6/3/22

Pause for Prayer: FRIDAY 6/3


    Sacred Heart by Salvador Dali

The month of June is set apart to honor the Heart of Jesus. You may be familiar with the practice of  coming to mass on the First Friday of every month.  And it's in June that the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, which falls this year on June 22.

So today, the First Friday in June, we'll reflect on Dali's image of the Sacred Heart (my personal favorite) and pray Wendy Wright's  beautiful Litany of the Sacred Heart. (*What's A Litany?)

Dali's Sacred Heart portrays so clearly and frankly 
the beauty, strength, intensity,
the raw humanity of Christ's divine heart. 
This is not the passive Christ of so much art 
but rather a strong, in-your-face, 
I've-got-your-back Christ 
who puts his heart out there for us, 
who empties his own heart into ours 
with a love beyond all telling...
 
Here's a Christ 
    fishermen might leave their boats and nets to follow. 
Here's a Christ 
    with strength to help us carry our burdens.
Here's a Christ 
    with a robust heart
        to pump his Spirit through the universe; 
    a tender heart
        to welcome all who come to him for refuge;
    a heart ready and unafraid 
        to expose itself to us;
    a heart prepared to give itself away 
        in waves of endless mercy; 
    a heart large enough and deep enough 
        to be the very heart of God, 
            made flesh, for us,
    that our hearts might know his 
        and by his love, be saved... 
 
Open your sacred, saving heart
     and welcome us in
        to your mercy, love and peace...
 
Amen.
 
Litany of the Sacred Heart

Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

So loving
So humble
So gentle
So compassionate
So faithful
So wise
So patient
So steadfast
So tender
So spacious
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

God’s joy
God’s shalom
Harp of the Trinity
Wingbeat of the Spirit
Breath of God
Five-petaled rose
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Womb of justice
Birthplace of peace
Our dearest hope
Longing of our lives
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Freely flowing fountain
Spring of grace
Freshet of forgiveness
Merciful river
Mystical dew
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Warmth of our hearts
Transforming fire
Cosmic furnace
Enflamer of hearts
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Heart of evolution
Beginning and ending
Center of all
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Garden of virtues
Mystical dew
Table and food
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Our refuge
Our shelter
Our comfort
Our rest
Our welcoming breast
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Wounded by love
Pierced by our cruelty
Broken by our hardness
Mystic winepress
Poured out as gift
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

Have mercy, gracious heart,
Give us gratefulness
Teach us tenderness
Let us learn to love. 
Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer!

- Wendy Wright


*What's A Litany?
A litany is a prayer form, addressed to the Lord or the Blessed Virgin or one of the Saints. A litany consists of a number of "titles" or attributes of the one addressed in prayer, with a recurring refrain, such as the one found in the litany above,  Heart of Jesus, hear our prayer! A litany is designed to draw our prayerful attention to the one to whom we pray, whose intercession we seek.


  

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