Blessed Margaret Mary and the Holy Angels
Messenger of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 1908

If we seek to deepen our spirit of practical, fervent devotion to the Holy Angels--to whom October is specially dedicated--our readers will find few pages replete with greater interest or devout suggestiveness than those bequeathed in the writings of Blessed Margaret Mary. Her feast occurs, as you know, on the 17th of the month. Like St. Frances of Rome, she seems to have been marvelously favored by the almost continual presence of these Holy Spirits, and on their powerful aid she confidently relied to help her in extending the knowledge, love and service of that Sacred Heart she loved so devotedly.

If we look for an explanation of this tender devotion to the Holy Angels, perhaps we may trace its origin to her grateful recognition of their fidelity to their Heavenly King when first He revealed to them the mystery of His Incarnate Love for men, and claimed their homage for His Divine and Human Nature, linked by the bond of hypostatic, or personal union.

Another not less pressing motive, and one which throws additional light on Blessed Margaret Mary's devotion to the Holy Angels, we gather from one of her letters. "The Heart of Jesus desires that we should cherish a particular devotion to the Holy Angels, because they have a special mission to love, honor and praise this Divine Heart in the Sacrament of Love. The Sacred Heart wishes us to foster this devotion to the Holy Angels, that, being united and associated with them, these Blessed Spirits may supply for our deficiencies when we kneel before His Eucharistic Presence. This service our Blessed Lord seeks, in order not only that we may render our homage and our love to Him, but also that we may supply for those who do not love Him, and also make reparation for any irreverences of which we may be guilty in the presence of His sanctity."

Her contemporaries tell us that her interviews with the angels were of almost daily occurrence, and frequently it was given her to see them grouped around the Tabernacle, as is especially mentioned in the vision which took place on the Feast of the Visitation A.D, 1688.





The Guardian Angel

It is a traditional belief in the Church, that, when God entrusts to any of His chosen servants some exceptional mission, He delegates an angel from Heaven to guide, uphold, strengthen and console them. Chosen by Divine Providence to be the Evangelist of devotion to the Sacred Heart, Blessed Margaret Mary furnished no exception to this dispensation. "One day, while enduring great suffering," she said, "our Blessed Lord came to console me, and spoke thus to me: 'My daughter, be not afflicted, for I will give thee a faithful Guardian Spirit who will always accompany thee, ever assist thee in all thine emergencies, and prevent Satan from prevailing against thee. And every fault into which thine enemy believes he will make thee fall, shall redound only to his confusion and shame.'

"This favor," she adds, "gave me such strength, that, subsequently, I felt I had nothing more to fear, for this faithful Guardian of my soul so lovingly helped me, that he released me from all my difficulties. I had the happiness of frequently beholding him visibly present, and of being frequently reproved and corrected by him . . . . Always did I find him ready to help me in my necessities, and never has he refused any request I made of him.

"On one occasion he said: 'I wish to declare to you who I am, that you may know the extent of the love which your Divine Spouse bears to you. I am one of those angels who stand near to the throne of the Divine Majesty, and who most fully participate in the glowing ardours of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. I desire to make you share in them, as much as you are capable of receiving them.'"




Angels of the Eucharist

A still more extraordinary privilege was vouchsafed to her on another occasion. "While kneeling in the vicinity of the Blessed Sacrament," she said, "the Sacred Heart of my Adorable Savior appeared to me more brilliant than the sun. It seemed to rest in the midst of flames--the flames of pure Love--while around it were seraphs hymning canticles of praise. These Blessed Spirits invited me to join them in intoning the glories of the Sacred Heart. But, when through reverence, I hesitated, they reproved me, saying, that, they had come to associate themselves with me in rendering to It a perpetual homage of love, adoration and praise. For this object they would, supply my place before the Blessed Sacrament, that through them, I might love It without interruption. Moreover, they declared, by this association with me, they would share in my suffering love, while I would be enabled to share in their love of exultation. They then inscribed on the Sacred Heart this Association in letters of gold, traced in ineffaceable letters of love!"




Resolutions: We draw from these visions of Blessed Margaret Mary three practical resolutions.

First--After her example, to associate ourselves with the Holy Angels in adoring, praising and loving the Sacred Heart. "We shall unite ourselves with the Angels," says the servant of God, " in order that they may offer our homage to the Sacred Heart to supply what is wanting in us, to make reparation for our irreverences, and to love this Divine Heart for us."

Second--Not satisfied with assisting at one daily Mass, "we shall offer to Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament all the Masses which are celebrated all over the world during that day, and we shall entreat the Angels to assist at them for us, and offer them to God to appease His justice."

Third--Far from limiting ourselves to one or more brief visits to the Blessed Sacrament in the day, we should endeavor to make such a visitation of love perpetual by means of continued spiritual visits. "This we can do," says Blessed Margaret Mary, "by entreating the Angels as we leave the church at the end of each visit, to make reparation for any faults we may have fallen into in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament--to keep watch for us, in our absence, before the Tabernacle--and to offer to the good God, there sacramentally present, all that we ought to do for His greater glory and our own spiritual welfare."

Thrice happy shall all be, if, rising from the perusal of these recommendations of Blessed Margaret Mary, we efficaciously endeavor to weave them like golden threads into the web of our daily, hourly lives! To what a height of holiness should we all speedily attain, if our lives were thus sanctified by companionship with the Holy Angels! Distracted or absorbed in worldly toils, or cares, or sorrows, or worries, what a joy to think that we can, if we will, have the angels watching and praying for us before the altar--bringing endless blessings and favors from the Heart of Jesus into our lives! And how this thought should fill our souls with consolation and strength and confidence at Holy Communion, when assisting at Mass, paying our visits to the Blessed Sacrament, or making the Holy Hour!




The Promises by our Lord Jesus Christ to Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque
in favor of persons devoted to His Divine Heart

1. "I will give them all the grace necessary for their state of life."
2. "I will establish peace in their families.''
3. "I will console them in all their pains and trials."
4. ''I will be their assured refuge in life and especially in death."
5. "I will shed abundant blessings upon all their undertakings."
6. "Sinners shall find in My Heart an infinite ocean of Mercy."
7. ''Lukewarm souls will be rendered fervent."
8. "Fervent souls shall rise rapidly to greater perfection."
9. "I will bless every house in which an image to My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored."
10. "I will give to Priests the talent of moving the hardest hearts."
11. "The names of those who propagate this devotion shall be written in My Heart, from which they shall never be effaced."
12. "Publish, and cause it to be published, over all the world, that I will set, no limits to My graces for those souls that come to seek them in this. My Heart."




Prayer of Margaret Mary

Eternal Father, permit me to offer to You the Heart of your well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, as He offers Himself to you in sacrifice. Receive this oblation for me, together with all the desires, sentiments, affections, movements and acts of this Sacred Heart. They are all mine, since He immolates Himself for me, and henceforth I wish to have no desires but His. Receive them in satisfaction for my sins, and in thanksgiving for all your benefits. Receive them, that through His merits, you may grant me all the graces necessary for me, especially the grace of Final Perseverance. Receive them as so many acts of love, adoration and praise, which I offer to your Divine Majesty, since it is by the Heart of Jesus you are worthily honored and glorified. Amen.




Little Manual of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Imprimatur: John Cardinal Mc Closkey, 1885

Prayer To The Sacred Heart Of Jesus

Most holy Heart of Jesus, hear me!
Let the fire of Thy heart animate me!
Let the thorny crown of Thy heart render me patient!
Let the wounds of Thy heart pierce me!
Let the blood of Thy heart make atonement for me!
Let the light of Thy heart enlighten me!
Let the homage of Thy heart sanctify me!
Let the mercy of Thy heart encircle me!
Let the love of Thy heart bless me!
My heart I unite to Thine in love!
O Heart of Jesus! invite me to Thee, that with all the angels and saints, I may praise Thee, here for a time, but there for eternity.





Invocation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

I need Thee, precious Jesus,
I need a friend like Thee;
A friend to soothe and sympathize,
A friend to care for me.
I need Thy Heart, sweet Jesus,
To feel each anxious care;
I long to tell my every want,
And all my sorrows share.
I need Thy Blood, sweet Jesus,
To wash each sinful stain;
To cleanse this sinful soul of mine,
And make it pure again.
I need Thy Wounds, sweet Jesus,
To fly from perils near,
To shelter in these hallowed clefts
From every doubt and fear.
I need Thee, sweetest Jesus,
In Thy Sacrament of Love,
To nourish this poor soul of mine
With the treasures of Thy love.
I'll need Thee, sweetest Jesus,
When death's dread hour draws nigh.
To hide me in Thy Sacred Heart,
Till wafted safe on high.



Ejaculation: O sweetest Heart of Jesus I implore
that I may ever love Thee more and more

(100 days indulgence)





NINE ASPIRATIONS TO THE SACRED HEART

1. Heart of Jesus, perfect adorer of God, teach me to adore the Father with you and by you.

2. Heart of Jesus, burning with love of me, inflame me with your divine love.

3. Heart of Jesus, only victim worthy of God, unite me to your divine sacrifice.

4. Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with bitterness for the sins of men, break my heart with sorrow for my sins.

5. Heart of Jesus, sovereignly humble, annihilate my pride.

6. Heart of Jesus, perfect model of meekness, inspire my heart with this salutary virtue.

7. Heart of Jesus, infinitely pure and without stain, give me an inviolable purity of body, mind, and heart.

8. Heart of Jesus, consumed with zeal for the glory of the Father, animate my heart with an ardent zeal for your glory, and my own sanctification.

9. Heart of Jesus, reign for ever in my heart, and grant me the grace to reign one day with you in heaven.






Prayer to the Sacred Heart when the Clock Strikes
by St. Gertrude

O Most sweet Jesus, I recommend to thy divine Heart all that I have done in the hour that is gone, to be cleansed and purified, and offered to God the Father for his eternal praise. And whatsoever I shall do in the hour that is beginning, I resolve to do simply and purely for the glory of God and for the salvation of all mankind, in union with thy passion. Amen.

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, in order to receive the Holy Communion spiritually, nothing more is required than to excite in the heart a fervent and earnest desire to receive it in reality if it were possible. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that Spiritual Communion consists in an ardent desire to receive Jesus Christ in the most Holy Sacrament, and in an intimate union of affection with Him, as if we had actually received Him. The holy Council of Trent bestows especial praises upon this kind of Communion, and encourages all the faithful to make it, particularly during holy Mass, when they have not the privilege of receiving the Blessed Sacrament. This Spiritual Communion may be made frequently during the day, even when we are occupied amid the daily distractions of life. We should not omit it when we make a visit in the church to the most Holy Sacrament.

O my Jesus, I believe that thou art truly present in this most Holy Sacrament, I love thee above all things, and I desire thee with my whole soul, but since I cannot now receive thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace thee as if thou wert already come: I unite myself entirely to thee. Never suffer me to be separated from thee.






Offering to the Sacred Heart

I [N], desirous to make the best return in my power for Thy benefits, and the most ample atonement for my transgressions, give Thee my heart, and consecrate my whole being to Thee, O amiable Jesus; and I purpose, with the assistance of Thy grace, never more to offend Thee.





Acts of Adoration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus


I. The Word was made flesh, and dwelt amongst us.

Eternal Word, made man for the love of us, humbly prostrate at Thy feet, we adore Thee with our whole mind, and with the most profound veneration. To make amends for our ingratitude for so great a benefit, we unite in sincerity of heart with all those who love Thee, and offer Thee our most humble and affectionate thanksgivings. Deeply sensible of that excess of humility, goodness, and sweetness which we acknowledge in Thy divine Heart, we petition Thee for Thy grace to imitate these virtues, so pleasing to Thee.


Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Glory be to the Father, etc.


II. He was crucified for us.

Jesus, our admirable Redeemer, humbly prostrate at Thy feet, we adore Thee with our whole mind and with the most profound veneration. To testify the grief which we feel for our past insensibility to all the outrages and sufferings which Thy most loving Heart made Thee endure for our salvation, in Thy bitter passion and death, we unite in sincerity of heart with all those who love Thee, in order that we may thank Thee with our whole soul. We admire the infinite patience and generosity of Thy divine Heart, and petition Thee to replenish our hearts with that spirit of Christian mortification, which may make us courageously embrace sufferings, and fix our great consolation and all our glory in Thy cross.

Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Glory be to the Father, etc.


III. Thou hast given them bread from heaven,
which abounds with all delights.

O Jesus, inflamed with love of us, humbly prostrate at thy feet, we adore Thee with our whole mind, and with the most profound veneration. In order to make atonement for the outrages which thy divine Heart daily receives in the most blessed Sacrament of the altar, we unite in sincerity of heart with all those who love Thee, and render Thee the most affectionate thanksgiving. We love, in Thy divine Heart, that intensely-burning love which Thou entertainest for Thy eternal Father, and humbly beseech Thee to inflame our hearts with an ardent love of Thee and of our neighbour.

Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Glory be to the Father, etc.


Finally, O most amiable Jesus, we beseech Thee, by the sweetness of Thy most Sacred Heart, to convert sinners, to comfort the afflicted, to assist the agonising, and to afford relief to the holy souls suffering in purgatory. Unite our hearts in the bonds of true peace and charity, deliver us from an unprovided death, and grant that we may die in holiness and tranquillity of mind. Amen.

V. Heart of Jesus, burning with love of us.
R. Inflame our hearts with love of Thee.

LET US PRAY:

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who glory in the most Sacred Heart of Thy beloved Son, and bear in mind the exceeding great benefits of His charity towards us, may delight in the good conferred on us, and enjoy its effects: through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

O divine Heart of Jesus, I adore Thee with all the powers of my soul; I consecrate them to Thee for ever, with all my thoughts, words, and actions, and my whole self. I desire to adore Thee, to love thee, and to glorify Thee, in the same manner, as far as possible, as Thou dost adore, love, and glorify Thy eternal Father. Be Thou, I beseech Thee, the restorer of my weakness, and the protector of my life, my refuge, and my asylum at the hour of death. I conjure Thee, by the sighs and the anguish which Thou didst endure for me during the whole course of Thy mortal life, to grant me a true contrition for my sins, a contempt of earthly things, an ardent desire of eternal glory, a confidence in Thy infinite merits, and final perseverance in Thy grace.

O Heart of Jesus, all love, I offer Thee these humble prayers for myself, and for all those who unite in spirit with me in adoring Thee. Vouchsafe, through thy infinite goodness, to receive and hear them; above all, for him who among us shall first depart from this mortal life. O amiable Heart of my Saviour, pour down upon him, in the agony of death, Thy interior consolations; receive him into Thy sacred wounds; purify him from every defilement in this furnace of love, that Thou mayst grant him admittance into Thy glory, where he may become intercessor, before Thy presence, for all those who remain in this exile. O most holy Heart of my dearly beloved Jesus, I desire to renew and to offer Thee these acts of adoration, and these prayers, every moment I breathe, to the end of my life, for myself, a miserable sinner, and for all who are associated with me to adore Thee. I recommend to Thee, O my Jesus, the holy Catholic Church, Thy beloved spouse, and our true mother; also, the souls who are suffering in purgatory, and all poor sinners, the afflicted, the agonizing, and all mankind. Do not permit Thy blood, poured out for them, to become useless to them. Vouchsafe, finally, to apply it for the relief of the souls in purgatory, and for those in particular who, during life, were wont devoutly to adore Thee.

O most amiable heart of Mary, the most pure of all hearts of creatures, and the most replete with the love of the Heart of Jesus, at the same time most merciful towards us, poor sinners, obtain for us, from the Heart of our Redeemer, the graces we ask of Thee. Mother of mercy, one look from thee, one only movement of thy heart, burning with love for that of Jesus, thy divine Son, can fully console us. Grant us, therefore, this favour; and then this divine Heart of Jesus, through the filial love which it bore, and always will bear towards thee, shall not fail to hear and answer our request. Amen.







NOVENA TO ST. MARGARET MARY ALOCQUE

Blessed apostle, ardent adorer, and most fervent disciple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus! listen to my prayer. An appeal from you to that merciful Heart you loved so well, must surely be irresistible. Obtain for me this one request, that I may be ever united to the Adorable Heart of Jesus in all that It has ever done or will do for the glory of God and the salvation of man. Ask also for me, O ardent lover of Jesus, the grant of the humble and earnest petition I now put up to Heaven through your hands. N. N.

V. Pray for us, O Blessed Margaret Mary.
R. That we may ardently love the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
and possess our souls in patience.

Let us pray:

We thank Thee, O Lord Jesus, for having established in these our days, a most special and tender devotion towards Thy loving Heart, by means of Thy humble servant, Blessed Margaret Mary, and may we so feel the benefit of her favor in Thy sight, as to receive through her powerful prayers whatever we ask for, or do now stand most in need of, to Thy honor and glory, who with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, liveth, etc.

Sacred Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
bless and protect the Church. Amen.








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