The Sacred Heart of Jesus has been in the restoration-of-families business especially since He revealed His Heart to St. Margaret Mary in 1673. Pope Pius XII wrote, “devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the most capable of assisting the present-day needs of the Church and the human race.” Pope Paul VI later added, “The Sacred Heart is the most efficacious means to contribute to the spiritual and moral renewal of the world called by the Second Vatican Council” (Larkin, 1975, pg. 5). The Heart of Jesus reminds us of Jesus’ unconditional and perfect love and helps us to better live out our faith. Jesus invites us to have a “heart to heart” with His Sacred Heart. Through this encounter, we experience new graces and allow His love to melt away our pride and selfishness.
Jesus wants to help all families, no matter their trials or troubles, and provide for them the strength they need for the journey to heaven. Original sin continues to wreak havoc in the hearts of all mankind, negatively impacting family life, but we have a calling given to us straight from Jesus to “Behold the Heart.” In Apostolicam Actuositatem, we read that “the family has received from God its mission to be the first and vital cell of society.” Through practicing devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, each Catholic family receives the grace and support necessary to fulfill their role in mentoring and passing on the torch of faith to the next generation.
When Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary on the Feast of St. John the Apostle in the small town of Paray-le-Monial, France, He began a restoration project that has circled the globe and transformed countless lives. Jesus cast a vision for holiness that is so obtainable that not just religious, clergy, and popes have shared its significance in their faith journey, but the laity as well. It is simply a matter of responding to His Heart and seeking the graces we need.
In the first of the Twelve Promises of the Sacred Heart, Jesus states, “I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.” Our Lord invites us to unite our daily actions to His Sacred Heart, where he will infuse them with new meaning, granting us the grace of perceiving our lives as God does.
When growing up, I witnessed this firsthand through the deepening of my parents’ Catholic faith as this devotion grew to be the cornerstone of our family. I experienced immense peace and security, which built my trust in Jesus’ promise, “I will establish peace in their homes.” No matter the trial, Jesus offers us His graces and His peace.
I want to humbly suggest five meaningful ways that you can grow in devotion to the Sacred Heart, both yourself and in your families, strengthening them, protecting them, and bringing all closer to Christ.
1. Place a Sacred Heart Image in Your Home
Christ promised to “bless every place in which an image of my Heart is exposed and honored,” teaching us that the Sacred Heart image is more than just a picture on the wall—it’s a way to be evangelized every time we glance upon it.
Most striking about this image is how the Heart, portrayed outside of His body, literally burns out of love for us. It’s presented as an offering, waiting for us to respond. The encircling crown of thorns and the wound show us the impact of our sin directly on His heart, and the cross embedded at the top reminds us of what He was willing to suffer for our redemption.
His Heart is worth our time and attention.
Jesus offers a special promise for those who promote His Heart, too: “Those who promote my Heart shall have their name written in my heart.” This truth is rooted in the gift of sharing His Heart with others.
2. Make Your Home Another Bethany
Honoring Our Lord through the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a powerful way to receive new graces. The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a choice to welcome Jesus into our lives, seeing how Christ desires to be at the center of them. Jesus desires that our “dwellings” become another Bethany, where He is always welcome. Under His grace, we gain greater clarity, and He turns our apathy into action, our fear into trust, and provides us with His peace and joy.
The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart was approved by the Catholic Church in 1907 when Fr. Mateo Bovey-Crawley, the Founder of the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart Movement, went to the Holy Father and shared Jesus’ vision to reconquer the world, promoting the Kingdom of Love, one heart and home at a time. Fr. Crawley‑Boevey said that our home should become “Another Bethany,” a place where Jesus feels welcomed and is present as King, Brother, and Friend of the family.
Join generations of Catholics who have turned to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for protection, grace, and transformation of their home by building a Covenant of Love with the Sacred Heart in good times and bad. Imagine if every Catholic home decided to welcome the Lord and build a Covenant of Love. This one practice can change the domestic church and bring hope to any family, regardless of their past or level of faith experience.
If you feel ashamed or unworthy to do this, be comforted by the fact that all families have issues and experience problems at times, and, yes, some families are even dysfunctional. When seeking restoration, we begin with a focus on family, followed by a willingness to live out our Catholic faith by practicing forgiveness, meekness, and humility (Mt. 11:29). I am certain that no matter what your family situation is, Jesus wants to offer a path forward filled with His hope and healing.
3. Recommit to Family Prayer
The power of family prayer is a game changer, whether at bedtime, praying the Morning Offering, or just a moment of thanksgiving or forgiveness throughout the day!
Family prayer in the home is an opportunity to share our joys, works, sorrows, and intentions. Plus, when we pray with our children, hearing their intentions grants us meaningful insight into their hearts and minds, into their cares, worries, and desires that we might not know otherwise.
4. Offer it Up to Jesus
Next we explore the power of uniting our daily trials and difficulties to the wounded Heart of Jesus. As Catholics, we are invited to ponder how Jesus experienced the range of emotions, thoughts, and feelings that we all encounter in our lives. In doing so, we see how His Love is perfect and eternal, and how we must pursue the path to heaven by making acts of reparation and love towards others. When we allow Christ to enter our difficult moments, especially by praying the Morning Offering and living it throughout the day, we can see how we are invited to carry our Cross. Fr. Francis Larkin once said, “Jesus never promised He would remove all crosses and trails, but rather that He would give us special graces to bear them” (1978, pg. 75). In life, we need to ask the Lord for the grace to carry these crosses.
5. A Sacramental Focus
The Lord’s Eucharistic Heart is one with the Sacred Heart. Celebrating the Feast of the Sacred Heart today by going to Mass and receiving the Eucharist is a powerful way to grow closer to Jesus. As we grow closer to the Sacred Heart, we will come to have a greater appreciation for the Eucharist, our spiritual food for the journey. The more time we spend in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, the more we can witness the connection between the Sacred Heart and the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.
The Sacred Heart Devotion is an invitation to transform our life and experience His love in a new way. Pope Benedict shared:
By encouraging devotion to the Heart of Jesus, we encourage believers to open themselves up to the mystery of God and of His love and to allow themselves to be transformed by it. It is a fitting task for Christians to continue to deepen their relationship with the Heart of Jesus, in such a way as to revive their faith in the saving love of God and to welcome Him into their lives.
The Heart of Jesus is like a torch that leads us home to the Father’s House. Now is the time to see the movement of Catholic individuals and families towards the Sacred Heart, gaining new graces to strength them and better live out their lives. Now is the time to respond to His heart, outstretched towards us, with our “yes.”
Author’s Note: In my new children’s book, Saints of the Sacred Heart, I encourage families to read, pray, and discuss the desires of each of their hearts in light of the Sacred Heart and encounter some amazing saints who allowed the love of Christ to light up their lives. Available from Sophia Institute Press.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
