Without God's Grace, We Run on Empty

Emily Jaminet ponders the graces we and our families can receive through devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Without God's grace, we run on empty. Without grace, we are left to navigate through our own devices. Grace is what every Catholic mother needs to transform her own heart and home. I have been blessed to see firsthand that a devotion to the Sacred Heart provides the hope necessary to all Catholics to be transformed by the loving Heart of Jesus. Jesus desires to freely give us His love so we can live in that love and share it with others. 

The Heart

The Heart of Jesus is a broken heart that is directly impacted by our response to Him. When we sin, we hurt the Lord. When we choose love and do acts of reparation, we make up for the sins of others. Jesus told St. Margaret Mary,

Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to consuming itself to witness its love. And in return, I receive from most of them only ingratitude from their irreverences and their sacrileges and by the coldness and contempt that they have for Me in this sacrament of love.

Jesus is inviting us to behold His Heart, to love His Heart and seek to show Him our love by offering Him acts of loving reparation. We can use our free will to make amends for the wrongdoing of others by choosing to love Jesus. 

Jesus offers us love, a blueprint for living our life, and a road map to Heaven. A devotion to the Sacred Heart builds up a culture of life and love in the home and has a lasting impact on society. The love of God is like a wildfire that can set the world on fire with grace and intimacy with God.

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Jesus offers us love, a blueprint for living our life, and a road map to Heaven. #catholicmom

The Sacred Heart Devotion affirms the sacramental life. When we welcome Jesus into our homes, we are reminded of the love Christ has for us and the bread He gave us from Heaven. Jesus tells us, "I am the bread of life." This bread is not a symbol but truly our spiritual food. His Heart is the essence of this love and the love He offers us in the Mass. It is the same Heart that is moved by our willingness to seek forgiveness for our sins in the Sacrament of Confession. 

The Devotion begins by saying yes to Jesus. A small act like hanging an image of Jesus' Sacred Heart in our home is the first step towards our new life in His Heart. We can pray to the Sacred Heart daily, hourly, or in the minute of our struggles for a "spiritual heart transplant." A family or individual can consecrate their hearts to the Lord; they can pray that He may work through them for the glory of Heaven. Consecration of our lives, leads to Enthronement which seeks the fulfillment of His promise to those who expose and honor His Heart, that you shall be blessed.

This is a beautiful practice that typically leads a person to consider living out the 12th Promise, the First Friday Devotion. This Promises states,

The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at the last hour.

This yes, to a First Friday Mass for nine months is a springboard for cultivating a Eucharistic Heart. The Promises are not only road maps but stepping stones to growing in holiness. 

Consider walking the path of love, and allow Jesus to meet you! Allow Him to strengthen you, and you will fall more in love with Him.

Copyright 2021 Emily Jaminet
Images (top to bottom): Pixabay (2015); Scott Maentz (2010), Flickr, CC BY 2.0