Day 7: The Heart and the Eucharist

The seventh day of the Sacred Heart Novena turns to the central reality on which the entire devotion depends: the Lord Jesus is truly present in the Holy Eucharist, with His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, including His Sacred Heart. The Sacred Heart devotion is, at root, a deepening of Eucharistic devotion. To honor the Heart of Jesus is to come more often, more attentively, and more lovingly to the tabernacle in which His Heart resides.

Today's invocation

O most Holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing... (the full opening prayer)

Today's meditation

The Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence, definitively defined at the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) and elaborated at the Council of Trent (1551, Session XIII, the Decree on the Holy Eucharist), holds that under the appearances of bread and wine, after the words of consecration spoken by the priest, Christ is truly, really, and substantially present, with His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church treats this doctrine in paragraphs 1373-1381. The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life" (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 11) because it is the Lord Jesus Himself.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus, in this Catholic doctrine, is present in every consecrated host. The same Heart that was wounded on Calvary, that appeared to Saint Margaret Mary at Paray-le-Monial, and that beats with eternal love in the heavenly Jerusalem, is in every tabernacle of every Catholic parish, waiting for our coming. The Sacred Heart devotion in its fullest form is the devotion that comes often to the tabernacle, that spends time in Eucharistic adoration, and that receives Holy Communion with the awareness of approaching the Heart of God.

Today's intention

Today, in addition to your principal intention, ask the Sacred Heart for the grace of a deeper Eucharistic life. Sacred Heart of Jesus, present in the tabernacle of every parish, draw me to You. Make me hungry for Your Heart in the Eucharist. Let my Sundays be marked by attentive Mass-going, and let me make time for adoration before You in the Blessed Sacrament.

If at all possible, make a holy hour of Eucharistic adoration today. The traditional Catholic discipline of the Holy Hour is a single hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, often kept on Thursday evening (in commemoration of the Last Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane) but appropriate to any day. If a holy hour is not possible today, plan one for the next available day.

Reflection

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque's apparitions of the Sacred Heart took place principally during her hours of Eucharistic adoration in the chapel of the Visitation convent at Paray-le-Monial. The Heart that appeared to her was the same Heart present in the tabernacle of the chapel; the apparitions were, in this sense, an unveiling of what was already present. The Catholic devotion to the Sacred Heart that flowed from her apparitions is, in this sense, an invitation to every Catholic to make the unveiling of love that Saint Margaret Mary received the foundation of an ordinary Catholic Eucharistic life.

The practical Catholic disciplines that flow from this meditation include: weekly Mass at minimum, with regular reception of Holy Communion in the state of grace; periodic Eucharistic adoration in the parish, alone or with the family; the keeping of the Holy Hour on Thursdays as a small participation in the Lord's Garden prayer; and the cultivation of a brief silent prayer before the tabernacle at the start and end of every Mass.

Closing prayers

Pray three times each: the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be, and the Anima Christi if time permits.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, present in every tabernacle, I adore You and trust in You.