Devotion to the Sacred Heart every day: prayer on February 7th

Pater Noster.

Invocation. - Heart of Jesus, victim of sinners, have mercy on us!

Intention. - Repair the sins that are made today in the world.

ORIGIN OF DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART
The Heart of Jesus began to palpitate with love for us from the first moment of his Incarnation. It burned with love during his earthly life and Saint John the Evangelist, the beloved Apostle, was allowed to hear its beating at the Last Supper, when he laid his head on the Redeemer's chest.

Having ascended to Heaven, the Heart of Jesus did not cease to beat for us, remaining alive and true in the Eucharistic state in the Tabernacles.

In the fullness of time, when men lay in indifference, in order for the fervor to awaken, Jesus wanted to show the world the wonders of his Heart by letting see the ripped chest and the flames that surrounded him.

To receive the confidences of Jesus was chosen a poor Sister, Margaret Alacoque, humble and pious, residing in the monastery of Paray - Le Monial, in France.

After Christmas 1673, on the feast of St. John the Evangelist, Margherita was alone in the choir of the cloister, absorbed in prayer in front of the Tabernacle. Sacramental Jesus, hidden under the Eucharistic Veils, made himself seen in a sensitive way.

Margaret contemplated for a long time the Sacrosanct Humanity of Jesus, marveling, in her humility, to be admitted to this vision.

The face of Jesus had posed with sadness.

The fortunate Sister, in an ecstasy of love, abandoned herself to the Divine Spirit, opening her heart to heavenly love. Jesus invited her to rest for a long time on her Sacred Chest and thus revealed to her the wonders of her love and the inscrutable secrets of her Divine Heart, which until then had been hidden.

Jesus said to her. My Divine Heart is so inflamed with love for men, and for you in particular, that unable to contain the flames of its ardent charity longer, it must spread widely by every means and manifest itself to men to enrich them with precious treasures, which are revealed to you. I chose you, abyss of unworthiness and ignorance, to carry out this great project of mine, so that everything can be done only by me. And now ... give me your heart!

- Oh, please take it, my Jesus! - With a touch of his divine hand, Jesus took the heart from Margaret's breast and placed it within his side.

Sister says: I looked and saw my heart inside the Heart of Jesus; he looked like a very small atom burning in a burning furnace. When the Lord gave it back to me, I saw a burning flame in the shape of a heart. While putting it back in my chest, he said to me: Look, my beloved! This is a precious sign of my love! -

For Margherita Alacoque: the agony began, that is, a real physical anguish. The heart that had been inside that of Jesus Christ, from then on, became a flame, which burned inside her chest and this pain remained until the end of her life.

This was the first revelation of the Sacred Heart (Vita di S. Margherita).

EXAMPLE
An apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The unforgiving evil, pulmonary tuberculosis, had struck a priest. The remedies of science failed to curb the course of the disease.

The afflicted Minister of God resigned himself to the divine will and prepared himself to the great step, to the departure from this world. The dreams of the apostolate, the salvation of so many hosts of souls ... everything was about to vanish.

A thought flashed in the priest's mind: go to Paray-Le Monial, pray to the Sacred Heart before the Tabernacle, where St. Margaret had the revelation, make promises of apostolate and thus obtain the miracle of healing.

From distant America he went to France.

Genuflected before the altar of the Sacred Heart, full of faith, he prayed: Here, O Jesus, you manifested the wonders of your love. Give me a proof of love. If you want me immediately in Heaven, I accept my next earthly end. If you work the miracle of healing, I will dedicate my whole life to the apostolate of your Sacred Heart. -

As he prayed, he felt a strong electric shock in his body. Pulmonary oppression ceased, fever disappeared, and he realized he was cured.

Grateful to the Sacred Heart, the apostolate began. He went to the Supreme Pontiff, Saint Pius X, to implore the Blessing and never ceased to spread devotion to the Divine Heart, going around the world, taking preaching courses, giving lectures, publishing books and leaflets, consecrating families to the Sacred Heart, bringing the scent of God's love everywhere.

That Priest is the author of a good series of books, including "Meeting the King of love". His name, Father Matteo Crawley, will remain in the annals of the Sacred Heart.

Foil. Place the image of the Holy Heart in your room, decorate it with flowers and often look at it, reciting some pious ejaculatory.

Ejaculation. Praise, honor and glory be to the Divine Heart of Jesus!