Holy Card of Jesus
Appearing to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
While at prayer, I begged our Lord to make
known to me by what means I could satisfy the desire
that I had to love Him. He gave me to
understand that one cannot better show one's love
for Him than by loving one's neighbor for love of
Him; and that I must work for the salvation of
others, forgetting my own interests in order to
espouse those of my neighbor, both in my prayers and
in all the good I might be able to do by the mercy
of God. . . . Our Lord wishes us to have great
charity for our neighbor, for whom we should pray as
for ourselves; it is one of the characteristic
effects of this devotion to reconcile hearts and to
bring peace to souls.
--Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Let us apply ourselves only to love and to
suffer while loving. When we have acquired the
perfect knowledge thereof, then we shall know and do
all that God wishes of us. . . . As it is love alone
which produces in us the desire of conformity with
our Sovereign Master, we can only attain to this
conformity by loving Him supremely.
--Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
The love of Our Lord's Heart was in no way
diminished by the treason of Judas, the flight of
the apostles, and the persecution of his enemies.
Jesus was only grieved at the harm they did
themselves; his sufferings helped to assuage
his grief because he saw in them a remedy for the
sins committed by his enemies. The Sacred Heart was
full of most tender love; there was no bitterness in
it; no cruelty and injustice that he received moved
it to feelings other than those of compassion and
affection.
--St. Claude de la Colombiere
Icon of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus painted in the year 2000 by
the Monastic Fraternity at St. Peter Church, Tilden,
Wisconsin, USA
"Repent and believe the Good News!"
Penance means conversion. The Confraternity of
Penitents is a world wide private Catholic
association of the faithful, completely loyal to our
Pope and the Magisterium.
Our Rule of Life has been reviewed by our bishop and
recognized in these words: "this Rule does not
contain anything contrary to our faith; therefore it
may be safely practiced privately by you or by
anyone inclined to do so. . . . His Excellency
is appreciative of your efforts to live and promote
Franciscan spirituality and especially promote the
neglected practice of penance and he wishes you
success" (January 30, 1998).
Members of the Confraternity of Penitents live this
Rule in their own homes, devoted to prayer, penance,
fasting, conversion, and works of mercy modeled on
Jesus Christ and inspired by the lives and teachings
of
St. Francis,
St. Dominic,
St. Therese,
St. Benedict,
St. Augustine,
St. Ignatius,
and all the saints, most especially Mary, the Mother
of God, who lived a life of true penance
(conversion) in perfect union with our Lord.
May Our Lady and all the saints intercede for all
who wish to embrace a life of penance, anywhere in
the world, so that the grace of God will assist them
to obtain every virtue necessary for a life of
holiness and surrender to the Will of God! Amen.
PRAYER OF PENITENTS
"Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness
of my mind, give me right faith, a firm hope and
perfect charity, so that I may always and in all
things act according to Your Holy Will. Amen."
(Saint Francis's prayer before the San Damiano
Crucifix)
MISSION OF PENITENTS
"Go and repair My House
which, as you can see, is falling into ruin." (The
message given to St. Francis in a voice from the San
Damiano Crucifix.)
ACTION OF PENITENTS
To pray for God's
specific direction in one's life so that, through
humbly living our Rule of Life, each penitent may
help to rebuild the house of God by bringing love of
God and neighbor to his or her own corner of the
world.
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Painting of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus in the Monastery of the Monks of the
Adoration
DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART
OF JESUS
THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a
pictorial symbol of Jesus's love for us.
The image shows Our Lord's Divine Heart, pierced
with a sword and surrounded with a crown of
thorns. A cross, engulfed in flames,
extends upward from the Heart while the Heart
itself is aglow. The image represents the
burning love of Christ for us, a love so
infinite in its intensity that it led Our Lord
to His Passion and Crucifixion. Jesus
points out His Heart as if to say, "Contemplate
this and know how very much I have loved you."
SAINTS OF THE SACRED HEART OF
JESUS
The principal saints promoting
devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus were Saint
Margaret Mary Alacoque and Saint Claude de la
Colombiere.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
(1647-1690) was a nun of the Order of the
Visitation of Mary at Paray-Le-Monial, France,
when Jesus appeared to her over an eighteen
month period, requesting devotion to His Sacred
Heart. She met with resistance to this
request, even to the point of being considered
deluded, until the Lord sent the young, popular
Jesuit preacher Saint Claude de la Colombiere
(1641-1682) to the monastery in 1675 to be its
superior. Believing the revelations,
Father Claude gained credibility for Sister
Margaret Mary, but the following year he was
sent to England as chaplain to the Duchess of
York. Falsely accused of being implicated
in the Titus Oates plot to assassinate the King,
Father Claude was imprisoned and then banished,
arriving in France in 1679, ill from the prison
abuse. The year after his death in 1682,
Sister Margaret Mary was given positions of
authority in her community and was able to
spread devotion to the Sacred Heart.
PRAYER OF CONSECRATION TO THE
SACRED HEART
The following is a prayer of St.
Margaret Mary's Consecration to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus:
"O Sacred Heart of my Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, to Thee I consecrate and
offer up my person and my life, my actions,
trials and sufferings, that my entire being may
henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring
and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable
will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all
for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all
that can displease Thee.
"I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole
object of my love, the protection of my life,
the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my
frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all
the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at
the hour of my death. . . I fear all from my own
weakness and malice, but placing my entire
confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope for
all from Thine infinite goodness. Annihilate in
me all that can displease or resist Thee.
Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that
I may never forget Thee or be separated from
Thee. I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite
goodness, grant that my name be engraved on Thy
Heart for in this I place all my happiness and
all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy
devoted servants. Amen.
(All quotations above are taken from the
"Autobiography of St. Margaret Mary" and
"Thoughts and Sayings of St. Margaret Mary.")
TWELVE PROMISES
The Twelve Promises of Our Blessed Lord to St.
Margaret Mary for those who are devoted to His
Sacred Heart (taken from her autobiography and
letters)
1. I will give them all the
graces necessary for their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. They shall find in my Heart an assured refuge
during life and especially at the hour of death.
5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their
undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and
infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great
perfection.
9. I will bless the homes in which the image of
my Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the power to touch
the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have
their name written in my Heart and it shall
never be effaced.
12. The All-Powerful Love of my Heart will grant
to all those who shall receive Communion on the
First Friday of nine consecutive months the
grace of final repentance; they shall not die
under my displeasure, nor without receiving the
Sacraments; my Heart shall be their assured
refuge at that last hour.
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
Much additional information on the Sacred Heart,
including enthronement in the home, prayers,
background is on this
link.
Prayers, chaplet, litany, novena to the Sacred
Heart on this
link.
Pope Pius XII's Document on the
Sacred Heart of Jesus on this
link.
Confraternity of Penitents
520 Oliphant Lane
Middletown RI USA
02842-4600
401/849-5421
bspenance@hotmail.com
copenitents@yahoo.com
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