From the Heart of the Shepherd
- Church of St. Mark
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
From the bulletin for Corpus Christi (2026 June 07)
Parish School of Prayer: Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
June is the month of the Sacred Heart. This year, on the eve of the Solemnity, the bishops of our country will consecrate the nation to the Divine Heart of Our Lord, using this prayer:
O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus:
You know the longings of our hearts, and you desire that we enjoy friendship with you.
From your pierced side, you have poured out the wellspring of life, for which we thirst.
Your heart burns with a love for all people to return to a right relationship with you.
We celebrate the abundant gifts you have given this nation, founded on the self-evident truths that our Creator has endowed all people with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We make reparation for the offenses against you and against human dignity that have taken place in this nation.
May our hearts be united to yours, so that our families and communities enjoy peace and happiness; may broken relationships be reconciled, injustices repaired, and the wounds of our land be healed.
May your holy Catholic Church serve as a sign, pointing all people to your infinite love.
O Desire of Nations and Center of History, we ask you to bless these United States of America.
Who live and reign with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Three “notes” are evident here: confession, reparation, and petition. “Confession” in the Augustinian sense, proclaiming the Heart of Jesus to be our loving friend, fount of life, and source of blessing. Reparation, i.e. recognition of our sinfulness and seeks to undo its tragic consequences. Petition for reconciliation in Christ and the perfection of ourselves, families, Church, and nation.
But how does this prayer effect a “consecration”? The key clause is the prayer that “our hearts be united to yours.” God is immovable and unchangeable. To pray that our hearts be united to His means, therefore, that we (our lives, wills, and everything) be transformed into His.
That union of hearts, therefore, is a prayer that we “be for” Him. And that is consecration as such. Con-sacrare, could not-too-loosely be translated “to place with the sacred.” More precisely: “to make wholly sacred” (since “con” functions as an intensifier). To be wholly holy! To be for Him, Who alone is holy.
Acts of consecration are not magic incantations. But they are most meaningful, and God treats them very seriously. The Church has authority to “bind and loose”; the bishops of this country therefore have the authority to “bind” this nation more closely to the Heart of Jesus. Surely, from such an act, many blessings will flow, and God will be pleased. Nevertheless, for the nation to be consecrated in fact and not just in desire to the Sacred Heart, more and more hearts of those who dwell in it must willingly consent to this union of hearts.
Starting with our own hearts. Here are some ideas for “praying into” that union of hearts that is the essence of consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus:
Think about Jesus’ Heart. The physical Heart is a symbol that directs us to His person, to His interior. What are His thoughts? What are His feelings? What are His desires? For me, for the United States, for the Church… Towards His Father, regarding my salvation, regarding that neighbor of mine whom I have a hard time loving…
Live in the presence of His Heart. It’s one thing to think about Jesus’ interior life “in the abstract.” Try to become aware of His Heart as a living reality present to you here and now. For He is! Walk with Him. Be considerate of Him. Go about your daily life mindful of how everything you do is beheld by His loving gaze and matters tremendously to His loving Heart. It is a spiritual milestone of great importance when His Heart becomes our center of gravity, the Sun around which our lives revolve.
Talk to His Heart. Hearts long to reveal themselves to each other; they long for communication, for communion. Jesus longs to pour the contents of His Great Heart into ours; He delights in receiving to the outpouring of our little hearts (the bad and the good, provided it is offered with trust and love) into His.
Oh, if our nation were filled with even just a few more people who practiced such union, how much more it would be truly consecrated to Him!
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