Trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus: St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was chosen by our Lord to be the instrument of spreading devotion to his Sacred Heart. In this letter, she praises another religious sister for seeking to unite herself with Jesus’ Sacred Heart, and talks about what that devotion requires.
You could find no surer bond, beloved Sister, to draw me into a more intimate union with your Charity than to love the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I don’t doubt that the sacrifice you want to make of yourself to him, so that you can be wholly His, to do and to suffer everything for his love, so that you can live completely for him according to his desires—I don’t doubt, I say, that this sacrifice is very pleasing to him. It’s a life of sacrifice, of abandonment, and of love. Of sacrifice of all that is most dear to you and of what will cost you the most.
Of complete abandonment of yourself to his loving care, taking him as your guide on the way of salvation. Unite yourself with him, then, in all that you do. Refer everything to his glory. Make your home in this loving Heart of Jesus, and you’ll there find lasting peace and the strength both to bring to fruition all the good desires he inspires in you, and to avoid every deliberate fault. Place in this Heart all your sufferings and difficulties. Everything that comes from the Sacred Heart of Jesus is sweet. He changes everything in love.
Let’s love him, then, dear Sister, with all our might and strength. Let’s belong to him without reserve, because he wants all or nothing. And after we’ve once given him everything, let’s take nothing back. He’ll be sure to sanctify us, to the degree that we’re careful to glorify him. — St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Letter to Sister Félice-Madeleine de la Barge– IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER … Is my friendship with Jesus simply a formal one? Or do I feel a passion to be close to him—to make his heart my home?
CLOSING PRAYER: From St. Margaret Mary Alacoque’s Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart: I take you, O Sacred Heart, as the sole object of my love, the protector of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy for my infirmities, the making of amends for all the sins of my life, and my sure refuge at the hour of my death.
