I’m making sense…Personally, it helps me rather than to focus on a wanted outcome, to ask for qualities (specific graces) I need to weather any current storm, when praying a novena for a specific intention, and choose prayers, where I really mean every word that I say, rahter than using a novena just becuase I heard it was “powerful stuff.”
 
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dizzy_dave:
I recently came across the 15 prayers of St. Brigit and Colin Donovan from EWTN said the promises were problematic, because it tends to be superstitious. I would like to have a Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion but with the 12 promises isn’t that kind of the same thing? As well as the St. Gertrude prayer that releases 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is prayed. What are we to make of these conflicting opinions, who’s right?
I think the issue of them being problematic is not riased in order to create doubts about the promises, but rather to riase questiosna bout why one pursues devotions. If they are pursued purely for the hope of receiving benefits, rather than for the sake of expressing love and repentence as they were designed, then the merit behind the devotions is probably less. However, if they are pursued with the intention that the promises would be great if they occured but that receiving benefits is not the prime motivation behind practicing devotions, then there is no worry about superstition entering the picture.

It is easy some times to treat prayers and devotions like magic spells…to think that saying a combination of words will create an effect, and to lose heart and thought when doing the practice, an attitude which needs to be avoided…I hope I’m making sense…Personally, it helps me rather than to focus on a wanted outcome, to ask for qualities (specific graces) I need to weather any current storm, when praying.
 
I do the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus because I love Him so much and it pleases Him. It’s another way I can say, "I Love You!😃
 
The Sacred Heart Devotion is the most popular devotion in Ireland, I don’t get hung up on whether a devotion is 100 % true.

Theyr’e just sign posts for me on the road of life, if the sign leads you in the right direction to (Jesus) follow it, if it leads you away from salvation, then don’t.

Anyway there’s loads of devotions in the Catholic Church, some I like, some I don’t.

Actually I always disliked the Rosary and stuck with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy as it was short and sweet.

Seems like the evil one was trying to keep me away from it, so I stuck with it as Mary requested, now I’ve grown to love the Rosary.

I’ve done the nine first Fridays a few times, and the first Saturdays, I don’t have a problem with them, and they didn’t hurt a bit.
 
After Sacred Hear Enthronement what if any specific prayers must be said daily?

Any good books on Sacred Heart of Jesus devotion? Or good websites?
 
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dizzy_dave:
I recently came across the 15 prayers of St. Brigit and Colin Donovan from EWTN said the promises were problematic, because it tends to be superstitious. I would like to have a Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion but with the 12 promises isn’t that kind of the same thing? As well as the St. Gertrude prayer that releases 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is prayed. What are we to make of these conflicting opinions, who’s right?
I think that as far as thse wonderful devotions, FAITH is needed. The fad is to label all nowadys as superstitious. The Sacred Heart devotion has not only been approved by the MAGISTERIUM, but as recently as John Paul II he exhorted all families to renew this powerful devotion, as well as he wrote a letter to the JESUITS (since the apparition they were the great promoters of this devotion) to rediscover this devotion once again. Remember, we are not born again Christians=we have devotions.
 
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misericordie:
I think that as far as thse wonderful devotions, FAITH is needed. The fad is to label all nowadys as superstitious. The Sacred Heart devotion has not only been approved by the MAGISTERIUM, but as recently as John Paul II he exhorted all families to renew this powerful devotion, as well as he wrote a letter to the JESUITS (since the apparition they were the great promoters of this devotion) to rediscover this devotion once again. Remember, we are not born again Christians=we have devotions.
Yup.
 
This is a suggested daily renewal of the consecration, but there are others. I will post the prayers I keep on our home altar for consideration.

Most sweet Jesus, humbly kneeling at Thy feet, we renew the consecration of our family to thy Divine Heart. Be Thou our King forever! In Thee we have full and entire confidence. May Thy spirit penetrate our thoughts, our desires, our words and our works. Bless our undertakings, share in our joys, in our trials and in our labors. Grant us to know Thee better, to love Thee more, to serve Thee without faltering. By the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of Peace, set up Thy kingdom in our country. Enter closely into the midst of our families and make them Thine own through the solemn enthronement of Thy Sacred Heart, so that soon one cry may resound from home to home: “May the triumphant Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved, blessed and glorified forever!” Honor and glory to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
 
Renewal of the Consecration of the Family

Most Sweet Jesus, humbly kneeling at Your feet, we renew the consecration of our family to Your Divine Heart. Be You our King forever! In You we have full and entire confidence. May Your spirit penetrate our thoughts, our desires, our words, and our works. Bless our undertakings; share in our joys, in our trials and our labors. Grant us to know You better, to love You more, and to serve You without faltering.

By the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of Peace, set up Your kingdom in our country. Enter closely into the midst of our families and make them Yours through the solemn enthronement of Your Sacred Heart, so that soon one cry may resound from home to home: “May the triumphant Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved, blessed, and glorified forever!” Honor and glory to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary!

Sacred Heart of Jesus, protect our families.

The Blessing of the Sacred Heart

****May the grace and blessing ****

of the Sacred Heart be with you,

the peace of the Sacred Heart encompass you!

May the merits of the Sacred Heart plead for you,

the love of the Sacred Heart inflame you!

May the sorrows of the Sacred Heart console you,

the zeal of the Sacred Heart animate you,

the virtues of the Sacred Heart shine forth

in your every word and work!


****And may the joys of the Beatific Vision ****

be your eternal recompense!

Amen.

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus****
****O most holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore Thee, I love Thee and with a lively sorrow for my sins, I offer Thee this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to Thy will. Grant, good Jesus that I may live in Thee and for Thee. Protect me in the midst of danger; comfort me in my afflictions; give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, Thy blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Within Thy Heart I place my every care. In every need let me come to Thee with humble trust saying, Heart of Jesus help me.

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, beating with infinite love for mankind and interceding for us with the Father at every moment,

With hearts full of loving confidence and trust, we renew our Act of Consecration to You.

Jesus, we acclaim You as King of Heaven and Earth and especially as King of our hearts.

Please grant us all the grace we need to realize this Kingship in our everyday lives.

Help us with Your all powerful grace to overcome all temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil

So that we may be always faithful to the consecration we are renewing at this moment.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, we love You.

Help us to grow in this love and to bring others to know and to love You

And so that You may reign in our hearts. Amen.
 
**Act of Consecration to the **Sacred Heart of Jesus

I, __________, give myself and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ my person and my life, my actions, pains, and sufferings, so that I may be unwilling to make use of any part of my being save to honor, love, and glorify the Sacred Heart.

This is my unchanging purpose, namely, to be all His, and to do all things for the love of Him, at the same time renouncing with all my heart whatever is displeasing to Him.

I therefore take Thee, O Sacred Heart, to be the only object of my love, the guardian of my life, my assurance of salvation, the remedy of my weakness and inconstancy, the atonement for all the faults of my life and my sure refuge at the hour of death.

Be then, O Heart of goodness, my justification before God Thy Father, and turn away from me the strokes of His righteous anger. O Heart of love, I put all my confidence in Thee, for I fear everything from my own wickedness and frailty; but I hope for all things from Thy goodness and bounty.

Do Thou consume in me all that can displease Thee or resist Thy holy will. Let Thy pure love imprint Thee so deeply upon my heart that I shall nevermore be able to forget Thee or to be separated from Thee. May I obtain from all Thy loving kindness the grace of having my name written in Thee, for in Thee I desire to place all my happiness and all my glory, living and dying in true bondage to Thee.

Prayer of St. Margaret Mary

O Heart of love, I place my trust entirely in You. Though I fear all things from my weakness, I hope all things from Your goodness!

Most sweet Jesus – Act of Reparation

Most sweet Jesus, whose overflowing charity for men is requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before you, eager to repair by a special act of homage the cruel indifference and injuries to which your loving Heart is everywhere subject.

Mindful, alas! that we ourselves have had a share in such great indignities, which we now deplore from the depths of our hearts, we humbly ask your pardon and declare our readiness to atone by voluntary expiation, not only for our own personal offenses, but also for the sins of those, who, straying far from the path of salvation, refuse in their obstinate infidelity to follow you, their Shepherd and Leader, or, renouncing the promises of their baptism, have cast off the sweet yoke of your law.

We are now resolved to expiate each and every deplorable outrage committed against you; we are now determined to make amends for the manifold offenses against Christian modesty in unbecoming dress and behavior, for all the foul seductions laid to ensnare the feet of the innocent, for the frequent violations of Sundays and holy-days, and the shocking blasphemies uttered against you and your Saints. We wish also to make amends for the insults to which your Vicar on earth and your priests are subjected, for the profanation, by conscious neglect or terrible acts of sacrilege, of the very Sacrament of your divine love, and lastly for the public crimes of nations who resist the rights and teaching authority of the Church which you have founded.

Would that we were able to wash away such abominations with our blood. We now offer, in reparation for these violations of your divine honor, the satisfaction you once made to your Eternal Father on the cross and which you continue to renew daily on our altars; we offer it in union with the acts of atonement of your Virgin Mother and all the Saints and of the pious faithful on earth; and we sincerely promise to make recompense, as far as we can with the help of your grace, for all neglect of your great love and for the sins we and others have committed in the past. Henceforth, we will live a life of unswerving faith, of purity of conduct, of perfect observance of the precepts of the Gospel and especially that of charity. We promise to the best of our power to prevent others from offending you and to bring as many as possible to follow you.

O loving Jesus, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mother, our model in reparation, deign to receive the voluntary offering we make of this act of expiation; and by the crowning gift of perseverance keep us faithful unto death in our duty and the allegiance we owe to you, so that we may all one day come to that happy home, where with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, God, forever and ever. Amen.

A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who piously recite the above act of reparation.
 
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dizzy_dave:
I recently came across the 15 prayers of St. Brigit and Colin Donovan from EWTN said the promises were problematic, because it tends to be superstitious. I would like to have a Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion but with the 12 promises isn’t that kind of the same thing? As well as the St. Gertrude prayer that releases 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is prayed. What are we to make of these conflicting opinions, who’s right?
The “15 prayers of St. Bridget”… That sure touches a sore spot with me. Let me explain.

When I joined RCIA last year and was searching for a confirmation sponsor, I ended up choosing someone mainly because she had an intense devotion to Mary. In my journey to the Church I had been somewhat frustrated because I couldn’t seem to “connect” with Mary the way I believed a “real” Catholic should. So I hoped that my sponsor could help me make that connection.

Unfortunately, it turned out just the opposite… Over and over again in my conversations with her I noticed this “superstitious” element in her devotions. Not only in her devotion to Mary but in other devotions as well. I soon learned never to bring up the topic and to just listen without responding if she brought up the topic. I chose to say nothing rather than to hurt her feelings by telling her I basically thought everything she was saying was hogwash.

Many times she gave me these little booklets about various devotions, with all the accompanying “promises.” I read most of them and then trashed them. Finally, near the end of RCIA, she gave me a booklet containing many “private revelations” which began with the “15 prayers of St. Bridget” and only got worse. I read it in utter disbelief that a seemingly intelligent person like her could really believe that if you said 10,000 prayers over the course of a year then this would happen or that would happen. The God I knew simply didn’t “work” like that. And I thanked God that I didn’t have to believe any private revelations to become Catholic.

Even so, I was so disturbed by that particular booklet that I took it to an appointment with my pastor to discuss it with him. When I told him how ridiculous I thought it was and how much it bothered me to think that some people actually believed that nonsense, he laughed and it was clear that he shared my opinon. Since I trust him implicitly and know that he is as orthodox as they come, that settled the issue for me and I didn’t let it bother me anymore.

What is so interesting to me, though, is that you connected this question with a question about the Sacred Heart of Jesus devotion. It’s interesting because that devotion, along with the Rosary and Divine Mercy, are some of the devotions that I have accepted wholeheartedly since becoming a Catholic. For me the deciding factor in each case was the strong support that Popes have given to those devotions. I first became attracted to the Sacred Heart devotion when I learned of it through my research on St. Francis de Sales, whom I eventually chose as my confirmation saint. Then I purchased and read “The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: How to Practice the Sacred Heart Devotion” by Fr. John Croiset, who was St. Margaret Mary’s spiritual director. Everything I read there rang true to me, completely unlike how I had felt when I had read about the “15 prayers of St. Bridget.” What settled the issue for me, though, was when I read the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas by Pope Pius XII, found here:

ewtn.com/library/ENCYC/P12HAURI.htm

Another thing that has helped me immensely to understand the proper approach to Catholic devotions has been the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, Principles and Guidelines, put out by the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in 2001, found here:

vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20020513_vers-direttorio_en.html

It’s quite long but it contains a wealth of information on various approved Catholic practices and devotions and how they should be practiced, including the Sacred Heart devotion (no mention of the “15 prayers of St. Bridget”, though…)

Hope this helps!
In His love,
Rhonda
 
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Livnlove55:
The “15 prayers of St. Bridget”… That sure touches a sore spot with me. Let me explain.

When I joined RCIA last year and was searching for a confirmation sponsor, I ended up choosing someone mainly because she had an intense devotion to Mary. In my journey to the Church I had been somewhat frustrated because I couldn’t seem to “connect” with Mary the way I believed a “real” Catholic should. So I hoped that my sponsor could help me make that connection.

Unfortunately, it turned out just the opposite… Over and over again in my conversations with her I noticed this “superstitious” element in her devotions. Not only in her devotion to Mary but in other devotions as well. I soon learned never to bring up the topic and to just listen without responding if she brought up the topic. I chose to say nothing rather than to hurt her feelings by telling her I basically thought everything she was saying was hogwash.

Many times she gave me these little booklets about various devotions, with all the accompanying “promises.” I read most of them and then trashed them. Finally, near the end of RCIA, she gave me a booklet containing many “private revelations” which began with the “15 prayers of St. Bridget” and only got worse. I read it in utter disbelief that a seemingly intelligent person like her could really believe that if you said 10,000 prayers over the course of a year then this would happen or that would happen. The God I knew simply didn’t “work” like that. And I thanked God that I didn’t have to believe any private revelations to become Catholic.

Even so, I was so disturbed by that particular booklet that I took it to an appointment with my pastor to discuss it with him. When I told him how ridiculous I thought it was and how much it bothered me to think that some people actually believed that nonsense, he laughed and it was clear that he shared my opinon. Since I trust him implicitly and know that he is as orthodox as they come, that settled the issue for me and I didn’t let it bother me anymore.

What is so interesting to me, though, is that you connected this question with a question about the Sacred Heart of Jesus devotion. It’s interesting because that devotion, along with the Rosary and Divine Mercy, are some of the devotions that I have accepted wholeheartedly since becoming a Catholic. For me the deciding factor in each case was the strong support that Popes have given to those devotions. I first became attracted to the Sacred Heart devotion when I learned of it through my research on St. Francis de Sales, whom I eventually chose as my confirmation saint. Then I purchased and read “The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: How to Practice the Sacred Heart Devotion” by Fr. John Croiset, who was St. Margaret Mary’s spiritual director. Everything I read there rang true to me, completely unlike how I had felt when I had read about the “15 prayers of St. Bridget.” What settled the issue for me, though, was when I read the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas by Pope Pius XII, found here:

ewtn.com/library/ENCYC/P12HAURI.htm

Rhonda
I felt the same way as you did too!
 
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