Tag: sacred heart

Making an Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart

In this week between the Solemnities of Corpus Christi and the Most Sacred Heart, every Catholic ought to be especially aware of his or her participation in the work of salvation and, in communion with Jesus Christ and the whole Church, strive to offer oneself to the Father in reparation for sin.

by Fr. Jeff Loseke

This Friday, June 23rd, is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.  On the one hand, it is a feast day that reminds us of God’s great love for His people; at the same time, 490px-Sacred_Heart_1770it is a feast that acknowledges humanity’s failure to love God fully in return.  Without the Savior loving both us and the Father to the end, we would not be redeemed.  Not only did Jesus willingly lay down His life for our salvation, but also He allowed His very heart to be pierced by a lance.  With that final act of man’s rejection of the Father’s love, God could have poured out judgment upon the centurion and upon the whole world for the death of His Son.  Instead, God willed that blood and water—symbols of the Eucharist and Baptism—should flow from Christ’s wounded Heart to bring healing and conversion to sinful humanity.  No matter how many times humanity has offended and rejected God, He has always been ready to meet us with mercy and forgiveness.

The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart, then, is a fitting day for the whole Church to offer an Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart for the many sins committed against the love of God.  Certainly, upon the Cross, Christ the Head has offered the one Sacrifice that redeems humanity.  Nevertheless, as members of His Body, we recognize that each of us is called to make atonement for sin so that the whole Christ—Head and members—are united in the work of salvation.  With St. Paul, we ought to be able to say: “In my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of His Body, which is the Church” (Col 1:24).  The Blessed Virgin Mary already shows us how to do this.  She is the type and model of the Church’s participation in the work of salvation, for she stands beneath the Cross of her Son and unites her Immaculate Heart to His Sacred Heart.

In this week between the Solemnities of Corpus Christi and the Most Sacred Heart, every Catholic ought to be especially aware of his or her participation in the work of salvation and, in communion with Jesus Christ and the whole Church, strive to offer oneself to the Father in reparation for sin.  I encourage each member of the Body of Christ to offer the Act of Reparation (see below) in these days leading up to the feast of the Sacred Heart.  Hopefully, on the day itself, pastors will lead their people in a public recitation of this Act of Reparation.  Indeed, the Church grants a plenary indulgence to the Christian faithful who publicly recite the “Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart” on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.  (In all other cases and at all other times, the indulgence is partial.)  In order to merit a plenary indulgence—either for oneself or for one who has died—the following conditions must be met: (1) Be free of all attachment to sin, even venial sin; (2) Perform the indulgenced work; and (3) Receive sacramental Confession, Holy Communion, and pray for the Pope’s intentions (e.g., by reciting an Our Father and a Hail Mary) within several days (about 20) before or after carrying out the indulgenced work.  (Only one plenary indulgence may be merited per day.  One sacramental Confession will suffice for several plenary indulgences; however, a separate Communion and separate prayers for the Holy Father’s intentions are required for each plenary indulgence.)

 

Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart (from The Handbook of Indulgences)

Most loving Jesus, how great is the love which You have poured out upon the world.  How casual and careless is our response!  Kneeling before You, we wish to atone for the indifference and the slights which pierce You to the heart.

Praise to the heart of Jesus, our Savior and our God.

We ask forgiveness for our own shameful neglect.  We wish to make amends for those who are obstinate in their unbelief, for those who turn away from the light and wander like sheep without a shepherd; and for those who have broken their baptismal promises and reject the gentle yoke of Your law.

Praise to the heart of Jesus, our Savior and our God.

We wish to make amends for the sins of our society: for lust and degradation, for the corruption of the young, for indifference and blasphemy, for attacks against Your Church, for irreverence and even sacrilege against Your love in this Blessed Sacrament, and for the public defiance of Your Law.

Praise to the heart of Jesus, our Savior and our God.

These are the sins for which You died, but now we share in Your Atonement by offering on the altar in union with You the living Sacrifice You made on the Cross, joining to it the sufferings of Your Virgin Mother, and those of all the Saints and the whole Church.

Praise to the heart of Jesus, our Savior and our God.

We promise faithfully that by Your grace we shall make reparation for our own sins and for those of others by a strong faith, by holy living, and by obedience to the law of the Gospel, whose greatest commandment is that of charity.

Praise to the heart of Jesus, our Savior and our God.

We also  promise to do our best to discourage others from insulting You and bring those we can to follow You.

Praise to the heart of Jesus, our Savior and our God.

Jesus, Lord, receive this loving act of homage together with the prayers of our Lady, who stood by the Cross, our model in reparation.  Keep us faithful, even to the point of death, give us the gift of perseverance and lead us all to our promised land in heaven, where You, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, live and reign for ever and ever.  Amen.

Praise to the heart of Jesus, our Savior and our God.

 

The Reverend Jeffery S. Loseke is a Priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha and is currently the pastor of  St. Charlccn_father-les Borromeo Parish in Gretna, Nebraska.  Ordained in 2000, Fr. Loseke holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm in Rome and is working to complete his doctoral degree (Ed.D.) in interdisciplinary leadership through Creighton University in Omaha.  In addition to parish ministry, Fr. Loseke has served as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force, taught high school theology and college-level philosophy, and has been a presenter for various missions, retreats, and diocesan formation days across the country.

 

Art: Sacred Heart of Jesus with Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Louis Gonzaga by José de Páez, Mexico, circa 1770 (Wikimedia Commons)

A Symbolic Eucharist: “To Hell with It”

To undermine belief in the Holy Eucharist is nothing other than Satan’s attack against the very heart of the Church… the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ Himself. 

by Fr. Jeff Loseke

Next Sunday, the Church celebrates Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord.  It is a feast that rejoices in the mystery of the Holy Eucharist: Christ’s Allegory_of_the_Eucharist_-_Google_Art_Projectsubstantial, real, and abiding presence in His Church.  We acknowledge and worship this sacramental mystery whereby ordinary bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ.  Neither is the Eucharist just a symbol of Christ’s Body and Blood nor does it reveal Christ to us only spiritually.  We know that Christ is really and truly present—body, blood, soul, and divinity—in the Eucharist.  This truth is so central and so important to our faith that the great Catholic American author Flannery O’Connor (d. 1964) once said in defense of the Eucharist: “Well, if it’s a symbol, to hell with it.  It is the center of existence for me; all the rest of life is expendable.”

We cannot help but echo O’Connor’s bold words today: To hell with the idea that the Eucharist is mere symbol without substance!  To hell with this idea because it is the lie of the Evil One!  To hell with it because it is a lie that has infected so much of Western Christianity since the Protestant Reformation!  To hell with it because it is a lie that has robbed so many of our Christian brothers and sisters of such a great gift from God—a necessary help to our salvation!  As Sacred Scripture reminds us: “Jesus said to them, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day’” (John 6:53-54).  To undermine belief in the Holy Eucharist is nothing other than Satan’s attack against the very heart of the Church… the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ Himself.  The lance that was thrust into Christ’s side on the Cross continues to be hurled at the Savior every time His Real Presence is denied in the Eucharist.The Church dedicates the month of June to the Body of Christ and to His Most Sacred Heart.  In the Eucharist, we find the burning love of Christ made present for us upon our altar and abiding in silence in the tabernacle.  This month affords us the opportunity to examine how each of us can give better witness to the Lord’s Real Presence in the Eucharist and how we can enthrone Him in our own hearts and our homes.  Faith is always made visible in our works (cf. James 2:14-26).  Therefore, we do well to examine our outward signs of piety and reverence whenever we enter the church and then again to examine our outward signs of charity and mercy as we leave the church to go back to our homes and out into the world.  The Eucharist must be seen as the center of our existence, especially in today’s age of disbelief.

 

The Reverend Jeffery S. Loseke is a Priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha and is currently the pastor of  St. Charlccn_father-les Borromeo Parish in Gretna, Nebraska.  Ordained in 2000, Fr. Loseke holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm in Rome and is working to complete his doctoral degree (Ed.D.) in interdisciplinary leadership through Creighton University in Omaha.  In addition to parish ministry, Fr. Loseke has served as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force, taught high school theology and college-level philosophy, and has been a presenter for various missions, retreats, and diocesan formation days across the country.

Art: Allegory of the Eucharist by Artist Unknown, Ca. 1676-1725 (Wikimedia Commons)

 

Mother Angelica and the Power of Old Age

If you ever wanted to illustrate the beauty and gift of suffering for a friend or family member – or even witness it for yourself in living color – I highly recommend this book. Written in a casual voice that is easy and enjoyable, Arroyo hits home when it comes to relaying, through Mother’s experiences, our close connection with the spiritual world.

On the eve of the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (that would be last night), I finished reading Raymond Arroyo’s Mother Angelica:Her Grand Silence, his final chapter sacred heart paintingon the last years of Mother Angelica‘s amazing life. I could have read no better book as a “novena” of sorts leading up to the day of one of my favorite feasts.

Particularly for those who do not “get” the concept of redemptive suffering, this book illustrates the beauty and value of suffering and sacrifice in Mother Angelica’s straightforward and no frills way.

Mother’s story is compelling in its simplicity. The words do not merely relay church teaching, but rather provide an intimate recording of the profound and powerful nature of sacrifice made in the August of life.

Mother Angelica’s personal story will resonate with another mother very close to my heart. My own. She has had some medical issues lately. Nothing life-threatening. But we have been talking a little more about end-of-life-stuff. Of course, there has been a recurring theme throughout our conversations, and she wouldn’t mind if I shared it with you:

My mother does not want to suffer.

Of course, I don’t want to suffer either. And – I’m willing to bet – neither do you. So what’s the big deal, you ask?

Well, my mother has the attitude that she would not want to live if she couldn’t take care of herself (not an uncommon sentiment these days). Extremely independent, she would consider it the worst of all fates if her children or a caregiver had to care for her in her later years. Or if she couldn’t walk or drive or see (she has macular degeneration) or worse.

But Arroyo illustrates, through Mother Angelica’s example, the spiritual power that one can have, particularly because of her physical weakness:

Mother was – spiritually speaking – stronger than iron, and yet she couldn’t stand or feed herself during the last few years of her life. Her final bittersweet act was in some ways a conscious oblation of self. In 2000, following a near-death experience, she shared with me a prayer she had been offering to God: “Lord, I want you to use me in any way you want. I don’t care what it is. Just don’t let me see the fruit.”

For the most part, she wouldn’t see the fruit. But having always considered redemptive suffering a gift, she embraced this last drawn-out trial as she had all those that preceded it. “Whether I am suffering in a physical, mental, or spiritual manner, I resemble Jesus at those moments – and the Father looks at us in our pain and He sees His son in the most beautiful way. That’s what makes you holy. Don’t rebel,” Mother taught. “Our pain only has meaning when we unite it, out of love, to the suffering of Christ. -p. 219

For some people – my mother, for instance – stuffy language and beautiful doctrine crash like a clanging cymbal on deaf ears. But you’ll find none of that here. Only a little lady who, through great faith and hope, united herself completely to the cross of Christ, and took whatever He offered with great grace and humility.

If there’s anyone who could show my mother the value of suffering and the sheer beauty of uniting one’s cross to Christ’s, it’s Mother Angelica. Rather than pour on the schmaltz, Mother told it like it is:

“One of the lessons I’ve learned is that suffering and old age are most precious. You know why? Because at that point in our lives we’re powerful.” p. 185

Arroyo extrapolates:

Mother meant that the elderly and infirm enjoy long hours with God alone, hours to pray and intercede for others. It is a mysterious power, but it is a power nonetheless. Just as their bodies weaken, their spirits are emboldened. As death draws near, fears diminish. So does interest in the material world.

If you ever wanted to illustrate the beauty and gift of suffering for a friend or family member – or even witness it for yourself in living color – I highly recommend this book. Written in a casual voice that is easy and enjoyable, Arroyo hits home when it comes to relaying, through Mother’s experiences, our close connection with the spiritual world.

As it happens, this morning while getting ready, I decided for the first time ever to pull up a YouTube video of an old Mother Angelica Live Classics show  – this after reading several letters people have written about her impact on their lives, even in her later years when they found re-runs of this nun speaking in her animated and joyful way. Sadly, I’d never watched Mother Angelica when her show was on live. But that will change now that I’ve found the “Classics.”

Surprisingly, I found a video on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mother mentions in the video His words to St. Gertrude:

“Whenever you willingly offer yourselves to me, you truly glorify me.”

If anyone ever truly glorified Our Lord, it was Mother Angelica, through her complete offering of self – particularly in the last years of her life. This paradox of power and strength resonating in humility and weakness will convince even the most stubborn skeptic that suffering, when offered in love, can have great merit.

I thought you might enjoy her talk about the Sacred Heart on this special day:

Lord, Teach Me to Love

DDivine Heart of Jesus save us. Sacred Heart of Jesus, be my loveear Lord,

This morning in prayer I was contemplating your Sacred Heart.  I thought about Saint Margaret Mary and how you told her of your great love for us and your desire to be loved.  How you ask that we make reparation for all those who don’t love you.  Those who take you for granted even as they call themselves Christians.

I thought of your great desire for love and sacrifices.  In a passion of prayer, my heart was full to overflowing. I threw myself at your feet and promised that I would love you. That I would do anything to make up for those who have failed you.

But immediately I was struck by a paralyzing realization.

I am the one who has failed you. I am the one who has turned my back on you. I am the one who has taken you for granted.  I am the one for whom you seek reparation.

I am not the cure; I am the disease!

It occurred to me that I, who long to love you above all things, don’t even know how to love.

Through divine inspiration, you defined love for us in 1 Corinthians 13:

Love is patient

...but I am not patient.

Love is kind

…but I can be unkind.

Love is not jealous

…but as I look around, I find it difficult not to compare myself to others and succumb to jealousy when I come up short.

Love is not pompous; Love is not inflated

…but too often I find myself full of pride.

Love is not rude

…but I can be rude.

Love does not seek its own interests

…but my interests are all too often on my mind.

Love is not quick-tempered

...how often do I lose my temper?

Love does not brood over injury

…but I brood. And brood. And brood.

Love bears all things

…but I am so weak.

Love believes all things

…but too often I live in fear and doubt.

Love hopes all things

…how many times have I felt helpless and hopeless?

Loves endures all things

…but I have been known to argue and complain.

 

Who am I to offer my devotion to you?

Love is sacrifice. And sacrifice calls me to give of myself. In this, I hesitate. I want to let go; to give. But I continue to hold on. Hold on to what? To my desires. My goals. My preferences. My plans. My time. Each time I reach out, I am quick to pull back. I know that, like you, I must crucify myself in order to truly love. But even in small things, I often find the cross too painful to bear.

Saint Paul instructed us,

…Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God… —Romans 12:1

But crawling up on that altar is soooo hard.

Thankfully, he also told us what we must do to take this difficult step:

Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your  mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. — Romans 12:2

I have a long way to go before I break the shackles of this world. But in this I am not hopeless.  I know that if I ask, You will give me the grace to know You, to love You and to serve You.  To sacrifice for you.

Please help me to climb up on that altar.

Teach me to be patient and kind.  To avoid jealousy, pompousness, pride, selfishness, a quick-temper and please replace my brooding nature with one of great joy!  Help me to bear all things, hope all things and to endure all things.

Lord, teach me to love.

*Image borrowed from Holy Card Heaven

 

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