Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Heart of Christ; the home and family
Tradition: Visitandine / Society of Jesus, following the revelations to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1673-1675)
Associated feast: Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Friday after Corpus Christi)
When to pray: Traditionally prayed in the nine days leading up to the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart in June. May also be prayed on the First Friday of any month or at any time.
Begin Day 1 →About this devotion
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus expresses Catholic faith in the literal, physical love of Christ for every human person. The devotion has roots in patristic and medieval writing — in the wound of the Saviour's side, in the imagery of the Song of Songs, and in the mysticism of St. Bonaventure and St. Gertrude — but it took its modern form through the revelations granted to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitandine nun at Paray-le-Monial, between 1673 and 1675.
Pope Pius XII gave the devotion its definitive theological foundation in the encyclical Haurietis Aquas (1956), explaining that the Sacred Heart is 'the natural symbol and image of that boundless love with which the divine Redeemer continues to love the human race.' The novena is one of the most widely prayed Catholic devotions, particularly in June, which the Church dedicates to the Sacred Heart.
The Nine Days
-
Day 1: The love of the Heart of Christ for the Father
Scripture: John 14:31
-
Day 2: The love of the Heart of Christ for sinners
Scripture: Luke 19:10
-
Day 3: The love of the Heart of Christ for his Mother
Scripture: John 19:26-27
-
Day 4: The love of the Heart of Christ in the Holy Eucharist
Scripture: John 6:53-56
-
Day 5: Reparation for offences against the Heart of Christ
Scripture: Lamentations 1:12
-
Day 6: The promises of the Sacred Heart
Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30
-
Day 7: Consecration of the family to the Sacred Heart
Scripture: Joshua 24:15
-
Day 8: The Sacred Heart and the Church
Scripture: John 19:34
-
Day 9: Total consecration to the Sacred Heart
Scripture: Galatians 2:20
Daily Novena Prayer
Daily Closing Prayer — Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I consecrate to you my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring, and glorifying you. This is my unchangeable will: to belong entirely to you and to do all things for the love of you. I renounce with all my heart whatever is displeasing to you. Amen.
Pope Leo XIII consecrated the entire human race to the Sacred Heart on June 11, 1899, in the encyclical Annum Sacrum.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a novena?
A novena is a nine-day cycle of prayer, modeled on the nine days the Apostles spent in prayer with Mary between the Ascension and Pentecost (Acts 1:14). Each day a specific prayer or set of prayers is offered, often for a particular intention or to a particular saint.
When is the best time to pray the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus?
Traditionally prayed in the nine days leading up to the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart in June. May also be prayed on the First Friday of any month or at any time.
What if I miss a day of the novena?
Catholic devotional practice does not treat missing a day as invalidating the novena. The traditional pastoral counsel is to continue from where you left off, or to repeat the missed day. The intention behind the prayer matters more than rigid sequential observance.
Read about the life of The Sacred Heart of Jesus →
Source
Primary sources