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Roman Catholic devotions are "external practices of piety" which are not part of the official liturgy of the Catholic Church but are part of the popular spiritual practices of Catholics. Catholic devotions do not become part of liturgical worship, even if they are performed within a Catholic church, in a group, in the presence of a priest. The Congregation for Divine Worship at the Vatican publishes a Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy. Devotion to saints, with the Virgin Mary as the most prominent example, is a key characteristic of Roman Catholicism. Catholic devotions have various forms, ranging from formalized, multi-day prayers such as novenas to activities which do not involve any prayers, such as Eucharistic adoration outside Mass, the wearing of scapulars, the veneration of the saints, and even horticultural practices such as maintaining a Mary garden. Common examples of Catholic devotions include the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Face of Jesus, the various scapulars, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Seven Sorrows of Mary, novenas to various saints, pilgrimages and devotions to the Blessed Sacrament, and the veneration of saintly images such as among Santeros, etc. Centrality of Christ One should keep in mind that no matter what specific devotion you are talking about, or practicing, the person of Jesus Christ is central to everything! A devotion to a particular saint, for example, does not take the place of or even equal our love of and devotion to Jesus Christ and the Holy Tirinity. Rather, it is more like having a mentor in the faith who can help you to know and understand things, pray for you, and help you when appropriate. We should keep in mind that all things should point us to Jesus, and the saints and angels, especially Mary the Mother of Jesus, want only to help us grow closer to Him. Why then, you may ask, do we need to pray to the saints? Why not simply go directly to Jesus? Jesus is sufficient in and of Himself for all things we need. He does not need the help of the saints, even Mary. For that matter, he does not need your help either, strictly speaking. His sacrifice was perfect in all respects and lacks for nothing. Yet, St. Paul tells us that there is something lacking! In Colossians 1:24 St. Paul tells us "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. (emphasis added)" (NAB; see here for other translations). So what could possbily be lacking from the sufferings of Christ who is God incaranate and perfection itself? Very simply, our participation is lacking. Though Christ does not need us he does invite us to participate in the salvation of others. In fact, He chose to include us as an integral part in the plan of salvation. This is why St. Paul can say "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake...." Notice he is not rejoicing because his sufferings are helping his own walk (though they are) but for the sake of those he is writing to: he is suffering "...on behalf of His Body, which is the church...." His sufferings are helping other Christians just as the sufferings of Christ helped all those who believe in and follow Him. Christ invites us to work for, suffer for, and pray for our brothers in Christ and all humanity. How does this relate to the saints in heaven? Are they not dead and out of the picture? Well, in fact, they are not dead. Yes, bodily they have died but their spirits are very much alive in heaven and their desire to know and love God gives them a lively desire to love and help us as well. This is because they want what God wants and God wants all of us to go to heaven; he wants all of us to know Him; He wants all of us to love Him; and He wants all of us to strive to do His will. Hence the saints desire this for us as well and are more than willing to help us in prayer and in action if God sees fit for them to do so. Most of all, they want to do God's will. In the Catholic Church we call this ability to help each other the Communion of the Saints; and this applys to the saints in heaven (the Church Triumphant), the saints in purgatory (the Church Suffering), and the "saints" on Earth (the Church Militant). First Thursdays of Each month are dedicated in Honor of the Holy Eucharist (Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ). Please attend Holy Mass this day and offer the Mass and Holy Communion in reparation and atonement for the enumerable sins committed against the Holy Eucharist. We urge you to attend mass and and praying the following prayer before receiving the Holy Eucharist: "I offer this communion to you Lord Jesus in Honor of Your Body and most precious Blood in reparation for the many blasphemies and sacrileges that are being committed against Your Holy Eucharist." Please also pray the following (can be said right after mass) Act of Adoration and thanksgiving We adore Thee, CHRIST, and we bless Thee, Because by thy holy Cross Thou has redeemed the world. I ADORE Thee, Eternal FATHER, and I give Thee thanks for the infinite love with which Thou didst deign to send thy only-begotten SON to redeem me, and to become the food of my soul. I offer Thee all the acts of adoration and thanksgiving that are offered to Thee by the angels and saints in heaven and by the just on earth. I praise, love, and thank Thee with all the praise, love, and thanksgiving that are offered to Thee by thine own SON in the Blessed Sacrament ; and I beg Thee to grant that He may be known,loved, honoured, praised, and worthily received by all, in this most divine Sacrament. (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be) I ADORE Thee, Eternal SON, and I thank Thee for the infinite love which caused Thee to become man for me, to be born in a stable, to live in poverty, to suffer hunger, thirst, heat, cold, fatigue, hardships, contempt, persecutions, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, and a cruel death upon the hard wood of the Cross. I thank Thee, with the Church militant and triumphant, for the infinite love with which Thou didst institute the most blessed Sacrament to be the food of my soul. I adore Thee in all the consecrated hosts throughout the whole world, and I return thanks for those who know Thee not, and who do not thank Thee. Would that I were able to give my life to make Thee known, loved, and honoured by all, in this sacrament of love, and to prevent the irreverences and sacrileges that are committed against Thee ! I love Thee, divine JESUS, and I desire to receive Thee with all the purity, love, and affection of thy blessed Mother, and with the love and affection of thy own most pure Heart. Grant, O most amiable spouse of my soul, in coming to me in this most holy Sacrament, that I may receive all the graces and blessings which Thou dost come to bestow on us, and let me rather die than receive Thee unworthily. (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be) I ADORE Thee, Eternal SPIRIT, and I give Thee thanks for the infinite love with which Thou didst work the ineffable mystery of the Incarnation, and for the infinite love with which Thou didst form the sacred body of our LORD JESUS CHRIST out of the most pure blood of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to become in this Sacrament the food of my soul. I beg Thee to enlighten my mind, and to purify my heart and the hearts of all men, that they all may know this great benefit of thy love, and receive worthily this most blessed Sacrament. (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be) Acts of Adoration and Reparation. I ADORE Thee, my JESUS, in the Blessed Sacrament; I acknowledge Thee, true GOD and true Man. By this my act of adoration I intend to make Thee reparation for the coldness of so many of thy people, who pass before thy churches, nay, before thy very tabernacle, where hour after hour Thou dost deign to dwell in loving impatience to communicate thyself to thy faithful, yet do not even bow the knee before Thee, but like the Israelites in the wilderness, seem by their indifference to loathe this heavenly manna. I offer Thee thine own most precious Blood which Thou didst shed from the wound in thy Left Foot, in reparation for this hateful coldness, and entering therein, I cry, and will never cease to cry: Blessed and praised every moment. Be the most holy and divine Sacrament! (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be) I PROFOUNDLY adore Thee, my JESUS; I acknowledge Thee present in the most holy Sacrament. By this act; of adoration I would fain make amends for the forgetfulness of so many Christian people, who, when they see Thee go to the poor sick, to be their strength in their great journey to eternity, leave Thee unescorted, and hardly give Thee even one outward sign of homage. I offer Thee, in reparation for this coldness, that most precious Blood which Thou didst shed from the wound in thy Right Foot, and entering therein, I cry, and will never cease to cry: Blessed and praised every moment Be the most holy and divine Sacrament! (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be) I PROFOUNDLY adore Thee, my JESUS, true Bread of life eternal; and by this my act of adoration I would fain make Thee compensation for all the wounds with which thy Sacred Heart bleeds daily to see the profanation of those churches wherein Thou dost vouchsafe to abide, beneath the sacramental species, to receive the love and adoration of thy people. I offer Thee, in reparation for all these irreverences, that most precious Blood which Thou didst shed from the wound in thy Left Hand, and, entering therein, I will ever cry: Blessed and praised every moment: Be the most holy and divine Sacrament! (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be) I PROFOUNDLY adore Thee, my JESUS, Living Bread come down from heaven; and by this act of adoration I would fain make amends for all the acts of irreverence which thy people day by day commit whilst they assist at holy Mass, in which bloodless Sacrifice Thou dost renew the very Sacrifice which once Thou didst consummate on Calvary for our salvation. I offer Thee, in reparation for all this ingratitude, that most precious Blood which Thou didst shed from the wound in thy Right Hand; and, entering- therein, I unite my voice with the voices of the holy angels who adore around thy throne: Blessed and praised every moment Be the most holy and divine Sacrament ! (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be) I PROFOUNDLY adore Thee, my JESUS, true Victim of expiation for our sins; and I offer Thee this act of adoration in compensation for the sacrilegious outrages Thou dost receive from so many of thy ungrateful people, who dare to draw nigh to Thee and receive Thee in Communion with mortal sin upon their souls. In reparation for these hateful sacrileges, I offer Thee those last drops of thy most precious Blood which Thou didst shed from the wound in thy Side; and, entering therein, I approach Thee with acts of adoration, love, and thanksgiving, and, with all holy souls who are devout to Thee in this most holy Sacrament, I cry: Blessed and praised every moment. Be the most holy and divine Sacrament ! (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be) God wills that all his gifts should come to us through Mary" (St. Bernard) It was in Rome, towards the end of the eighteenth century, one fine evening in May. A child of the poor gathered his companions around him and led them to a statue of Mary, before which a lamp was burning, as is the custom in that holy city. There, these fresh young voices sang the Litany of our Lady. The next day, the little group, followed by other children, again gathered at the feet of the Mother of God. Next came their mothers, to join the little assembly. Soon, other groups were formed, and the devotion rapidly became popular. Holy souls, troubled by the disorderly conduct which always increases and becomes graver at the return of the pleasant springtime, saw in these growing practices the hand of God, and they cooperated with the designs of Providence by approving and promoting this new devotion, as a public and solemn act of reparation. The Month of Mary was founded. "This is the month in which, in the churches and individual homes, the most affectionate and fervent homage of prayers and devotions from the hearts of Christians are raised to Mary. It is also the month in which from his throne descend upon us the most generous and abundant gifts of the Divine Mercy." In our own times, we Catholics, wanting to be close to her always, offer her special presents in May: pilgrimages, visits to churches dedicated to her, little sacrifices in her honor, periods of study and well-finished work offered up to her, and a more attentive recitation of the rosary. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is but a special form of devotion to Jesus. We shall know just what it is and what distinguishes it when we ascertain its object, its foundations, and its proper act. Special object of the devotion to the Sacred Heart The nature of this question is complex and frequently becomes more complicated because of the difficulties arising from terminology. Omitting terms that are over-technical, we shall study the ideas in themselves, and, that we may the sooner find our bearings, it will be well to remember the meaning and use of the word heart in current language. (a) The word heart awakens, first of all, the idea of a material heart, of the vital organ that throbs within our bosom, and which we vaguely realize as intimately connected not only with our own physical, but with our emotional and moral life. Now this heart of flesh is currently accepted as the emblem of the emotion and moral life with which we associate it, and hence the place assigned to the word heart in symbolic language, as also the use of the same word to designate those things symbolized by the heart. Note, for instance, the expressions "to open one's heart", "to give one's heart", etc. It may happen that the symbol becomes divested of its material meaning that the sign is overlooked in beholding only the thing signified. Thus, in current language, the word soul no longer suggests the thought of breath, and the word heart brings to mind only the idea of courage and love. But this is perhaps a figure of speech or a metaphor, rather than a symbol. A symbol is a real sign, whereas a metaphor is only a verbal sign; a symbol is a thing that signifies another thing, but a metaphor is a word used to indicate something different from its proper meaning. Finally, in current language, we are constantly passing from the part to the whole, and, by a perfectly natural figure of speech, we use the word heart to designate a person. These ideas will aid us in determining the object of the devotion to the Sacred Heart. (b) The question lies between the material, the metaphorical, and the symbolic sense of the word heart; whether the object of the devotion is the Heart of flesh, as such, or the love of Jesus Christ metaphorically signified by the word heart; or the Heart of flesh, but as symbol of the emotional and moral life of Jesus, and especially His love for us. We reply that worship is rightly paid to the Heart of flesh, inasmuch as the latter symbolizes and recalls the love of Jesus, and His emotional and moral life. Thus, although directed to the material Heart, it does not stop there: it also includes love, that love which is its principal object, but which it reaches only in and through the Heart of flesh, the sign and symbol of this love. Devotion to the Heart of Jesus alone, as to a noble part of His Divine Body, would not be devotion to the Sacred Heart as understood and approved by the Church, and the same must also be said of devotion to the love of Jesus as detached from His Heart of flesh, or else connected therewith by no other tie than that of a word taken in the metaphorical sense. Hence, in the devotion, there are two elements: a sensible element, the Heart of flesh, and a spiritual element, that which this Heart of flesh recalls and represents. But these two elements do not form two distinct objects, merely co-ordinated they constitute but one, just as do the body and soul, and the sign and the thing signified. Hence it is also understood that these two elements are as essential to the devotion as body and soul are essential to man. Of the two elements constituting the whole, the principal one is love, which is as much the cause of the devotion and its reason for existence as the soul is the principal element in man. Consequently, devotion to the Sacred Heart may be defined as devotion to the adorable Heart of Jesus Christ in so far as this Heart represents and recalls His love; or, what amounts to the same thing, devotion to the love of Jesus Christ in so far as this love is recalled and symbolically represented to us by His Heart of flesh. (c) Hence the devotion is based entirely upon the symbolism of the heart. It is this symbolism that imparts to its meaning and its unity, and this symbolism is admirably completed by the representation of the Heart as wounded. Since the Heart of Jesus appears to us as the sensible sign of His love, the visible wound in the Heart will naturally recall the invisible wound of this love. This symbolism also explains that the devotion, although giving the Heart an essential place, is but little concerned with the anatomy of the heart or with physiology. Since, in images of the Sacred Heart, the symbolic expression must dominate all else, anatomical accuracy is not looked for; it would injure the devotion by rendering the symbolism less evident. It is eminently proper that the heart as an emblem be distinguished from the anatomical heart: the suitableness of the image is favourable to the expression of the idea. A visible heart is necessary for an image of the Sacred Heart, but this visible heart must be a symbolic heart. Similar observations are in order for physiology, in which the devotion cannot be totally disinterested, because the Heart of Flesh toward which the worship is directed in order to read therein the love of Jesus, is the Heart of Jesus, the real, living Heart that, in all truth, may be said to have loved and suffered; the Heart that, as we feel ourselves, had such a share in His emotional and moral life; the Heart that, as we knowfrom a knowledge, however rudimentary, of the operations of our human life, had such a part in the operations of the Master's life. But the relation of the Heart to the love of Christ is not that of a purely conventional sign, as in the relation of the word to the thing, or of the flag to the idea of one's country; this Heart has been and is still inseparably connected with that life of benefactions and love. However, it is sufficient for our devotion that we know and feel this intimate connection. We have nothing to do with the physiology of the Sacred Heart nor with determining the exact functions of the heart in daily life. We know that the symbolism of the heart is a symbolism founded upon reality and that it constitutes the special object of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, which devotion is in no danger of falling into error. (d) The heart is, above all, the emblem of love, and by this characteristic, the devotion to the Sacred Heart is naturally defined. However, being directed to the loving Heart of Jesus, it naturally encounters whatever in Jesus is connected with this love. Now, was not this love the motive of all that Christ did and suffered? Was not all His inner, even more than His outward, life dominated by this love? On the other hand, the devotion to the Sacred Heart, being directed to the living Heart of Jesus, thus becomes familiar with the whole inner life of the Master, with all His virtuesand sentiments, finally, with Jesus infinitely loving and lovable. Hence, a first extension of the devotion is from the loving Heart to the intimate knowledge of Jesus, to His sentiments and virtues, to His whole emotional and moral life; from the loving Heart to all the manifestations of Its love. There is still another extension which, although having the same meaning, is made in another way, that is by passing from the Heart to the Person, a transition which, as we have seen, is very naturally made. When speaking of a large heart our allusion is to the person, just as when we mention the Sacred Heart we mean Jesus. This is not, however, because the two are synonymous but when the word heart is used to designate the person, it is because such a person is considered in whatsoever related to his emotional and moral life. Thus, when we designate Jesus as the Sacred Heart, we mean Jesus manifesting His Heart, Jesus all loving and amiable. Jesus entire is thus recapitulated in the Sacred Heart as all is recapitulated in Jesus. (e) In thus devoting oneself to Jesus all loving and lovable, one cannot fail to observe that His love is rejected. God is constantly lamenting that in Holy Writ, and the saints have always heard within their hearts the plaint of unrequited love. Indeed one of the essential phases of the devotion is that it considers the love of Jesus for us as a despised, ignored love. He Himself revealed this when He complained so bitterly to St. Margaret Mary. (f) This love is everywhere manifest in Jesus and in His life, and it alone can explain Him together with His words and His acts. Nevertheless, it shines forth more resplendently in certain mysteries from which great good accrues to us, and in which Jesus is more lavish of His lovingbenefactions and more complete in His gift of self, namely, in the Incarnation, in the Passion, and in the Eucharist. Moreover, these mysteries have a place apart in the devotion which, everywhere seeking Jesus and the signs of His love and favours, finds them here to an even greater extent than in particular acts. (g) We have already seen that devotion to the Sacred Heart, being directed to the Heart of Jesus as the emblem of love, has mainly in view His love for men. This is obviously not that it excludes His love for God, for this included in His love for men, but it is above all the devotion to "the Heart that has so loved men", according to the words quoted by St. Margaret Mary. (h) Finally, the question arises as to whether the love which we honour in this devotion is that with which Jesus loves us as Man or that with which He loves us as God; whether it is created or uncreated, His human or His Divine Love. Undoubtedly it is the love of God made Man, the loveof the Incarnate Word. However, it does not seem that devout persons think of separating these two loves any more than they separate the two natures in Jesus. Besides, even though we might wish to settle this part of the question at any cost, we would find that the opinions of authors are at variance. Some, considering that the Heart of Flesh is connected with human love only, conclude that it does not symbolize Divine love which, moreover, is not proper to the Person of Jesus, and that, therefore, Divine love is not the direct object of the devotion. Others, while admitting that Divine love apart from the Incarnate Word is not the object of the devotion, believe it to be such when considered as the love of the Incarnate Word, and they do not see why this love also could not be symbolized by the Heart of flesh nor why, in this event, the devotion should be limited to created love only. Foundations of the devotion The question may be considered under three aspects: the historical, the theological, and the scientific. (a) Historical foundations In approving the devotion to the Sacred Heart, the Church did not trust to the visions of St. Margaret Mary; she made abstraction of these and examined the worship in itself. Margaret Mary's visions could be false, but the devotion would not, on that account, be any less worthy or solid. However, the fact is that the devotion was propagated chiefly under the influence of the movement started at Paray-le-Monial; and prior to her beatification, Margaret Mary's visions were most critically examined by the Church, whose judgment in such cases does not involve her infallibilitybut implies only a human certainty sufficient to warrant consequent speech and action. (b) Theological foundations The Heart of Jesus, like all else that belongs to His Person, is worthy of adoration, but this would not be so if It were considered as isolated from this Person and as having no connection with It. But it is not thus that the Heart is considered, and, in his Bull "Auctorem fidei", 1794, Pius VIauthoritatively vindicated the devotion in this respect against the calumnies of the Jansenists. The worship, although paid to the Heart of Jesus, extends further than the Heart of flesh, being directed to the love of which this Heart is the living and expressive symbol. On this point the devotion requires no justification, as it is to the Person of Jesus that it is directed; but to the Person as inseparable from His Divinity. Jesus, the living apparition of the goodness of God and of His paternal love, Jesus infinitely loving and amiable, studied in the principal manifestations of His love, is the object of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, as indeed He is the object of the Christian religion. The difficulty lies in the union of the heart and love, in the relation which the devotion supposes between the one and the other. Is not this an error long since discarded? If so, it remains to examine whether the devotion, considered in this respect, is well founded. (c) Philosophical and scientific foundations In this respect there has been some uncertainty amongst theologians, not as regards the basis of things, but in the matter of explanations. Sometimes they have spoken as if the heart were the organ of love, but this point has no bearing on the devotion, for which it suffices that the heart be the symbol of love, and that, for the basis of the symbolism, a real connection exist between the heart and the emotions. Now, the symbolism of the heart is a fact and every one feels that in the heart there is a sort of an echo of our sentiments. The physiological study of this resonance may be very interesting, but it is in no wise necessary to the devotion, as its foundation is a fact attested by daily experience, a fact which physiological study confirms and of which it determines the conditions, but which neither supposes this study nor any special acquaintance with its subject. The proper act of the devotion This act is required by the very object of the devotion, since devotion to the love of Jesus for us should be pre-eminently a devotion of love for Jesus. It is characterized by a reciprocation of love; its aim is to love Jesus who has so loved us, to return love for love. Since, moreover, the loveof Jesus manifests itself to the devout soul as a love despised and outraged, especially in the Eucharist, the love expressed in the devotion naturally assumes a character of reparation, and hence the importance of acts of atonement, the Communion of reparation, and compassion for Jesus suffering. But no special act, no practice whatever, can exhaust the riches of the devotion to the Sacred Heart. The love which is its soul embraces all and, the better one understands it, the more firmly is he convinced that nothing can vie with it for making Jesus live in us and for bringing him who lives by it to love God, in union with Jesus, with all his heart, all his soul, all his strength. Historical ideas on the development of the devotion (1) From the time of St. John and St. Paul there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, Who so loved the world as to give it His only-begotten Son, and to the love of Jesus, Who has so loved us as to deliver Himself up for us. But, accurately speaking, this is not the devotion to the Sacred Heart, as it pays no homage to the Heart of Jesus as the symbol of His love for us. From the earliest centuries, in accordance with the example of the Evangelist, Christ's open side and the mystery of blood and water were meditated upon, and the Church was beheld issuing from the side of Jesus, as Eve came forth from the side of Adam. But there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries, any worship was rendered the wounded Heart. (2) It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that we find the first unmistakable indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart. Through the wound in the side the wounded Heart was gradually reached, and the wound in the Heart symbolized the wound of love. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or were its first votaries. To St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the "Vitis mystica" it was already well known. We cannot state with certainty to whom we are indebted for the "Vitis mystica". Until recent times its authorship had generally been ascribed to St. Bernard and yet, by the late publishers of the beautiful and scholarly Quaracchi edition, it has been attributed, and not without plausible reasons, to St. Bonaventure ("S. Bonaventura opera omnia", 1898, VIII, LIII sq.). But, be this as it may, it contains one of the most beautiful passages that ever inspired the devotion to the Sacred Heart, one appropriated by the Church for the lessons of the second nocturn of the feast. To St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1302) it was a familiar devotion which was translated into many beautiful prayers and exercises. What deserves special mention is the vision of St. Gertrude on the feast of St. John the Evangelist, as it forms an epoch in the history of the devotion. Allowed to rest her head near the wound in the Saviour's she heard the beating of the Divine Heart and asked John if, on the night of the Last Supper, he too had felt these delightful pulsations, why he had never spoken of the fact. John replied that this revelation had been reserved for subsequent ages when the world, having grown cold, would have need of it to rekindle its love ("Legatus divinae pietatis", IV, 305; "Revelationes Gertrudianae", ed. Poitiers and Paris, 1877). (3) From the thirteenth to the sixteenth century, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by privileged souls, and the lives of the saints and annals of different religious congregations, of the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc., furnish many examples of it. It was nevertheless a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, unless one would so regard the propagation of the devotion to the Five Wounds, in which the Wound in the Heart figured most prominently, and for the furtherance of which the Franciscans seem to have laboured. (4) It appears that in the sixteenth century, the devotion took an onward step and passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was constituted an objective devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises of which the value was extolled and the practice commended. This we learn from the writings of those two masters of the spiritual life, the pious Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, and the devout Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut. To these may be added Blessed John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century. (5) From that time everything betokened an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus, Alvarez de Paz, Luis de la Puente, Saint-Jure, and Nouet, and there still exist special treatises upon it such as Father Druzbicki's (d. 1662) small work, "Meta Cordium, Cor Jesu". Amongst the mystics and pious souls who practised the devotion were St. Francis Borgia, Blessed Peter Canisius, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, and St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, of the Society of Jesus; also Venerable Marina de Escobar (d. 1633), in Spain; the Venerable Madeleine St. Joseph and the Venerable Marguerite of the Blessed Sacrament, Carmelites, in France; Jeanne de S. Mathieu Deleloe (d. 1660), a Benedictine, in Belgium; the worthy Armelle of Vannes (d. 1671); and even in Jansenistic or worldly centres, Marie de Valernod (d. 1654) and Angélique Arnauld; M. Boudon, the great archdeacon of Evreux, Father Huby, the apostle of retreats in Brittany, and, above all, the Venerable Marie de l'Incarnation, who died at Quebec in 1672. The Visitation seemed to be awaiting St. Margaret Mary; its spirituality, certain intuitions of St. Francis de Sales, the meditations of Mère l'Huillier (d. 1655), the visions of Mother Anne-Marguerite Clément (d. 1661), and of Sister Jeanne-Bénigne Gojos (d. 1692), all paved the way. The image of the Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, which fact was largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches. (6) Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual or at least a private devotion. It was reserved to Blessed Jean Eudes (1602-1680) to make it public, to honour it with an Office, and to establish a feast for it. Père Eudes was above all the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on 31 August, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated with great solemnity in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on 20 October, a day with which the Eudist feast was thenceforth to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. Here and there it came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and a fusion of the two naturally resulted. (7) It was to Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), a humble Visitandine of the monastery at Paray-le-Monial, that Christ chose to reveal the desires of His Heart and to confide the task of imparting new life to the devotion. There is nothing to indicate that this pious religious had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. These revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable: that which occurred on the feast of St. John, when Jesus permitted Margaret Mary, as He had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon His Heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of His love, telling her that He desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of His goodness, and that He had chosen her for this work (27 Dec., probably 1673); that, probably distinct from the preceding, in which He requested to be honoured under the figure of His Heart of flesh; that, when He appeared radiant with love and asked for a devotion of expiatory love — frequent Communion, Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour (probably June or July, 1674); that known as the "great apparition" which took place during the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on 16 June, when He said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men . instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude . .", and asked her for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult Father de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray; and finally, those in which solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and the priests of the Society of Jesus. A few days after the "great apparition", of June, 1675, Margaret Mary made all known to Father de la Colombière, and the latter, recognizing the action of the spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart, directed the holy Visitandine to write an account of the apparition, and made use of every available opportunity discreetly to circulate this account through France and England. At his death, 15 February 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and a beautiful "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, even at Paray, although not without being the cause of "dreadful confusion" to Margaret Mary, who, nevertheless, resolved to make the best of it and profited by the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Moulins, with Mother de Soudeilles, Dijon, with Mother de Saumaise and Sister Joly, Semur, with Mother Greyfié, and even Paray, which had at first resisted, joined the movement. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the cause, particularly a Capuchin, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits, among the latter being Fathers Croiset and Gallifet, who were destined to do so much for the devotion. (8) The death of Margaret Mary, 17 October 1690, did not dampen the ardour of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office, the devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the universal Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Church to the double rite of first class. The acts of consecration and of reparation were everywhere introduced together with the devotion. Oftentimes, especially since about 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart, and, in 1875, this consecration was made throughout the Catholic world. Still the pope did not wish to take the initiative or to intervene. Finally, on 11 June, 1899, by order of Leo XIII, and with the formula prescribed by him, all mankind was solemnly consecrated to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had received it from Christ Himself. She was a member of the Drost-zu-Vischering family, and known in religion as Sister Mary of the Divine Heart. She died on the feast of the Sacred Heart, two days before the consecration, which had been deferred to the following Sunday. Whilst alluding to these great public manifestations we must not omit referring to the intimate life of the devotion in souls, to the practices connected with it, and to the works and associations of which it was the very life. Moreover, we must not overlook the social character which it has assumed particularly of late years. The Catholics of France, especially, cling firmly to it as one of their strongest hopes of ennoblement and salvation. The answer to your question is relatively simple but needs a historical context in order to be fully appreciated. The short answer is this: October is dedicated as the Month of the Rosary because we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary each year on October 7. To understand this feast, we need to go back in time. In the 16th century, the Islamic Ottoman Empire presented a serious military threat to western Europe and sent a fleet of ships to attack Christian defenses in southern Europe. Pope Pius V recognized the grave danger and organized a fleet called the Holy League to confront the navy of the Ottoman Turks. On October 7, 1571, the two navies engaged in a pivotal battle that would determine who controlled maritime traffic in the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Aegean seas. The fate of western Europe depended upon the success of Christians in this navy battle, which involved more than 400 warships (it was the largest naval battle in Western history for centuries). Pius V knew he needed more than just military strength to defend Christian Europe, so he asked that all the faithful pray the rosary, requesting the intercession of the Blessed Mother. At the end of the Battle of Lepanto, the Holy League was victorious and the maritime expansion of the Ottoman Empire was permanently prevented. The next year, Pius V established a feast on October 7 in honor of the Blessed Mother, originally called Our Lady of Victory. After a few centuries, the name was changed to Our Lady of the Rosary to more clearly recognize that prayer was the greatest power at work that day on the seas. In 1571, the rosary was still a relatively new prayer form for the universal church. Pope Pius V had issued a decree formally establishing devotion to the rosary in the papal bull Consueverunt Romani Pontifices just two years before the Battle of Lepanto. The Holy Father’s universal promulgation recognized the growing devotion to the Blessed Mother throughout Europe, as well as the increased prayer of the rosary in various locations. Devotion to the rosary was especially promoted in the 13th century by St. Dominic and in the 16th century by St. Peter Canisius (who, according to tradition, added the final verse to the Hail Mary, in which we pray, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death” — printed officially in the Catechism of the Council of Trent in 1566; the first two verses of the Hail Mary are adapted from Luke 1:28 and 1:42). The origins of the rosary are complex. The use of knotted ropes to count prayers or scriptural verses (including the Lord’s Prayer and the Jesus Prayer) is an ancient practice and is even found in non-Christian cultures. Most probably, the Christian recitation of 150 such prayers was intended to mirror the monastic prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours in which monks prayed all 150 psalms each day. The structure of the rosary as we know it today developed significantly from the 12th to the 14th centuries as the larger collection of 150 prayers was further divided into groups of 50 and separated by biblical verses or themes (now referred to as mysteries). It is these mysteries, like a grouping of common roses in a garden, that gave the name rosary to this prayer form. The rosary is a living prayer form and continues to develop even in recent times. An invocation known as the Fatima Prayer was commonly added in the early 20th century. In 2002 Pope John Paul II added a new set of five reflections called the Luminous Mysteries which encourage additional meditations on the life of Jesus. The rosary is an invitation to experience the grace of Mary’s spiritual motherhood as she leads us to her Son, Jesus. For this reason, it has been an invaluable source of countless spiritual graces for the saints. Remember, every time you pray the rosary you are given the privilege and honor of pronouncing the holy name of Jesus more than 50 times. The wealth of spiritual graces offered through the rosary comes not from the multiplication of prayers (see Matthew 6:7) but from the imitation of Christ through obedience to the Father’s will, according to the example of the Blessed Mother. Maybe October would be a good month to turn off the radio or podcast as you commute to work or school and pray the rosary instead. See what graces the Lord wants to pour into your life from the rose garden of this daily meditation. The Stations of the Cross are a 14-step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ's last day on Earth as a man. The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini pilgrimage as the individual moves from station to station. At each station, the individual recalls and meditates on a specific event from Christ's last day. Specific prayers are recited, then the individual moves to the next station until all 14 are complete. The Stations of the Cross are commonly found in churches as a series of 14 small icons or images. They can also appear in church yards arranged along paths. The stations are most commonly prayed during Lent on Wednesdays and Fridays, and especially on Good Friday, the day of the year upon which the events actually occurred.
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SRCE ISUSOVO I SRCE MARIJINO Ljubav Isusa i Marije Kad govorimo o Isusovu i Marijinu Srcu, mislimo na Isusa i Mariju pod vidom njihova nutarnjeg života i njihove ljubavi prema nebeskom Ocu, te prema nama ljudima. Njihova se ljubav prema grješnom čovječanstvu otkriva od Isusova rođenja u betlehemskoj štalici do smrti na križu. Njihova je ljubav tako čudesna, osobito zato jer je raspeta. Iskazivanjem svoje ljubavi Isus i Marija žele nas dovesti k nesebičnoj ljubavi prema Bogu i prema bližnjemu, što je bit svetosti na koju smo svi pozvani. Budući da nas ljube, žele spasiti čovječanstvo koje se je izgubilo. Potrebno je vjerovati u Isusovu i Marijinu ljubav, njima se povjeriti i potpuno predati. Ta ljubav obnovit će naša srca i počet ćemo razmišljati, govoriti, raditi i ljubiti kao njih dvoje. U litanijama Srcu Isusovu molimo: «Srce Isusovo, u krilu Djevice Majke od Duha Svetoga sazdano.» Djelovanjem Duha Svetoga Isus je kao čovjek s ljudskim srcem bio oblikovan u tijelu Djevice Marije. Oba su Srca već od početka bila čudesno ujedinjena. Marijino je Srce prvo počastilo Srce Isusovo i najdublje je razumjelo dubinu njegove ljubavi. Ona je kao odgojiteljica oblikovala Srce svoga Sina. Kad je Srce Isusovo bilo probodeno vojničkim kopljem na križu, i Marijino je Srce probodeno mačem boli. U Isusovu Srcu odsjaj je Srca njegove Majke. Svaki put nas ova svetkovina želi dotaknuti u srce i progovoriti našem srcu. U simbolu srca Gospodin nam govori o svojoj beskrajnoj ljubavi prema nama. Srce kao središte osobe Ono što je osjećala i rekla sv. Margareta Marija Alacoque, vrijedi i za nas. Ona je bila duboko prožeta pobožnošću prema Srcu Isusovu i u svoj jednostavnosti i iskrenosti rekla je svojoj poglavarici: Neizmjerno je bogatstvo milosti i blagoslova što ga ovo sveto Srce u sebi krije. Ne znam ima li u duhovnom životu ijedna vježba pobožnosti koja bi mogla, u tako malo vremena, dušu bolje uzdići do najviše savršenosti… Stoga želimo iznova posvijestiti Božju ljubav prema nama, a svaka svetkovina Presvetog Srca Isusova najbolja je prilika za obnovu naše ljubavi prema Srcu Isusovu. Na svetkovinu treba najdublje odjekivati u našem srcu molitva: „Isuse, blaga i ponizna Srca! Učini srce moje po srcu svome!“ Ne čudi, stoga, da nam je Isus progovorio u tom simbolu kako bi nam iznova posvjedočio svoju ljubav prema nama. U prvoj objavi sv. Margareti Mariji Alacoque kaže: Moje je Srce ražareno ljubavlju prema ljudima… objavljuje se da bi ih obogatilo svojim dragocjenim blagom koje ti otkrivam… Također, jednoj drugoj svetici, sv. Katarini Sijenskoj govori jezikom koji ćemo najbolje razumjeti: Želim da upoznate tajnu moga Srca, da vidite da ljubim mnogo više nego sam mogao pokazati svojom patnjom. Neki sveci su to dobro shvatili, pa su u tome doživjeli posebnu Isusovu odanost prema nama. Tako je sv. Bonaventura rekao u svojoj molitvi: „Srce ti je ranjeno da mognemo pomoću vidljive rane vidjeti nevidljivu ranu tvoje ljubavi!“ Naš Bog ima Srce i ono kuca za nas. U njemu ima mjesta za svakoga i samo od njegova Srca možemo učiti kako trebamo odgajati svoja srca. Blagdan Presvetog Srca Isusova Blagdan Presvetog Srca Isusova slavi se u petak nakon blagdana Tijelova. Kroz Isusovo srce gledamo Boga i Čovjeka. Isusovo nam je srce otkrilo potpunost, totalnost ljubavi. Isusova ljubav je bezgranična, jer je prošla kroz smrt. U Srcu Isusovu prepoznajemo ponajprije njegovu ljubav prema nebeskom Ocu. Isusovo Srce hvali Oca, njemu je Otac sve predao. Isusovo Srce također označava Isusovu povezanost s nama. Njegovo Srce njegova je usmjerenost prema nama. U Isusovo se Srce skrila sva njegova skrb za naše duše. Njemu je stalo da pronađemo spokoj, odmor koji nam On daje. Blagdan Bezgrješnog Srca Marijina Blagdan Bezgrješnog Srca Marijina pomični je blagdan i slavi se u subotu nakon 2. nedjelje poslije blagdana Duhova, dan nakon blagdana Presvetog Srca Isusova. Bezgrješno Srce Marijino je pobožno ime, kojim nazivamo tjelesno Marijino srce kao simbol Marijinih kreposti, ljubavi prema Bogu i majčinske ljubavi prema čovjeku. Prvi se put, Bezgrješno Srce Marijino spominje u Bibliji, gdje piše kako je starac Šimun prorokovao, kako će Marijino Srce probosti mač velike boli, tj. da će mnogo patiti. Marijana ukazanja u Fatimi, povijesno su pridonijela još većem širenju ove pobožnosti. Sestri Luciji, nakon ukazanja 1917. g., Marija se ukazala i 1925. g. upravo s Bezgrješnim Srcem, tražeći pobožnost Bezgrješnome Srcu, te potičući pape, da posvete Njenom Srcu Rusiju, radi zaustavljanja širenja ateističkog komunizma i radi mira u svijetu. Marija je u Fatimi pozvala vjernike, da časte Njezino Bezgrješno Srce tako da svaki dan mole krunicu te obavljajući pobožnost pet prvih subota u mjesecu, prisustvujući u te dane svetoj Misi, primajući sv. Pričest i četvrt sata razmatrajući jedno od otajstva krunice. Marijino je srce i neprestano veličalo Boga za sve ono što je izveo u njoj i po njoj, poniznoj Službenici Gospodnjoj za svoj narod. Stoga je posve opravdano da uz Presveto Srce Isusovo štujemo i Bezgrešno Srce Marijino.