This month of June is a perfect month to foster and perhaps re-establish our devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus since we will celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart soon.
The words spoken to St. Margaret Mary are so well directed to our own times, “Behold this heart which has loved you so much and which received in return for the most part, only ingratitude, contempt, irreverence and sacrilege.” I believe that the greatest loss of our day is the loss of a personal relationship with the Lord and following from that loss of a personal devotion to Our Lord ever present in the Blessed Sacrament. What better way to reexamine this wonderful sacrament than for the upcoming Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ. The personal relationship with Jesus and this personal devotion to the Eucharist are so intimately connected with the devotion to the Sacred Heart since the Eucharist is the direct gift of Jesus’ loving heart. I would suggest two simple resolutions for the month of June that could then be carried forward for the remainder of the year. The first is to spend, as often as possible, a few minutes (or more) before the tabernacle begging God for a deeper faith in the Real Presence of His Son and for a more loving relationship with the Lord and more loving response on our part to His Sacred Heart, the sign of His ever-present love for us. Remember that our Church is open from 6 am to 5 pm each day.
The second is to recite the Morning Offering each day. The words need not be precise and may follow this general outline:
“O Jesus, I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world for all the intentions of your Most Sacred Heart in reparation for sin, for the salvation of souls and in particular for the intentions of Our Holy Father.”
Start your day with this prayer. Also spend more time during the month of June in prayer with your family in thanksgiving for the many signs of God’s love that He has showered upon you.