The Sacred Heart

DEVOTION to the Sacred Heart of Jesus consists in honoring His human Heart. This devotion is as old as the Church herself} for it began on Calvary when the soldier's lance pierced the sacred side of our dear Lord. To say that by devotion to the Sacred Heart is simply meant honoring the love of Jesus, would be perfectly erroneous, inasmuch as by devotion to the Sacred Heart we desire not only to honor the love of Jesus for us, but also to pay special homage to that human Heart of flesh of our dear Lord, which, on account of its intimate union with the Godhead, as being the Heart of a God-man, is the living and unquenchable fountain-head of every grace, and of the most heroic and amiable virtues. Let us listen to the promises our dear Lord kindly made to the Blessed Margaret Mary, in favor of all those who practise and spread devotion to His Divine Heart. I. I will give the grace necessary for their state. 2. I will give peace in their families. 3. I will comfort them in all their trials and afflictions. 4. I will be their secure refuge in life and death. 5. I will bestow abundant blessings on all their undertakings. 6. Sinners shall find My Heart an ocean of mercy. 7. Tepid souls shall become fervent. 8. Fervent souls shall advance rapidly towards perfection. 9. I will bless every dwelling in which an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored. 10. I will give priests a peculiar faculty in converting the most hardened souls. 11. The persons who spread this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced. 12. I will grant the grace of final perseverance to those who communicate on the first Friday of nine consecutive months. The following anecdotes, selected from many others clearly prove how faithfully these promises have been kept. May the perusal of this little book encourage all lovers of the Sacred Heart, both clergy and laity, to renew their confidence in this Divine Heart and their zeal in spreading devotion to it. In conclusion let us say to our dear Lord: We humbly implore Thee, sweet Jesus, through that adorable Heart of Thine, which for our sakes was pierced by the soldier's lance, when for three long hours Thou wast hanging with outstretched arms on the hard bed of the cross, to deign to bless this little book, and encourage all its readers to have recourse to this adorable Heart in all their necessities and to endeavor, for Thy greater honor and glory, to promote devotion to it.