Hi there friends, and happy new year! We kicked off the first Friday of 2020 by enthroning our home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is a devotion I had never heard of, but it is amazing! We hope that in this new year and decade, our family can grow in our faith and love for the Lord. We feel that by enthroning our home to His most sacred heart, Jesus will be at the center of everything we do in our home and as a family. We also hope that God will grant us the promises of the Sacred Heart, so that we can live holy lives as a family as we strive toward Heaven. And let me tell you, these graces are no joke. I’ll list them below!
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.
2. I will establish peace in their families.
3. I will comfort them in their trials.
4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and, above all, in death.
5. I will shed abundant blessings on all their undertakings
6. Sinners will find in My Heart an infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Lukewarm souls will become fervent.
8. Fervent souls will rapidly grow in holiness and perfection.
9. I will bless every place where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. The names of those who promote this devotion will be written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.
12. I promise thee, in the excessive mercy of My Heart, that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
Sounds good, right?
Don’t get me wrong — these promises don’t just spontaneously happen (although, they could, because God is all powerful!) but by fostering a devotion to to sacred heart and praying specific prayers to the sacred heart of Jesus, along with placing our focus on Christ in this way, we are inviting God into our home and we are striving to please Him in all we do.
So, how do you do it?
Well, there’s a few things you need to do in order to enthrone your home to the Sacred Heart. It includes finding an image of the sacred heart to display in your home, reciting specific prayers with a priest, and if possible — having a mass said that day. We used this as our reference and it was super helpful in outlining everything we need to do, and then also in providing the prayers for us to recite with the priest during the enthronement.
In addition to the criteria mentioned above, we’ve begun reading Father Michael Gaitley’s book, Consoling the Heart of Jesus at the recommendation of a friend in order to foster a devotion to the sacred heart. We also are attending mass for 9 consecutive first Fridays this year as part of the devotion to the sacred heart. Lastly, we also prayed a novena to the sacred heart as a family, which I recommend you do either leading up to the enthronement or beginning on the day of the enthronement!
I encourage you to do this too! It’s an old devotion that is not done often today, and it takes a little bit of effort, but it is so powerful for our hearts, homes, and families. Imagine how we can change the world if we raise our families with Jesus and His most sacred heart at the center of everything we do?
LOVES JESUS & AMERICA TOO 