Under the Protection of the Sacred Heart

Under the Protection of the Sacred Heart

Being a night adorer to the Sacred Heart taught me how intricate the words to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque from Chrisr himself were.  “I will bless those places wherein the image of my Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.”  One of the promises to St. Margaret Mary.  I remember when I first became involved in complete adoration to the Sacred Heart in wearing a badge with his image on it, around my neck.  This occurred during the 1960’s right after my first retreat at St. Paul’s Monastery in Pittsburgh.  As I mentioned before, the window from my room overlooked a large mural on the outside wall of the building that was Jesus and the Sacred Heart.  From that point on my devotion became instantaneous.   My mother’s cousin was a nun at Mount de Chantal  in Wheeling, W. V. and on a visit there handed me several Sacred Heart badges.  I gave them to people so they could also give some veneration to this Heart of  Christ. 

One of my co-workers that I gave a badge to was on the battlefield in Vietnam and he told me when he finally was back home he kept this image withn himself.  Friends of his unit were shot and some killed; he never was harmed.  He trusted on this that bolstered his faith.

Upon learning about the exposing this image of his Sacred Heart, I placed my badge on a chain and wore it around my neck.  However, rather than tucking it beneath my shirt, I wore it outside of my clothing  and became a spectacle as an austere reaction from others to see.  Later the chain got caught on a staircase pole and broke the chain.  To the priests at my parish it was a relief that they didn’t have a parishioner parading around as a walking sign of an uncertain person with a new view to religion.  I am not criticizing people who do austere things, usually in their early period of coming back to the Church.  We see that often with people who are finding Christ and sharing his grace through open signs of belief.  It seems to be a common response for newly or reformed Christians and to show their thanks to God become austere; some remain that way, while most get beyond that manner of a prayer life.   

My wife gave me a large picture of the Sacred Heart for Christmas 1961.  To this day it still hangs over my desk and 63 years later reminds me of the day I promised to become an adorer at 3 AM.  Although I do not get up at 3 am to pray, there are times late at night that I am awakened to get up and write.  

Having the image over my writing area doesn’t mean there will not be problems or disappointments in my life.  What it does prove is a life of understanding that when the Holy Spirit ensued these gifts of communicating on me and many others, our task to write, preach, or in some extraordinary manner to evangelize is a mandate to follow.  The Sacred Heart of Jesus has done this for me.  In 50 years of ordained ministry I have found that Christ is always at my side and my recompense to God has been the best from which the Sacred Heart has touched my life.  My trust in Christ through his Sacred Heart has been a life-long devotion for me.

Ralph B. Hathaway