The solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated on the Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost (Corpus Christi Sunday. Heart throughout the whole Church was seen as reparation for the many sins and offenses it endured. The beginnings of a devotion of the love of God symbolized by the heart of Jesus are found in the fathers of the Church. The first Office and Mass of the Sacred Heart were composed by St. John Eudes, but the institution of the feast was a result of the appearances of our Lord to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1675. The celebration of the feast was extended to the General Roman Calendar of the Church by Pius IX in 1856. Jesus made the following 12 promises to St. Margaret Mary in favour of those who consecrate to the Sacred Heart, in a spirit of reparation, the First Friday of each month.
- I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
- I will establish peace in their homes.
- I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
- I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
- I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
- Sinners will find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
- Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
- Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
- I will bless every place in which an image of My Heart is exposed and honoured.
- I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
- Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart.
- I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in My disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
Jesus has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation is considered the chief sign and symbol of that love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the eternal Father and all human beings.
The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a powerful Catholic prayer that helps us meditate on the love, mercy and suffering of Christ. Each invocation reveals something about Jesus’ divine and human heart—pierced, burning with love and full of tenderness for sinners. This prayer helps deepen your relationship with Jesus by drawing you closer to His Heart, inviting you to make reparation for sin and the indifference He endures.
The litany is actually a synthesis of several other litanies dating back to the 17th century. This makes a total of 33 invocations, one for each year of life of our Lord Jesus Christ.
