The Road to Emmaus will lead you to study the Sacred Scriptures
June - The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Photo by Jonathan Dick, OSFS on Unsplash
As Catholics, we are called not to follow and embrace the culture of our time, but we must always strive to be counter-cultural. When we are faced with opposition that seems too much to bear and overcome, it is then that we strap on the Armor of God. With Our Lord behind us and 2000 years of unbroken tradition from the Catholic Church, we can have the fortitude we need to combat an aggressive anti-Catholic culture. This is no truer than in the month of June. Contrary to popular belief in our post-modern culture, June is not Pride month, but June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus began with visions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque around the year 1671. During the apparitions, Our Lord asked that she would spread devotion to his Sacred Heart, the devotion of First Fridays, and the practice of making Holy Hours before the Blessed Sacrament.
Christ promised in his visions to her that those who consecrate themselves to his Sacred Heart would receive graces necessary in their state of life, many blessings and comfort, and peace in their homes. Those who receive Holy Communion for nine consecutive First Fridays will be given the grace of final perseverance and will find refuge at the moment of death through the Sacred Heart.
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque entered Heavenly Glory on October 17, 1690, at Paray-le-Monial and was canonized as a saint by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. Her feast day is celebrated on October 17. Along with her, St. John Eudes and Blessed Claude La Colombiere are known as the “Saints of the Sacred Heart.” Pope Clement XIII officially approved the devotion of the Sacred Heart in the year 1765.
For years, Catholics around the world embraced the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June, but over the last decade or so, this month where we celebrate the truest form of Jesus’ love for us, has been taken captive by a small percentage of the population with help from their allies in the mainstream media, but I think the pendulum is starting to swing back. Many people across the world are tired of this small percentage having so much influence.
Simply, as Catholics, we should consecrate ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and with our checking accounts, we should reject corporations that support these false ideologies. Recently, we have decided to no longer shop at Target. We have deleted the Target app from our phones and are choosing to buy products we bought in other places.
Along with the Consecration, there is the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. During this month, I would encourage you to recite these words for those who have embraced modern culture.
Sacred Heart of Jesus...have mercy on us.
Recommended Stories
About the Author
I have a Master’s in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville. I also hold a Master's in Education from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of San Francisco. While attending USF, I studied the Great Books of Western Civilization and upon graduation received a Great Books Certificate from the St. Ignatius Institute.
My writings appear on New Advent, Big Pulpit, EpicPew, and Catholic Exchange. My first book was published through Emmaus Road Publishing – Understanding Catholic Teaching on the Blessed Virgin Mary. I have been writing on TomPerna.org since January 2012.
A passion of mine is speaking to adults about the importance of the Catholic faith and bringing the beauty of the Second Vatican Council teachings along with Pope St. John Paul II’s “New Evangelization” to the faithful of the Church. I am proud to say that I count myself among the JP2 Generation. Growing up in the Papacy of Pope St.John Paul II, I learned the importance of sound theology synthesized with the importance of human dignity and the sacredness of human life.
I live in Bismarck with my wife and two sons.
