Make Your Home More Holy

Make Your Home More Holy With This Little-Known Devotion

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Aaron Lofy Director of Youth & Young Adults, alofy@dowr.org

The following article was posted April 3, 2020, to catholicmatch.com, which owns the rights.

By EMILY LOFY �re you single, living with a group of friends, and your shared space could just use some more grace? Or perhaps you’re divorced, living alone, and your living space just needs a little warmth. Engaged? Married? If you’re looking to grow in holiness in your everyday life, consider Enthroning the Sacred Heart of Jesus in your home.

My husband and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary by Enthroning the Sacred Heart of Jesus in our home. With the spiritual guidance of a priest, we hosted a couple dozen of our friends on the eve of our anniversary for an unforgettable event. Since that day, I can honestly say that our home is a more peaceful and sacred place, with graces abounding to every person within.

But before I get too ahead of myself, let’s look at St. Margaret Mary Alacoque the reason behind this tradition.

The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Catholic tradition first beginning in 1907. It stems from the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as 12. I promise thee, in the excessive mercy of My promulgated by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. St. Heart, that My all-powerful love will grant to Margaret Mary, a Visitation nun, had a series of all those who receive Holy Communion on visions of Jesus in which He disclosed to her “the the First Friday of nine consecutive months, marvels of his Love and the inexplicable secrets of the grace of final penitence; they shall not His Sacred Heart.” He, in turn, made 12 promises to die in My disgrace nor without receiving those who consecrate themselves and make repara their Sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be tions to His Sacred Heart: their safe refuge in this last moment. 1. I will give them all the graces necessary for The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart stems their state in life. from this 9th promise: He will bless every place in 2. I will establish peace in their families. which an image of His Heart is exposed and hon ored. 3. I will comfort them in their trials. Jesus reminds The Enthronement sets Jesus as King and Lord over the home by giving 4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and, above all, in us that our His Heart a ‘throne’… a literal place of honor. 5. death. I will shed abundant blessings relationship Those who wish to make the Enthronement first obtain the most 6. on all their undertakings. Sinners will find in My Heart an infinite ocean of mercy. with Him isn't merely a beautiful image they can find of the Sacred Heart, to be established in the most prominent place in the home (with an option to also include the 7. Lukewarm souls will become fervent. spectator Immaculate Heart of Mary). After a short period of preparation, the official 8. Fervent souls will rapidly grow in holiness and perfection. sport. He Enthronement ceremony takes place, ideally presided over by a priest, and 9. I will bless every place where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored. desires to reside with us with close friends in attendance. During the ceremony, the image is blessed and set in its place while the member(s) of the household makes 10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened in our home. an act of consecration to the Sacred Heart. Then immediately following, a hearts. big party is thrown in celebration! 11. The names of those who promote this devo The image henceforth remains as a constant tion will be written in My Heart, never to be reminder of Jesus’ kingship over the house. It essen blotted out. tially links “the tabernacle of our parish church to

Youth & Young Adults

our home, inviting our Lord to be our constant and most intimate Companion” (p. 6, The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). The member of the home makes their devotion to the Sacred Heart a way of life.

This devotion essentially links 'the taberna cle of our parish church to our home, inviting our Lord to be our constant and most intimate Companion.' Cardinal Burke notes in his book, The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that “the person living alone, no less than a family household, rightly desires that Christ be his or her constant Companion” (p. 6).

Cardinal Burke states also that “if the company of Christ is cultivated in our homes, His company will be cultivated in every sector of life for the transformation of our society and our world into a civilization of love” (p.7).

Jesus reminds us that our relationship with Him isn't merely a spectator sport. He desires to reside with us in our home. On the day of our own Enthronement ceremony, we had a Mass celebrated in our house. The gospel reading for the day just happened to be the story of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector who climbed a tree so he could see Jesus pass by. What did Jesus do when He came upon this man? He invited Himself to stay in Zacchaeus’ home. There is truly no better way of inviting Jesus into your home than to give Him the ‘throne’ He right fully deserves.

Emily Lofy is a regular contributor to CatholicMatch Institute, which "produces daily articles, weekly newsletters, videos, video courses, and books to pro vide single Catholics with advice on how to both live well and date well." July 2020 w The Courier w dowr.org