| This week's column is by Monsignor Ignacio , HLI's Interim President. Barreiro-Carámbula Human Life International.
For Media Inquiries: Stephen Phelan 540-622-5270 Consecrating HLI's Mission to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Today, July 1st, HLI is consecrating our mission and life saving apostolate to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In this fundamental devotion we have a synthesis of all the mystery of our redemption -- of an infinite love that was ready to suffer death and be despised for our salvation.  Image via Wikipedia
Following the teachings of Saint Claude De La Colombière, we see how the Heart of Christ is always burning with love for men (symbolized by the flames coming from His Heart as we see in many paintings), always open to shower graces and blessings upon us, always touched by our sorrows, always eager to impart its treasures to us and give himself to us, always ready to receive us, to be our refuge and dwelling place and our heaven even in this world. In return, He finds in so many human hearts nothing but hardness, forgetfulness, contempt and ingratitude: Jesus loves and yet is not loved; His love is not even known because we will not deign to receive the gifts by which He proves His love, or listen to the secret and tender words of love that he wishes to speak to our hearts. (This is why we see this heart surrounded by a crown of thorns in the same paintings). For this reason, in our consecration to Him, we have to enkindle our love for Him, and make due reparation for the ones who reject Him. In our love for Him we have to pray that many more persons would come to know and love Him.
The History of the Devotion In many ways this magnificent devotion has ancient roots in Catholic tradition, but it was made manifest to us with the apparitions of Jesus to Saint Marguerite Mary Alacoque. The Venerable Pius XII explains with clarity the development of this devotion:
"But if men have always been deeply moved by the pierced Heart of the Saviour to a worship of that infinite love with which He embraces mankind -- since the words of the prophet Zacharias, 'They shall look on Him Whom they have pierced,' referred by St. John the Evangelist to Jesus nailed to the Cross, have been spoken to Christians in all ages -- it must yet be admitted that it was only by a very gradual advance that the honours of a special devotion were offered to that Heart as depicting the love, human and divine, which exists in the Incarnate Word."
Dr. Timothy T. O'Donnell in his valuable book, Heart of the Redeemer, sheds light on the many antecedents of this devotion. In particular I would like to mention the beautiful hymn Summi Regis Cor (The heart of the Supreme King). This prayer foreshadowed something that many authors of the nineteen century understood well, like Fr. Henri Ramière, S.J., that there is a total connection between this devotion and the restoration of the Social Kingdom of Christ. It points to the establishment of society that will be based on the Gospel of Christ and it will honor the main gift of our Creator and Redeemer which is the gift of life, and life's natural cradle: the family. This is the mission of HLI, and we pray that the Lord will give us his graces to faithfully discharge this difficult task. We trust that in accordance with his fifth promise He will pour abundant blessings on all our undertaking.
The Devotion Today Blessed John Paul II demonstrates in Dives in misericordia how the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the devotion to the Divine Mercy mutually complement each other.
The Church seems in a particular way to profess the mercy of God and to venerate it when she directs herself to the Heart of Christ. In fact, it is precisely this drawing close to Christ in the mystery of His Heart which enables us to dwell on this point-a point in a sense central and also most accessible on the human level-of the revelation of the merciful love of the Father, a revelation which constituted the central content of the messianic mission of the Son of Man.
So it is perfectly reasonable that that the consecration will take place on a Friday at 3PM, the hour of Divine Mercy. Pope Benedict XVI in a 2005 Angelus discourse further connected the devotion to the daily lives of Catholics today:
In biblical language, "heart" indicates the centre of the person where his sentiments and intentions dwell. In the Heart of the Redeemer we adore God's love for humanity, his will for universal salvation, his infinite mercy. Practicing devotion to the Sacred Heart of Christ therefore means adoring that Heart which, after having loved us to the end, was pierced by a spear and from high on the Cross poured out blood and water, an inexhaustible source of new life.
The ninth promise of the Sacred Heart states: "I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored." With confidence in this promise we have commissioned a painting of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus by the talented artist, Henry Wingate. In honoring the image of Christ we are following the advice of St. Thomas Aquinas, who wrote that an image leads to honor the one that is being represented. (Summa II-II, q. 81, a. 3 ad 3m).
A fervent devotion to Heart of Jesus should lead us to seek the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as Benedict XVI teaches us:
The heart that resembles that of Christ more than any other is without a doubt the Heart of Mary, His Immaculate Mother, and for this very reason the liturgy holds them up together for our veneration. Responding to the Virgin's invitation at Fatima, let us entrust the whole world to her Immaculate Heart... so that it may experience the merciful love of God and know true peace."
So we ask you, our friends and supporters, to be united with us in this consecration so that the Sacred Heart of Jesus will shed abundant graces on the missionaries and work of HLI, enabling us to fulfill our mission of reestablishing the Culture of Life in our times. May He also grant that our message should have the fire of burning love that comes from the His Heart and bring many persons that do not know Him now to conversion.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
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