Sacred Heart devotion: meditation on June 19st
REMEDY IN THE PAST
19 DAY
Pater Noster.
Invocation. - Heart of Jesus, victim of sinners, have mercy on us!
Intention. - Repair your sins.
REMEDY IN THE PAST
Jesus has the heart of friend, brother, father.
In the Old Testament God often manifested himself to men as the God of justice and rigor; this was required by the crudeness of his people, who were Jews, and by the danger of idolatry.
The New Testament instead has the law of love. With the birth of the Redeemer, kindnesses appeared in the world.
Jesus, wanting to attract everyone to his Heart, spent his earthly life benefiting and giving continuous testing of his infinite goodness; for this reason sinners rushed to him without fear.
He loved to present himself to the world as a caring doctor, as a good shepherd, as a friend, brother and father, willing to forgive not seven times, but seventy times seven. To the adulteress, who was presented to him as worthy of being killed in stones, she generously gave forgiveness, as she gave it to the Samaritan woman, to Mary of Magdala, to Zacchaeus, to the good thief.
We too take advantage of the goodness of the Heart of Jesus, because we too have sinned; no one doubts forgiveness.
We are all sinners, although not all to the same degree; but whoever has sinned the most quickly and confidently takes refuge in the most lovable Heart of Jesus. If sinful souls are bleeding and red like mealybug, if they trust in Jesus, they heal and become white rather than snow.
The memory of sins committed is usually an overwhelming thought. At a certain age, when the boiling of passions diminishes, or after a period of humiliating crisis, the soul, touched by the grace of God, sees the serious faults in which it fell and naturally blushes; then he asks himself: How do I stand before God now? ...
If you do not resort to Jesus, opening your heart to trust and love, fear and discouragement take over and the devil takes advantage of it to depress the soul, generating melancholy and dangerous sadness; the depressed heart is like a bird with clipped wings, unable to fly to the top of the virtues.
The memory of the shameful falls and of the serious sorrows caused to Jesus must be used well, as the fertilizer is used to fertilize the plants and make them bear fruit.
Coming to practice, how do you succeed in such an important conscientious affair? The easiest and most effective way is suggested.
When the thought of a sinful past comes to mind:
1. - Make an act of humility, recognizing your own misery. As soon as the soul humbles itself, it attracts the merciful gaze of Jesus, who resists the proud and gives his grace to the humble. Soon the heart begins to brighten.
2. - Open your soul to trust, thinking of the goodness of Jesus, and say to yourself: Heart of Jesus, I trust in You!
3. - A fervent act of love of God is issued, saying: My Jesus, I have offended you very much; but I want to love you a lot now! - The act of love is a fire that burns and destroys sins.
By carrying out the aforementioned three acts, of humility, trust and love, the soul feels a mysterious relief, an intimate joy and peace, which can only be experienced but not expressed.
Given the importance of the subject, recommendations are made to devotees of the Sacred Heart.
1. - At any time of the year, choose a month and dedicate it all to the repair of the sins committed in life.
It is advisable to do this at least once in a lifetime.
2. - It is good to also choose one day a week, keeping it stable, and to allocate it to repair one's faults.
3. - Anyone who has given scandal, or with conduct or with advice or with excitement to evil, always pray for scandalized souls, so that none will be damaged; also save as many souls as you can with the apostolate of prayer and suffering.
A final suggestion is given to those who have sinned and really want to make up for it: to perform many good acts, as opposed to bad acts.
Whoever has failed against purity, cultivate the lily of beautiful virtue well, mortifying the senses and especially the eyes and touch; punish the body with corporal penances.
Whoever has sinned against charity, bringing hatred, murmuring, cursing, do good to those who have done him harm.
Those who have neglected Mass on holidays, listen to as many Masses as they can, even on weekdays.
When a great number of such good deeds are performed, not only do we repair the wrong done, but we make ourselves dearer to the Heart of Jesus.
EXAMPLE
A love secret
Lucky the souls, who during mortal life can enjoy the direct delicacies of Jesus! These are the privileged people whom God chooses to repair for sinful humanity.
A sinful soul, who was then prey to divine mercy, enjoyed the predilections of Jesus. Sorrowful of the sins committed, and also serious, mindful of what the Lord said to St. Jerome "Give me your sins! », Pushed by divine love and confidence, she said to Jesus: I give you, my Jesus, all my sins! Destroy them in your Heart!
Jesus smiled and then replied: I thank you for this welcome gift! All forgiven! Give me often, indeed very often, your sins and I give you my spiritual caresses! - Moved to such goodness, that soul offered Jesus his faults many times a day, every time he prayed, when he entered the Church or passed before it ... and suggested to others to do the same.
Take advantage of this love secret!
Foil. Make Holy Communion and possibly listen to Holy Mass in reparation for one's sins and bad examples given.
Ejaculation. Jesus, I offer you my sins. Destroy them!