Sometimes my wife hears “whispers” in her prayer time. As her husband, I have learned that going along for the ride is usually the wisest course of action.
Recently she felt called to dedicate our home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I couldn’t imagine any argument against it, even though I wasn’t clear on what it meant. The hook, line, and sinker came when she asked me to look into what art I might like. Now she didn’t explicitly ask me to create it, but as an artist, there was no way I wasn’t going to have a hand in making the thing that would undoubtedly become an important part of our home.
Still, I knew very little about the Sacred Heart, why one would want to dedicate their home to it (other than the obvious fact that more Jesus is always better), and what such a process would entail.
So I did some research. Upon returning from the rabbit hole, I can confirm the wisdom my wife possesses and that I should probably listen to her more than I already do. Here are some other things I learned:
❤️🔥 What the heck is it?
Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a ceremony in which a family solemnly and publicly acknowledges Jesus as King of their home. This is done by formally enthroning an image of the Sacred Heart in a place of honor. The family then consecrates themselves to the Sacred Heart. The ceremony is led by a priest or the head of the household and is often the occasion for a family feast with friends and relations.
❤️🔥 Where did this devotion come from?
Devotion to Jesus’ Sacred Heart is one of the most popular in the Church today, and it had its beginning in 17th-century France. In 1672, Christ appeared to a French nun, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. Over a series of visits, Our Lord revealed to St. Margaret Mary the importance of devotion to His Sacred Heart. He asked that His heart, wounded on the cross and continually wounded by the ingratitude of men for his sacrifice for them, be venerated and adored as an embodiment of His Divine mercy and love.
Jesus especially asked that all people go to confession and receive Holy Communion often, especially on the first Friday of each month, and that reparation be made for sins committed against His Sacred Heart and the Holy Eucharist. He also requested that the Church observe a feast day specifically for this reparation. In 1856, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart was officially added to the liturgical calendar.
Even though St. Margaret Mary is closely associated with this beautiful devotion, Pope Pius XII reminds us, “It must not be said that this devotion has taken its origin from some private revelation of God and has suddenly appeared in the Church…The revelations made to Saint Margaret Mary brought nothing new into Catholic doctrine. Their importance lay in this: that Christ our Lord, exposing his Sacred Heart, wished in a quite extraordinary way to invite the minds of men to a contemplation of, and devotion to, the mystery of God’s merciful love for the human race” (HA, nn. 96, 97).
The enthronement is a single act, but it represents a way of life by which each member of the household is transformed in Christ each day.
❤️🔥 What Kind of Image Do I Need?
Determined to make my own art for the occasion, I started looking up Sacred Heart images on Pinterest. I was familiar with some of the “famous” ones, but I wanted to create something unique. I found many different renditions and wondered what was “allowed.” I became encouraged that there was a lot of room for creativity when I learned that any image is usable, as long as it replicates what St. Margaret Mary described seeing when Our Lord appeared to her:
- Around His Heart is a crown of thorns.
- There is a wound, from the soldier’s spear, showing that our sins hurt Him in the Heart.
- The flames coming from His Heart show the intensity of His Love.
- Above the flames is a cross showing that His Love for us was so great that He died for us.
With those details in mind, I knew I wanted to use the likeness of Jesus portrayed by Jonathan Roumie in the television series The Chosen, because it has resonated so deeply with our family. I scoured hundreds of photos, looking for just the right one. We decided we wanted His eyes to be directed at the viewer and I love that the one we settled on shows a deep love and a tinge of sadness, which felt appropriate for the subject matter.
❤️🔥 Why Do It?
This is one way to respond to the invitation of the Church to make our homes “Domestic Churches,” wherein Jesus is the center and source of love for all. As the sanctuary church lamp reminds us of Christ’s presence in the Tabernacle, the enthroned image of the Sacred Heart reminds us that Jesus is among us and with us. By this covenant, we make our homes and hearts His Tabernacle!
Jesus also gave us, through St. Margaret Mary, special promises for those who keep a loving devotion to His Most Sacred Heart.
12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will establish peace in their homes.
3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
5. I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
6. Sinners will find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9. I will bless every place in which an image of my Heart is exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart.
12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
To which I say, “Yes please, and thank you!”
❤️🔥 Jesus’ Promises In Action
My research also uncovered a neat story that serves as a real-world example of Jesus’ promises in action:
On May 31, 1985, one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in North American history swept through parts of Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ontario, Canada. Eighty-nine people died, and more than 1,000 were injured; the damage was estimated at over $600 million. “A bombed-out battlefield” was how one local weather service described the borough of Wheatland, PA.
An hour north of Wheatland, the tiny community of Albion was among the hardest hit, with 12 residents killed, 80 injured and a corridor of devastation two blocks wide.
St Lawrence’s Catholic Church was ripped in half, and the parish priest, Fr Robert Reilly, escaped being sucked out of the rectory window only by bracing himself against the window frame. The rectory was totally destroyed.
Against all odds, a number of homes directly in the path cut by the tornado remained standing, untouched amid the debris. There was something unusual about these homes, and it wasn’t storm-proof windows or heavy-duty framing. What set these houses apart was that in each one the family had formally enthroned the Sacred Heart and consecrated their homes and family members to Him.
Among the 12 promises that the Sacred Heart of Jesus made to St Margaret Mary is the following: “I will bless every place in which an image of my Heart is exposed and honoured.” As part of the ceremony of enthronement, each of these families would have placed an image of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in a place of honour in their homes. In return He kept His word in a manner bearing His unmistakable signature. As St Peter once pointed out, there is only one Man whom the winds and the sea obey.
Source: https://catholicherald.co.uk/how-to-enthrone-the-sacred-heart-in-your-home/
❤️🔥 So. Many. Devotions!
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of many, MANY devotions in the Roman Catholic Church. Officially, they are “external practices of piety” that are not part of the official liturgy of the Catholic Church but are part of the popular spiritual practices of Catholics.
I’ll be honest here…sometimes I get overwhelmed by the sheer number of them. They include the Rosary, Stations of the Cross, Eucharistic Adoration, the wearing of scapulars, going on pilgrimages, veneration of and novenas to various saints, including the Virgin Mary, and even horticultural practices such as maintaining a Mary garden.
It was easy for me to think of them as a never-ending list of obligations or “shoulds,” until I came up with a different reframe that helped me see them for the gifts they are.
When Jesus or his mother appears to someone like St. Margaret Mary to share a particular devotion, it’s as if they are saying, “Here’s something you could do to get even closer to God.” The Lord desperately wants to be in a relationship with us. Because He is also a generous God, He provides an incredible assortment of opportunities to do so, not just through Mass and the sacraments, but through a variety of special devotions.
It’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet, but no one is expecting us to eat everything on it!
Different devotions speak to different personality types or may feel especially relevant in different seasons of our lives. Instead of looking at the abundant number of devotions in our Church as a burdensome list of expectations, they are meant to be a bountiful menu of beautiful options to draw us closer to God and help us be more like Jesus.
❤️🔥 Our Home Is Ruled By a King
In closing, I am grateful to the Holy Spirit for His “whisper” to Kim. To prepare ourselves for the ceremony, our family went to confession and attended Mass in the days beforehand. We invited Fr. Nick, our parish priest, over for dinner and he led the ceremony and blessed the art. (We also shot some hoops and ate apple pie with ice cream, but those are optional add-ons!)
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is now officially enthroned in our home. We still have to fold the laundry, clean the toilets, and take out the garbage, but it’s nice to know we have a King who is taking care of all the big stuff.
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