In Catholic devotional spirituality, 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 27.
The image above is a sculpture by Canadian artist, Timothy P. Schmalz. When you read my prayer today, you'll see why I chose this art. Note: I used this photo to illustrate the size of the piece. Below, you'll find a photo of the same without background.
Following my reflection below, you'll find a Litany of the Sacred Heart by Wendy Wright. I've been sharing Wendy's litany every June since 2010. When checking to update the link to her bibliography, I read that Wendy passed over to the Lord just a few weeks ago on May 25. I met Wendy and her husband and their children when they were parishioners at Saint Ann University where I served as campus minister at Emerson College and Northeastern University. I know you'll be blessed by Wendy's prayer and spirituality in her litany. Please keep Wendy and her family in your prayer...
Beyond our imagining,
the breadth and
depth of Jesus' heart
expands eternally
to hold in its beating chambers
every human being
created in God's image.
In the heart of Jesus
are
found
the peoples of every time and age,
of every race and nation:
past,
present and to come.
We are all in Christ's heart now, already
- and we always have been.
All
things came to be through him
and without him, nothing came to be.
What
came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light
of the
human race.
In the heart of Jesus
we are all brothers and sisters.
Our life's work
is to grasp that each heart
is meant, is made,
to beat
as one
with the heart of Jesus.
And if each heart
beats as one with
Christ's,
then all hearts
will beat as one together
and live
in the Spirit's
breath.
Sin is congestive heart failure
in the body of Christ,
the Church,
and we pray for grace
of the divine Physician
to heal us
and give us one
heart
and one breath.
Each Friday in June we'll pray the
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!
(Litany by Wendy Wright)
Let us pray...
God of all our hearts,
open your heart
that we might see in yours
the beauty of each and every one
created in your image.
We pray for all who have died
that they may find in you
the peace you offer us
in the heart of Jesus...
Amen.
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