Novena of Reparation and Consecration to the Sacred Heart

Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus : Friday June 11, 2010

ACT OF REPARATION (256*)

O Sweetest Jesus, Thou dost pour forth Thy love abundantly on men, while they repay Thee most ungratefully with neglect, indifference and contempt. Behold us humbly kneeling in Thy presence; we would fain repair this heartless ingratitude on the part of men, and the manifold injuries that are everywhere done to Thy most loving Heart, by a special act of homage.

Yet we are not unmindful that we, too, have had our part in this unworthy behavior; therefore are we moved to deep contrition, and above all, we beg Thy mercy for ourselves; we are ready to atone, by this voluntary act of expiation, for the crimes which we ourselves have committed, as also for the sins of those who, straying far from the way of their unbelief, to follow Thee, the Shepherd and Guide of their souls, or who trample upon the vows of their Baptism and shake off the sweet yoke of Thy law.

Not only are we anxious to expiate all these deplorable crimes, but in an especial manner do we purpose to make reparation for these following: immodesty and shameful excesses in life and dress; the many snares of corruption laid for the souls of the innocent; the neglect of holydays; the hateful blasphemies that are hurled against Thee and Thy Saints; the reproaches uttered against Thy Vicar on earth and all the priestly order; the neglect, also, of the very Sacrament of Thy love, as well as its profanation by horrifying sacrilege; and finally the public sins of the nations in rebellion against the just rights and the teaching authority of the Church established by Thee.

Would that we were able to atone for all these outrages even to the shedding of our blood! Meanwhile, in order to atone for the violations of the honor due to Thee, we offer unto Thee that selfsame satisfaction which of old Thou didst offer to the Father upon the holy Cross and which from day to day Thou dost continually renew upon the altars of Thy Church. To this we add the expiatory merits of Thy Virgin Mother, of all Thy Saints and of the devout faithful upon earth. With all our hearts we promise to atone, Thy grace assisting us, for our own past sins and those of all other men, as also for our coldness towards Thine exceeding great love, by a firm faith, spotless purity of life and the perfect fulfillment, so far as in us lies, of the law of the Gospel, and in particular of the precept of charity.

We likewise pledge ourselves in accordance with our strength to prevent such injuries from being done to Thee, and to invite as many as we can to follow Thee. Accept, we pray Thee, most gracious Jesus, through the intercession of Our Lady of Reparation, this our free-will offering of reparation, and be Thou pleased to keep us, by the great gift of final perseverance, faithful even unto death in our dutiful service of Thee, so that in the end we may all come to that our true native land, where Thou, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.

ACT OF CONSECRATION (258*)

I, n... n.... 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 very bondage to Thee. (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

*copied from The Raccolta, 1952 Benziger Brothers

Trapped by the Devil

If you, O Lord, will not give me who am miserable understanding, nor enlighten my heart, then, due to my great indifference, shall I be unable to recognize my ruin and decay.
          Because I am trapped by the merciless enemy who oppresses me, with tears do I ceaselessly cry day and night to your goodness to deliver me from his snares. For hourly does he renew the trickery he wields against me; hourly does he disturb my soul with wanton thoughts and desire for pleasure.
          May your power, O Christ, that rebuked the waves of the sea also rebuke him, that he may have no influence on me, your useless servant. Be quick to send, O Master, your grace that it might drive away from your servant the great serpent and all his defilements and evil thoughts. For the wounds that his arrows have inflicted on my heart have become fetid sores, and I in my folly try to hide them every way I can.
          The good Physician calls me and demands no payment, nor does he spill my blood. But my slothfulness prevents me from going to him. He comes himself to heal me, but always finds me engaged in acts that prevent his remedies from rendering me their healing power.
         O Lord, enlighten and sober me. Cure me and I will be cured!

                        -----Saint Ephrem the Syrian, deacon and hermit (+ 373). Reprinted in the Magnificat Feb.2010 p.33-34, from A Spiritual Psalter, Reflections on God, trans. by Antonina Janda, © 2004, The St. John of Kronstadt Press, www.sjkp.org.

"This is the song of my sorrow"

An ancient chant from the Arab-Byzantine tradition for Good Friday. Sung in Arabic.

Two versions available for downloading from amazon.com :
1) Alyawm (Crucifixion) - from "Sacred Women" (track 1) by Sarband, featuring Fadia El-Hage
2) Al Yawm Ulliqa (The Lord is Suspended) - from "La Passion" by Sister Marie Keyrouz, Congrégation des Surs Basiliennes Chouérites

The lyrics are printed in their English translation in the CD jacket from version 1 above. They are as follows:

Today, He who had raised the earth from the waters was crucified on a piece of wood.
A crown of thorns was set upon the brow of the king of angels.
Draped in deceptive purple is He who can cast clouds in the sky.
Beaten is He who created Adam and baptized him in the Jordan River.
Nails are holding Him, the groom of the church, to the cross.
A lance is piercing Him, the Son of the Virgin.
We kneel down before Your pain, Messiah.
Let us also be witnesses to Your glorious resurrection.

God is Eternal and Infinite

There are many words in Hebrew that do not have an exact English equivalent. Some Hebrew words can mean many different things in English. For example, the word ___עוֹלָם___ (pronounced: nitzchiyut(?)) introduced in this chapter means both endless time (eternity) and endless space (universe). It can also mean world.

~Source: Prayerbook Hebrew the Easy Way (ISBN 0939144328)