# The young man's guide/VIII. PRAYERS TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

VIII. Prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
An Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
(For the First Friday of the Month)
Adorable Heart of Jesus, glowing with love for us and inflamed with zeal for our salvation : O Heart! ever sensible of our misery and the wretchedness to which our sins have reduced us, infinitely rich in mercy to heal the wounds of our souls, behold us humbly prostrate before Thee to express the sorrow that fills our hearts for the coldness and indifference with which we have so long requited the numberless benefits that Thou hast conferred upon us. With a deep sense of the outrages that have been heaped upon Thee by our sins and the sins of others, we come to make a solemn reparation of honor to Thy most sacred Majesty. It was our sins that overwhelmed Thy Heart with bitterness; it was the weight of our iniquities that pressed down Thy face to the earth in the Garden of Olives, and caused Thee to expire in anguish and agony on the cross. But now, repenting and sorrowful, we cast ourselves at Thy feet, and implore forgiveness. Adorable Heart of Jesus, source of true contrition and ever merci​ful to the penitent sinner, impart to our hearts the spirit of penance, and give to our eyes a fountain of tears, that we may sincerely bewail our sins now and for the rest of out days. Oh, would that we could blot them out, even with our blood! Pardon them, O Lord, in Thy mercy, and pardon and convert to Thee all that have committed irreverences and sacrileges against Thee in the sacrament of Thy love, and thus give another proof that Thy mercy is above all Thy works. Divine Jesus, with Thee there are mercy and plentiful redemption; deliver us from our sins, accept the sincere desire we now entertain, and our holy resolution, relying on the assistance of Thy grace, henceforth to be faithful to Thee. And in order to repair the sins of ingratitude by which we have grieved Thy most tender and loving Heart, we are resolved in the future ever to love and honor Thee in the most adorable Sacrament of the Altar, where Thou art ever present to hear and grant our petitions, and to be the food and life of our souls. Be Thou, O compassionate Jesus! our mediator with Thy heavenly Father, Whom we have so grievously offended, strengthen our weakness, confirm these our resolutions of amendment, and as Thy sacred Heart is our refuge and our hope when we have sinned, so may it be the strength and support of our repentance, that nothing in life or death may ever again separate us from Thee. Amen.
An act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O JESUS, Saviour of mankind, Thou has mercifully revealed to us the wonderful riches of Thy Heart; in thanksgiving for Thy benefits, especially for the institution of the Holy Eucharist, in reparation for the offenses against the Blessed Sacrament, in union with Thy mediation in heaven for us poor sinners. I consecrate myself entirely to Thee, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. I promise to aid in spreading the worship and in promoting the interests of Thy sacred Heart.
I choose, moreover, the Blessed Virgin Mary for my queen, my advocate, and my mother, and I am resolved to imitate her virtues, in particular her love for sinners, and to foster and promote devotion to her immaculate conception. I beseech Thee humbly to accept this promise. Thou hast inspired me to make it; grant me the grace to fulfil it Amen.
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love!
Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation!
Pious Ejaculations
MAY the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, In all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen.
Indulgence of 100 days. — Pius IX, Feb. 29.
Another Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
To Thee, most sacred Heart of Jesus, I devote my life. To Thee I consecrate all my thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings. My whole being shall be employed henceforth in loving, serving, and glorifying Thee. Be Thou, most blessed and adorable Heart, the sole object of my love, the protector of my life, the pledge of my salvation, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou my advocate at the throne of Divine Justice, and screen me from the wrath which my sins deserve.
I trust entirely in Thy mercy. I place all my confidence in Thee. Destroy in me all that is displeasing to Thee. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine. Imprint Thyself like a seal upon my heart in order that I may never be separated from Thee. May I be a victim forever consecrated to Thy glory — ever burning with the flames of Thy pure love in time and for eternity. This is my whole desire — to live in Thee. This shall be my happiness, to live and die as Thy devoted servant. Sweet Heart of Jesus, I implore that I may love Thee more and more. Amen.
V. Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us.
R. Inflame our hearts with love of Thee.
Let us pray
Lord, we beseech thee, let thy Holy Spirit kindle in our hearts that fire of charity which Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, sent forth from His inmost Heart upon this earth, and willed that it should burn with vehemence. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A Short Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O SACRED Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by my ingratitude, pierced by my sins, yet loving me still, accept the consecration that I make to Thee, of all that I am and all that I have. Take every faculty of my soul and body, and draw me, day by day, nearer and nearer to Thy sacred side, and there as I can bear the lesson teach me Thy blessed ways! Amen.
Indulgenced Prayer to the Eucharistic Jesus
Dear Jesus, in the Sacrament of the Altar, be forever thanked and praised. Love, worthy of all celestial and terrestrial love! Who, out of infinite love for me, ungrateful sinner, didst assume our human nature, didst shed Thy most precious blood in the cruel scourging, and didst expire on ​shameful cross for our eternal welfare! Now, illumined with lively faith, with the outpouring of my whole soul and the fervor of my heart, I humbly beseech Thee, through the infinite merits of Thy painful sufferings, give me strength and courage to destroy every evil passion which sways my heart, to bless Thee in my greatest afflictions, to glorify Thee by the exact fulfilment of all my duties, supremely to hate all sin, and thus to become a saint.
His Holiness, Pope Pius IX, by an autograph rescript, Jan. i, 1886, granted an indulgence of one hundred days, once a day, to all the faithful who, with at least contrite heart and devotion, shall say this prayer.
Prayer of St. Alphonsus Liguori for a Visit to the Blessed Sacrament.
MY LORD Jesus Christ, Who, through the love which Thou bearest to men, dost remain with them day and night in this sacrament full of mercy and of love, expecting, inviting, and receiving all who come to visit Thee, I believe that Thou art present in the Sacrament of the Altar. From the abyss of my nothingness I adore Thee, and I thank Thee for all the favors which Thou hast bestowed upon me, particularly for having given me Thyself in this sacrament, for having given me for my advocate Thy most holy Mother, Mary, and for having called me to visit Thee in this church.
​I this day salute Thy most loving Heart, and I wish to salute it for three ends: first, in thanksgiving for this great gift; secondly, in compensation for all the injuries Thou hast received from Thy enemies in this sacrament; thirdly, to adore Thee in all places in which Thou art least honored and most abandoned in the Holy Sacrament. My Jesus, I love Thee with my whole heart. I am sorry for having hitherto offended Thine infinite goodness. I purpose, with the assistance of Thy grace, never more to offend Thee, and, at this moment, miserable as I am, I consecrate my whole being to Thee. I give Thee my entire will, all my affections and desires, and all that I have. From this day forward, do what Thou wilt with me, and with whatever belongs to me. I ask and desire only Thy holy love, the gift of final perseverance, and the perfect accomplishment of Thy will. I recommend to Thee the souls in purgatory, particularly those who were most devoted to the Blessed Sacrament and to most holy Mary; and I also recommend to Thee all poor sinners. Finally, my dear Saviour, I unite all my affections with the affections of Thy most loving Heart; and, thus united, I offer them to Thy eternal Father, and I entreat Him, in Thy name, and for Thy sake, to accept them.
Indulgence of 300 days when said before the Blessed Sacrament. — Pius IX, Sept. 7