The Catholic Defender: The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Promise 11

(11) Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart. What a sign of the love of God and His willingness to forgive despite the ingratitude of multitudes who live their own life as if there was no God. But there is God and He is present despite our many faults and self deceptions. God so loved the world He sent His own Son to save those who will respond to His call. These 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart tells how much He is willing to place each one of us in His Heart where we can delve into the ocean of His Mercy.

John 14:9-11 states, "Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves." This is a very important passage as Jesus is identifying Himself as the image of the Father. "Who ever has seen me has seen the Father" which is more than simply on the surface, but the whole person of Christ to include His Heart.

St. Paul writes the Colossians telling them essentially the same thing, Colossians 1:15-16 states, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him." God's love for His people is boundless, from the cross, Jesus states that He "thirsts", Jesus is thirsting for souls He was willing to suffer and die for.

James 4: 7-10 states, "So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you." Asking for forgiveness will go along way with the Lord. If you repent of your sin and turn away from it, God will draw near to you. The 11th Promise of the Sacred Heart follows right along with the scriptures. By promoting the devotion of the Sacred Heart, we are reaching out to others whom the Lord loves. We love the Lord and want to console the Heart of Our Lord. He is a jealous God.

Probably the most important scripture that focuses on the Person of Jesus comes from John 1:1-14, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. 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; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony,* to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people* did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth."

Jesus is the Word made flesh making His dwelling among men. Jesus came to offer us life and more abundantly. He gives us His light and glory to testify to the truth. St. Paul writes, "Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:6-11

The Lord of Mercy is the Lord of Justice, Jesus so wants to offer His Mercy so that we can be saved. For us, Salvation is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. The Promises that Jesus offers for the devotion of His Sacred Heart all point to His love for us through the symbolism of His Heart. We were created by God to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. Jesus wants us to never give up, that is why He gives us the Sacraments to clean us up. His Heart does the rest.

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine. Heart of Jesus, burning with love for me, inflame my heart with love of Thee. Sacred Heart of Jesus, today I wish to live in Thee, in Thy grace, in which I desire, at all costs, to persevere. Keep me from sin and strengthen my will by helping me to keep watch over my senses, my imagination, and my heart. Help me to correct my faults, which are the source of sin. I beg of Thee to do this, O Jesus, through Mary, Thy Immaculate Mother. Amen.