Understanding the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and What it Means
Excerpts from a reflection by Bishop Donald J. Hying
When I was a child, a beautiful picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus hung in my parents’ bedroom. A
warm, smiling Jesus lovingly pointed to His heart, pierced and crowned with thorns, in an eternal
gesture of invitation. Whenever I looked at that picture, I felt good — embraced, loved, cared for — as
if the Lord were inviting me to step into His joy and peace. My mother had a great devotion to the
Sacred Heart; every First Friday, we would consecrate our lives anew (hyper link to consecration) to
His love and mercy.
In the Gospels, Jesus’ heart is moved with pity for the crowds (see Mt 9:36) and He tells us that He is
gentle and humble of heart (Mt 11:29). The Sacred Heart of Jesus that began beating in the womb of
the Blessed Virgin more than 2,000 years ago still beats today in the glorified humanity of the Risen
Christ. And it will pulsate forever, pumping out the grace, mercy and life of God to all of humanity. In
the Heart of the Lord, we experience the overwhelming mercy of God and His infinite desire to be in
relationship with us.
As St. John reminds us, God is love (see 1 Jn 4), the One who empties himself out for others,
desiring our eternal salvation, seeking out the lost and carrying the wandering sheep home. The
whole Christ event is a mission of mercy, as the Son, in radical obedience to the Father, becomes
incarnate in our flesh — preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, healing the sick, forgiving the sinner,
feeding the hungry and, ultimately, offering His life on the cross. Every word, action, gesture and
attitude of Jesus manifests a perfect, pure and selfless love for each human person. If love means
willing the good of the other, completely free of self-interest, we see the perfection of such charity in
the burning heart of Christ.
Lest we think that such a love is naive, simplistic or easy, the Sacred Heart shines forth, crowned with
thorns, pierced and bleeding. The crucifixion of Christ is the terrifying path through the valley of
darkness and evil which God himself walks, embracing everything sinful, broken and dead that
ensnares and destroys us. By remaining silent before His persecutors, praying for His killers, loving a
dying thief and asking forgiveness for sinners, Jesus shows that the unconditional, infinite and divine
love of His heart is the only force that can heal the world of its hatred, sin and rejection of God. By
taking upon himself the totality of human evil committed by every person of every time, Christ refracts
this overwhelming darkness into the light of the Resurrection.
Facing the endless and fearful violence of terrorism, mass shootings, abuse of all kinds and a
profound disrespect for the sanctity of human life, our contemporary society will only find hope,
healing and peace through the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.
What does devotion to the Sacred Heart consist of? How do we understand it today?
Formal consecration (see below), a daily offering (see below), celebration of the Eucharist and
reconciliation on consecutive First Fridays, displaying and honoring an image of the Sacred Heart all comprise some of the specific practices
linked to this profound devotion.
Like any religious consecration, one made to the Sacred Heart is an extension of our baptismal
commitment. In the waters of baptism, we put on Christ — anointed with the Holy Spirit to live as a
new creation in the life of the Blessed Trinity — to embrace the goodness of the Gospel.
Consecrating ourselves to the Sacred Heart is a personal and loving way to renew and live our
baptismal vows. We acknowledge Jesus’ sovereignty in our lives, pledging our love back to Him who
has so graciously and sacrificially loved us. Every First Friday, when my family verbally renewed our
consecration, I was reminded of Jesus’ presence, protection and power in my life. That prayer
inspired me to try to treat others as I would treat Christ himself. If you have not already done so,
consider consecrating your marriage, family, home and life to the Sacred Heart in a formal way. It
makes a big difference.
The daily offering is a simple prayer in which we give God our day: its prayer, work, joy and
sufferings. This oblation of the heart renews our consecration and reminds us to live in holy
mindfulness that what we do, say, value and embrace should be a worthy return to the Lord who has
done so much for us. I remember praying the Morning Offering in grade school; this daily ritual
reminded me that what I did in school, at home, on the playground, with family and classmates
mattered to God — inspiring me to want to offer my very best.
Coming at a time when the faithful received the Eucharist infrequently, Jesus’ request that we confess
our sins and receive Communion every First Friday points to the Eucharist and the sacraments as the
fundamental way to encounter the love of the Lord. In the Eucharist, Jesus completely gives himself
to us, literally entering into our bodies, souls and lives. We enter into the One that we eat and drink,
deeply united to Christ. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we experience the mercy and forgiveness
won for us on Calvary — we receive the tender embrace of the Lord and the healing power of the
paschal mystery. Through these sacraments, Jesus draws us into His heart and allows us to
experience in this life the love and joy of heaven. All of the riches of God’s inner life are manifest in
the Heart of Christ and offered to us in the Mass and in confession.
In honoring and displaying images of the Sacred Heart, we invite others to experience Jesus’ love for
themselves. The power of visuals is clear — I can still remember every artistic detail of that picture in
my parents’ bedroom! We cannot contemplate such a holy and merciful image with indifference or
ingratitude. One look at Jesus’ heart should melt us, convert us and inspire us to give our hearts in
return.
Sacred Heart devotion is not magic or some automatic ticket to heaven; it is a sacred way for us to
encounter the fullness of the Gospel, the good news of God’s saving love poured out for us in Jesus
Christ. As we steadily progress in our knowledge and communion with the Lord, we will fall ever more
deeply in love with Jesus and live out that transforming and redemptive relationship in every detail of
our lives. This devotion unites our minds, hearts and wills in one great act of oblation — a total gift of
the self to the One who has first offered himself completely to and for us.
(Bishop Donald J. Hying is bishop of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, USA)
A Daily Prayer of Self-Offering through the Sacred Heart
Morning Offering
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day
for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world,
for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians,
and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month.
Amen.
(Written in 1844 by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet)
An Act of Consecration to The Sacred Heart of Jesus
I 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 other
than 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 You, 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 the Father, and turn away from me the
strokes of his righteous anger. O Heart of love, I put all my confidence in You, for I fear everything
from my own wickedness and frailty, but I hope for all things from Your goodness and bounty.
Remove from me all that can displease You or resist Your holy will; let your pure love imprint Your
image so deeply upon my heart, that I shall never be able to forget You or to be separated from You.
May I obtain from all Your loving kindness the grace of having my name written in Your Heart, for in
You I desire to place all my happiness and glory, living and dying in bondage to You.
Amen.
Excerpts from a reflection by Bishop Donald J. Hying
When I was a child, a beautiful picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus hung in my parents’ bedroom. A
warm, smiling Jesus lovingly pointed to His heart, pierced and crowned with thorns, in an eternal
gesture of invitation. Whenever I looked at that picture, I felt good — embraced, loved, cared for — as
if the Lord were inviting me to step into His joy and peace. My mother had a great devotion to the
Sacred Heart; every First Friday, we would consecrate our lives anew (hyper link to consecration) to
His love and mercy.
In the Gospels, Jesus’ heart is moved with pity for the crowds (see Mt 9:36) and He tells us that He is
gentle and humble of heart (Mt 11:29). The Sacred Heart of Jesus that began beating in the womb of
the Blessed Virgin more than 2,000 years ago still beats today in the glorified humanity of the Risen
Christ. And it will pulsate forever, pumping out the grace, mercy and life of God to all of humanity. In
the Heart of the Lord, we experience the overwhelming mercy of God and His infinite desire to be in
relationship with us.
As St. John reminds us, God is love (see 1 Jn 4), the One who empties himself out for others,
desiring our eternal salvation, seeking out the lost and carrying the wandering sheep home. The
whole Christ event is a mission of mercy, as the Son, in radical obedience to the Father, becomes
incarnate in our flesh — preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, healing the sick, forgiving the sinner,
feeding the hungry and, ultimately, offering His life on the cross. Every word, action, gesture and
attitude of Jesus manifests a perfect, pure and selfless love for each human person. If love means
willing the good of the other, completely free of self-interest, we see the perfection of such charity in
the burning heart of Christ.
Lest we think that such a love is naive, simplistic or easy, the Sacred Heart shines forth, crowned with
thorns, pierced and bleeding. The crucifixion of Christ is the terrifying path through the valley of
darkness and evil which God himself walks, embracing everything sinful, broken and dead that
ensnares and destroys us. By remaining silent before His persecutors, praying for His killers, loving a
dying thief and asking forgiveness for sinners, Jesus shows that the unconditional, infinite and divine
love of His heart is the only force that can heal the world of its hatred, sin and rejection of God. By
taking upon himself the totality of human evil committed by every person of every time, Christ refracts
this overwhelming darkness into the light of the Resurrection.
Facing the endless and fearful violence of terrorism, mass shootings, abuse of all kinds and a
profound disrespect for the sanctity of human life, our contemporary society will only find hope,
healing and peace through the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.
What does devotion to the Sacred Heart consist of? How do we understand it today?
Formal consecration (see below), a daily offering (see below), celebration of the Eucharist and
reconciliation on consecutive First Fridays, displaying and honoring an image of the Sacred Heart all comprise some of the specific practices
linked to this profound devotion.
Like any religious consecration, one made to the Sacred Heart is an extension of our baptismal
commitment. In the waters of baptism, we put on Christ — anointed with the Holy Spirit to live as a
new creation in the life of the Blessed Trinity — to embrace the goodness of the Gospel.
Consecrating ourselves to the Sacred Heart is a personal and loving way to renew and live our
baptismal vows. We acknowledge Jesus’ sovereignty in our lives, pledging our love back to Him who
has so graciously and sacrificially loved us. Every First Friday, when my family verbally renewed our
consecration, I was reminded of Jesus’ presence, protection and power in my life. That prayer
inspired me to try to treat others as I would treat Christ himself. If you have not already done so,
consider consecrating your marriage, family, home and life to the Sacred Heart in a formal way. It
makes a big difference.
The daily offering is a simple prayer in which we give God our day: its prayer, work, joy and
sufferings. This oblation of the heart renews our consecration and reminds us to live in holy
mindfulness that what we do, say, value and embrace should be a worthy return to the Lord who has
done so much for us. I remember praying the Morning Offering in grade school; this daily ritual
reminded me that what I did in school, at home, on the playground, with family and classmates
mattered to God — inspiring me to want to offer my very best.
Coming at a time when the faithful received the Eucharist infrequently, Jesus’ request that we confess
our sins and receive Communion every First Friday points to the Eucharist and the sacraments as the
fundamental way to encounter the love of the Lord. In the Eucharist, Jesus completely gives himself
to us, literally entering into our bodies, souls and lives. We enter into the One that we eat and drink,
deeply united to Christ. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we experience the mercy and forgiveness
won for us on Calvary — we receive the tender embrace of the Lord and the healing power of the
paschal mystery. Through these sacraments, Jesus draws us into His heart and allows us to
experience in this life the love and joy of heaven. All of the riches of God’s inner life are manifest in
the Heart of Christ and offered to us in the Mass and in confession.
In honoring and displaying images of the Sacred Heart, we invite others to experience Jesus’ love for
themselves. The power of visuals is clear — I can still remember every artistic detail of that picture in
my parents’ bedroom! We cannot contemplate such a holy and merciful image with indifference or
ingratitude. One look at Jesus’ heart should melt us, convert us and inspire us to give our hearts in
return.
Sacred Heart devotion is not magic or some automatic ticket to heaven; it is a sacred way for us to
encounter the fullness of the Gospel, the good news of God’s saving love poured out for us in Jesus
Christ. As we steadily progress in our knowledge and communion with the Lord, we will fall ever more
deeply in love with Jesus and live out that transforming and redemptive relationship in every detail of
our lives. This devotion unites our minds, hearts and wills in one great act of oblation — a total gift of
the self to the One who has first offered himself completely to and for us.
(Bishop Donald J. Hying is bishop of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, USA)
A Daily Prayer of Self-Offering through the Sacred Heart
Morning Offering
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day
for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world,
for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians,
and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month.
Amen.
(Written in 1844 by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet)
An Act of Consecration to The Sacred Heart of Jesus
I 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 other
than 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 You, 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 the Father, and turn away from me the
strokes of his righteous anger. O Heart of love, I put all my confidence in You, for I fear everything
from my own wickedness and frailty, but I hope for all things from Your goodness and bounty.
Remove from me all that can displease You or resist Your holy will; let your pure love imprint Your
image so deeply upon my heart, that I shall never be able to forget You or to be separated from You.
May I obtain from all Your loving kindness the grace of having my name written in Your Heart, for in
You I desire to place all my happiness and glory, living and dying in bondage to You.
Amen.
