Five Ways Moms Can Embrace the Sacred Heart Devotion

Emily Jaminet gives Catholic moms five ways to add the devotion to the Sacred Heart into their daily lives.

​The Sacred Heart of Jesus is not just a devotion; it's a lifeline for every Catholic mom navigating the beautiful chaos of family life. Throughout history, this profound devotion has been a guiding light, leading countless souls back to the comforting embrace of the Catholic faith through Jesus’ divine love or the graces to keep the faith even during difficult times. When Jesus beckoned St. Margaret Mary in 1673, to be the torchbearer of this devotion, He was inviting all of humanity to encounter His life-saving love and return it back to Him as well.  

Mothers are entrusted with the vital task of instilling His boundless and perfect love within our families. This act requires us to give from our hearts—His perfect love instead of "white-knuckling" our vocation or just "giving it the good college try."  St. Margaret said, “We can tell Him all the secrets of our hearts, disclosing our wants and misery to Him who alone can remedy them.” As mothers, we are called to be the “heart of our homes,” and in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we find all the graces necessary to guide us in our vocation and share this love with others. The Sacred Heart devotion means finding comfort in His love and imparting that same love to our husband and precious children.  

Here are five ways to deepen your devotion to the Sacred Heart and share this love with your family:  

The Image Matters

In the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart, Jesus promises to bless every home with an image of His heart that is exposed and honored. We must take a walk around our house and ensure that we have holy images, especially of His loving heart, in our home. These images can serve as “holy stop signs” to invite us to pause and pray to be more like Jesus.

Enthronement of the Sacred Heart

“The Enthronement is the official and social recognition of the sovereignty of the Sacred Heart of Jesus over the Christian family, a recognition affirmed, outwardly expressed, and made permanent by the solemn installation of the image of that divine Heart in a conspicuous place in the home and by the Act of Consecration.”- Fr. Mateo 

An enthronement is a powerful act when we build a covenant with Christ and allow His love and mercy to flourish in our home.  We are invited to allow His love to reign supreme within our families. Father Mateo's unwavering dedication to spreading the devotion and the Enthronement started back in 1907.  When we enthrone the Sacred Heart, we are released from the chains of day-to-day life, and our family can encounter a new beginning in our faith. Faith is not just meant to be lived out in churches but also in our families. Fr. Mateo once said, "I understood what Our Lord wished of me. The plan was to reconquer the world home by home, family by family, for the love of the Heart of Jesus."  We are invited to continue this mission by allowing Christ to be the King, Lord, and Savior of our family.  Give your heart, family, and home to the Sacred Heart, He is the King of Love.  

Pray with your Heart

 “If you are overwhelmed by sadness, go and plunge your soul into the ocean of the divine joy of the Sacred Heart; there you will discover a treasure that will dispel all your heaviness of heart and dejection of mind. “(11, 755). 

Nurturing a personal relationship with Jesus becomes our anchor in life and provides the strength we need to weather the storms of motherhood. The Sacred Heart serves as a constant reminder of Christ's love and the joy that comes from surrendering our hearts entirely to Him, empowering us to navigate the highs and lows of parenthood with grace and resilience, but this can only come by being fed by the Sacraments and by carving out personal time to pray. Jesus desires for us to communicate with Him through prayer. We are invited to pray with our hearts so that our hearts can become more like His. In the Gospel Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." 

The Heart of Jesus Leads Us Closer to the Eucharist

“He has given me to understand that His Sacred Heart is the Holy of Holies- the Sanctuary of Love- that His wills be known at present as the Mediator between God and man; for He is all-powerful to reconcile them, turning aside the chastisements that our sins have merited and obtained mercy for us” (II, 300).  

The Sacred Heart acts as a guiding light, leading us toward a deeper understanding of the significance of the Eucharist in our spiritual lives. Just as Jesus is one with the Eucharist, His Sacred Heart is one with the Eucharist as well. Families are invited to embrace the Eucharist as a natural extension of our devotion to the Sacred Heart. 

Encounter His Heart: Morning Prayer Matters 

Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. Your every act should be done with love.  1 Cor. 16: 14,15  

The Sacred Heart offers us loving encouragement to face whatever our day has in store for us.

Now is the time of a fruitful sowing for eternity, when the harvest will be plentiful. Do not lose courage. Your suffering endured with patience are worth a thousand times more than any other austerity (sternness). This is what God asks of you for the present. (11, 495) 

The Sacred Heart brings courage, hope, and strength to all. God wants us to endure our sufferings with great strength and courage. Each day, we can offer up our day with the Morning Offering Prayer.   

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 

I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day 

for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart 

in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, 

for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians, 

and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month. 

Amen.  

We are invited to pray with our hearts so that our hearts can become more like His. #CatholicMom

All quotes came from Thoughts and Sayings of St. Margaret Mary. TAN Books 

https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Sayings-St-Margaret-Mary/dp/0895553023/  

Copyright 2023 Emily Jaminet
Images: Canva