Introduction to the Week of Consecration to the Heart of St. Joseph

We make our way to consecrated our hearts to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus by first going through the path that Jesus Himself went through. The first step was actually creating the Immaculate Conception and still finding in her many years later the pure Heart and readiness to say Yes, but first God entrusted her to the Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph. St. Joseph’s marriage to the Virgin Mary was a necessary precursor to the Annunciation. God did not create the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in the womb of Mary until her Immaculate Heart had first been entrusted to St. Joseph. We can muse over the reasons for this, but one seems to be that God started the work of redemption not just with an individual dropped from the sky, but rather with a family. There was one cell of perfect love from which the grace of redemption could pour forth. And in that little Holy Family there was already a taste of heaven.

For this reason, by conforming and even consecrating our hearts to the heart of Joseph, we prepare our hearts for consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. What then are the qualities of his heart? We meditate first on its purity. Although there have been discussions about the sinlessness of Joseph, the great Josephologist, Fr. Francis Filas wrote in his monumental work The Man Closest to Jesus: “All authorities agree that St. Joseph must have been confirmed in grace. This is a minimum opinion, generally accepted. It means that God’s providence surrounded the Saint with such helps that he did not sin grievously nor, in general, did he commit fully deliberate sin. The reason usually given for holding this opinion rests on Joseph’s vocation and on his intimacy with mary and with Jesus.”¹ St. John Henry Newman makes the same claim in our first meditation.

St. Francis de Sales was a great lover and preacher about St. Joseph and he invites us to meditate on St. Joseph’s great virtues such as courage, perseverance, constancy, and above all humility. He further emphasizes the connection between St. Joseph’s humility and his chastity. As one of his great virtues, chastity is so beautiful and so little understood. To reflect on the most chaste heart of St. Joseph we consider some passages from the Catechism on Chastity.

The Popes have seen St. Joseph as a great lover of Jesus and Mary and their protector. By extension, he continues to love and protect the mystical Body of Jesus, the Church, which has Mary as its heart and perfection in heaven. For that reason he is our guardian and protector as well. By learning to place ourselves under his protection, we will conform our hearts more and more to his.

1. Francis Lad Filas, Joseph: The Man Closest to Jesus: The Complete Life, Theology and
   Devotional History of St. Joseph (St. Paul Editions, 1962), 413. ↩︎

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Day 13: The Pure Heart of St. Joseph

READING 1
Psalm 15

Lord, who may abide in your tent, and dwell on your holy mountain? Whoever walks without fault; who does what is upright, and speaks the truth from his heart. Whoever does not slander with his tongue; who does no wrong to a neighbor, who casts no slur on a friend, who looks with scorn on the wicked, but honors those who fear the Lord. Who keeps an oath, whatever the cost, who lends no money at interest, and accepts no bribes against the innocent. Such a one shall never be shaken.

READING 2
From a meditation on St. Joseph prepared by St. John Henry Newman

(1) Joseph was pure and innocent in a way unlike any other man who ever lived, our Lord excepted. His soul was as white as snow. He had nothing whatever within his heart to make him ashamed, and he would have found it most difficult to find matter for confession. O Joseph, make me so blameless and irreproachable that I should not care though friends saw into my heart as perfectly as Jesus and Mary saw into thine. O gain me the grace of holy simplicity and affectionateness, so that I may love thee, Mary, and, above all, Jesus, as thou didst love Jesus and Mary.

(2) Joseph was as humble as he was sinless. He never thought of himself, but always of the Infant Saviour, whom he carried in his arms. O holy Joseph, make me like thee in purity, simplicity, innocence and devotion.

(From Tuesday of his Meditations for Eight Days)

REFLECTION

We begin our week of St. Joseph guided by St. John Henry Newman, reflecting on Joseph’s purity of heart, his holy simplicity, his innocence and his devotion. Purity, simplicity and innocence include an integrity and transparency that means one is the same, consistent—all the way through. Like pure spring water, it is not discolored and has no debris. It is pure and clear. Joseph’s yes meant yes and his no meant no.

Newman invites us into a meditation on our own hearts, in how it would feel to be totally seen, the way that Jesus and Mary could totally see Joseph. Do we have the taint of the world or the duplicity of sin? How integrated is my heart? Is there anything that would cause me to feel shame, standing totally exposed before Jesus and Mary? The Sacrament of Confession is the place where we can expose everything to Jesus and He heals it with His mercy so we never need to be ashamed before Him.

Newman also gives the true motive of this purity of heart—so that I can love Jesus and Mary like St. Joseph did. That’s the goal of this week. Throughout the week we have a choice of prayers. Feel free to pray all of them, or to choose a different one each day, as you feel led by the Holy Spirit.

PRAYERS

Litany of St. Joseph or
Ancient Prayer of St. Joseph or
Ad te beate Ioseph

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey

READING 1
Psalm 1:1-3

Blessed indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the path with sinners, nor abides in the company of scorners, but whose delight is the law of the Lord, and who ponders his law day and night. He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper.

READING 2
From Pope Leo XIV’s address to seminarians from Spain on Feb 28,2026

There is a quote from the author Chesterton that can serve as a key to understanding everything I would like to share with you: “Take away the supernatural, and what remains is the unnatural.”¹

[…] Having a supernatural view does not mean fleeing from reality, but learning to recognize God’s action in the concrete reality of each day; a vision that cannot be improvised or delegated, but must be learned and exercised in the ordinary course of life…. This believing outlook on reality needs to be translated every day into concrete choices in life; otherwise, even intrinsically good practices—such as study, prayer, community life—can become empty and distorted, becoming mere fulfillment. A simple and proven way to safeguard this view is to practice the presence of God, which keeps the heart awake and life constantly focused on Him.

Sacred Scripture expresses this truth with a simple image in the first psalm, when it describes the righteous as “a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither” (Ps 1:3). It is not fruitful because of an absence of difficulties, but because of the place where it has taken root. Wind, winter, drought, and pruning are all part of its growth, but neither storm nor drought can destroy it when its roots are deep and close to the source. Scripture itself, however, recognizes the paradox of the fig tree that does not bear fruit despite the care it receives (cf. Lk 13:6-9).

It is said that trees “die standing”: they remain upright, they retain their appearance, but inside they are already dry. Something similar can happen in the life of a seminary or of a seminarian—and later in the life of a priest—when fruitfulness is mistaken for the intensity of activities or with merely external care for appearances. Spiritual life does not bear fruit because of what is visible, but because of what is deeply rooted in God. When that root is neglected, everything ends up drying up inside, until, silently, it ends up “dying standing upright.”

Deep down, the supernatural gaze springs from the simplest and most decisive aspect of vocation: being with the Master. Jesus called those he wanted “to be with him” (Mk 3:14). That is the foundation of all priestly formation: staying with Him and allowing oneself to be formed from within; seeing God at work and recognizing how He works in one’s own life and in that of His people. Therefore, although human means, psychology and formative tools are valuable and necessary, they cannot replace this relationship. The true agent of this journey is the Holy Spirit, who shapes the heart, teaches us to respond to grace and prepares us for a fruitful life in the service of the Church. Everything begins now, in the ordinary routine of each day, where each one decides whether to remain with the Lord or to try to sustain oneself by one’s own strength alone.

PRAYERS

Litany of Healing and Repentance in the Eucharist
Radiating Christ

1. Cf. Heretics, VI. ↩︎

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey

READING 1
Proverbs 4:20-23

My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to him who finds them, and healing to all his flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance; for from it flow the springs of life.

READING 2
From the encyclical Dilexit Nos, on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, by Pope Francis

13. All our actions need to be put under the “political rule” of the heart. In this way, our aggressiveness and obsessive desires will find rest in the greater good that the heart proposes and in the power of the heart to resist evil. The mind and the will are put at the service of the greater good by sensing and savouring truths, rather than seeking to master them as the sciences tend to do. The will desires the greater good that the heart recognizes, while the imagination and emotions are themselves guided by the beating of the heart.

14. It could be said, then, that I am my heart, for my heart is what sets me apart, shapes my spiritual identity and puts me in communion with other people. The algorithms operating in the digital world show that our thoughts and will are much more “uniform” than we had previously thought. They are easily predictable and thus capable of being manipulated. That is not the case with the heart.

15. The word “heart” evokes the inmost core of our person, and thus it enables us to understand ourselves in our integrity and not merely under one isolated aspect.

16. This unique power of the heart also helps us to understand why, when we grasp a reality with our heart, we know it better and more fully. This inevitably leads us to the love of which the heart is capable, for “the inmost core of reality is love.”

REFLECTION

Blaise Paschal said famously in his Pensées, “The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.” When we learn to encounter reality from the heart, we see more clearly, respond to things as they are, and our responses are more grounded. We bring the core of our person to bear and act out of our true identity. This is different than heady abstractions or merely emotional reactions. Do you remain in touch with your heart as you encounter the world around you? Do you listen to the reasons of the heart as you try to decide what to say or do next? Do you see with the eyes of heart when you are interacting with other human beings? Are you able to see that the inmost core of reality is love?

PRAYERS

Litany of the Fearful Heart
Radiating Christ

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey

READING 1
John 7:37-39

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

READING 2
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church on Contemplative Prayer

2710 The choice of the time and duration of the prayer arises from a determined will, revealing the secrets of the heart. One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter. One cannot always meditate, but one can always enter into inner prayer, independently of the conditions of health, work, or emotional state. The heart is the place of this quest and encounter, in poverty and in faith.

2711 Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy: we “gather up” the heart, recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of him who awaits us. We let our masks fall and turn our hearts back to the Lord who loves us, so as to hand ourselves over to him as an offering to be purified and transformed.

2712 Contemplative prayer is the prayer of the child of God, of the forgiven sinner who agrees to welcome the love by which he is loved and who wants to respond to it by loving even more. But he knows that the love he is returning is poured out by the Spirit in his heart, for everything is grace from God. Contemplative prayer is the poor and humble surrender to the loving will of the Father in ever deeper union with his beloved Son.

REFLECTION

The grace of contemplative prayer is a grace of pure receptivity. It requires opening the heart and exposing the poverty of a spiritual womb that God has placed there. Jesus said literally, “Out of his koilia [womb] shall flow rivers of living water.” A woman’s womb is an organ that cannot fill itself and serves essentially no purpose until it is filled from the outside and serves the most amazing purpose when it becomes the cradle of new life and brings to birth the infinite good of a human being made in God’s image and likeness. There is an analogous place in every human heart with that same kind of poverty that cannot fill itself and feels useless until it is filled with God and serves the most amazing purpose. That spiritual womb in the heart is the place of contemplative prayer. It is a secret place that we can only expose to God through poor and humble surrender.

What secrets lie hidden in your heart? What is it like to encounter Jesus in your heart in poverty and faith? How often do you gather up your heart under the prompting of the Holy Spirit and abide in that inner dwelling where Jesus always awaits you? Do you allow God to pour His love into your heart through the Holy Spirit?

PRAYERS

Litany of the Fearful Heart
Radiating Christ

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey

READING 1
Psalm 19:13-15

But who can detect their own errors? From hidden faults acquit me. From presumption restrain your servant; may it not rule me. Then shall I be blameless, clean from grave sin. May the spoken words of my mouth, the thoughts of my heart, win favor in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer!

READING 2
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Heart and Prayer

2562 Where does prayer come from? Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures, it is the whole man who prays. But in naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of the heart (more than a thousand times). According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain.

2563 The heart is the dwelling-place where I am, where I live; according to the Semitic or Biblical expression, the heart is the place “to which I withdraw.” The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: it is the place of covenant.

REFLECTION

In order to return to the heart and connect with God from the heart, we have to get in touch with deeper realities in our lives. Praying for superficial things will leave our relationship with God at a superficial level. Learning to ask deep questions and prayer for God’s light with deeper things, will also deepen our relationship with God. Pope Francis offers several questions that can help us go more deeply into our hearts:

“Instead of running after superficial satisfactions and playing a role for the benefit of others, we would do better to think about the really important questions in life. Who am I, really? What am I looking for? What direction do I want to give to my life, my decisions and my actions? Why and for what purpose am I in this world? How do I want to look back on my life once it ends? What meaning do I want to give to all my experiences? Who do I want to be for others? Who am I for God? All these questions lead us back to the heart.”¹

PRAYERS

Litany of the Closed Heart
Radiating Christ

1. Pope Francis, Dilexit Nos x 8. ↩︎

Consecration to the Heart of Jesus Through the Hearts of Mary and Joseph

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey

READING 1
Luke 12: 49-50

Jesus said: “I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!”

READING 2
From Behold the Pierced One by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

In the terms of the encyclical [Haurietis Aquas of Pope Pius XI], however, spirituality of the senses is essentially a spirituality of the heart, since the sense and spirit meet, interpenetrate and unite. Spirituality of the senses is spirituality in the sense of Cardinal Newman’s motto: Cor ad cor loquitur (heart speaks to heart), which sums up, in perhaps the most beautiful way, what spirituality of the heart is, a spirituality focused on the Heart of Jesus.

The encyclical adds another important set of motifs to these reflections on the tradition of devotion to the Sacred Heart. For the heart is an expression for the human nadry (passions)—i.e.; not only man’s passions but also the “passion” of being human. Over against the Stoic ideal apatheia, over against the Aristotelian God, who is Thought thinking itself, the heart is the epitome of the passions, without which there could have been no Passion on the part of the Son. The encyclical cites Justin, Basil, Chrysostom, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, John Damascene, exhibiting different variations of the same theme, which it sees as common ground in patristic Christology: … passionum nostrarum particeps factus est (he has come to share in our “passions”)….

The topic of the suffering God has become almost fashionable today, not without reason, as a result of the abandonment of a theology which was one-sidedly rationalist and as a result of the rejection of a portrait of Jesus and a concept of God which had been emasculated, where the love of God had degenerated into the cheap platitude of a God who was merely kind, and hence “harmless.” Against such a backdrop Christianity is diminished to the level of philanthropic world improvement, and Eucharist becomes a brotherly meal. The theme of the suffering God can only stay sound if it is anchored in love for God and in prayerful attention to his love. The encyclical Haurietis Aquas sees the passions of Jesus, which are summed up and set forth in the Heart, as the basis, as the reason why, the human heart, i.e., the capacity for feeling, the emotional side of love, must be drawn into man’s relationship with God. Incarnational spirituality must be a spirituality of the passions, a spirituality of “heart to heart”; in that way, precisely, it is an Easter spirituality, for the mystery of Easter, the mystery of suffering, is of its very nature a mystery of the heart.

REFLECTION

The Heart of Jesus integrates human passions into divine love as He expresses His divine love through a human heart. “His human emotions became the sacrament of that infinite and endless love.”¹ Our Christian spirituality is a spirituality of the heart, in which we begin by pondering and, indeed, receiving the passionate love that God has for each one of us. “Behold the Heart that loved the world so much!” Jesus told St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. In gazing upon the passion of love in His Heart, a love we did not and could not earn, then challenges us to let a response of love well up in our own hearts. Will we allow Jesus to draw us into a “heart to heart” with Him?

PRAYERS

Litany of the Closed Heart
Radiating Christ

1. Pope Francis, Dilexit Nos x 60. ↩︎

Consecration to the Heart of Jesus Through the Hearts of Mary and Joseph

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey

READING 1
Psalm 86:11-13

Teach me, O Lord, your way, so that I may walk in your truth, single-hearted to fear your name. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart, and glorify your name forever. Your mercy to me has been great; you have saved me from the depths of Sheol.

Reading 2
From The Journey of the Mind to God by St. Bonaventure

Blessed is the man whose help is from you; in his heart he has prepared to ascend by steps in the valley of tears, in the place which he has set. Since happiness is nothing other than the enjoyment of the highest good and since the highest good is above, no one can be made happy unless he rise above himself, not by an ascent of the body, but of the heart. But we cannot rise above ourselves unless a higher power lift us up. No matter how much our interior progress is ordered, nothing will come of it unless accompanied by divine aid. Divine aid is available to those who seek it from their hearts, humbly and devoutly; and this means to sigh for it in this valley of tears, through fervent prayer. Prayer, then, is the mother and source of the ascent. Dionysius, therefore, in his book Mystical Theology, wishing to instruct us in mystical ecstasy, places a prayer at the outset. Let us pray, therefore, and say to the Lord our God: Lead me, Lord, in your path, and I will enter in your truth. Let my heart rejoice that it may fear your name.

REFLECTION

St. Bonaventure encourages us to seek the greatest happiness which comes from arriving at the highest good. This requires us to rise above ourselves which is only possible if One above us lifts us up. The desire to reach the highest good is already welling up from the depths of our hearts. It can only arrive at its destiny with the help of God. Sometimes we struggle with ambivalence when we feel this desire. It puts us in a place of dependency, because we cannot realize our desire on our own. That ambivalence may lead us to shut down our desire. Sometimes this is why we numb ourselves with distractions. In other cases we try to fulfill that desire on our own, which leads to other forms of self-indulgence and sin. To feel the desire is also to feel our powerlessness to fulfill it. It is truly to sigh, as St. Bonaventure said, crying out to God, asking His help and waiting for His timing. This stretches our hearts. Let us ask ourselves, “Am I in touch with my deepest desire? Do I allow myself to cry out for God from that deep desire? Do I let myself feel my helplessness in this vale of tears? Lead me, Lord, in your path, and I will enter in your truth. Let my heart rejoice that it may fear your name.”

PRAYERS

Litany of the Wounded Heart
Radiating Christ

Consecration to the Heart of Jesus Through the Hearts of Mary and Joseph

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey

RADIATING CHRIST
St. John Henry Newman

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance wherever I go.
Flood my soul with Your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly, that my life may only be a radiance of Yours.
Shine through me, and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Your presence in my soul.
Let them look up and see no longer me, but only Jesus!
Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as You shine, so to shine as to be a light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from You; none of it will be mine.
It will be you, shining on others through me.
Let me thus praise You the way You love best, by shining on those around me.
Let me preach You without preaching, not by words but by my example, by the catching force of the sympathetic influence of what I do, the evident fullness of the love my heart bears to You.
Amen.

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LITANY OF THE WOUNDED HEART
Souls and Hearts

Lord Jesus, you created me in love and for love. Bring me to a place of vulnerability within the safety of your loving arms. Help me today by transforming my wounded heart into a heart that can love you, myself, and my neighbor as you intend.

Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its sufferings.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its doubts.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its hurts.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its fears.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its burdens.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its hope, and all its lack of hope.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its joy, and all its lack of joy.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its love, and all its lack of love.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.

When I feel unseen, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel unheard, Lord, have mercy.
When I believe I’m not good enough, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel inferior, Lord, have mercy.
When I doubt my worth, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel devalued, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel exposed, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel humiliated, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel discouraged, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel lonely, Lord, have mercy.
When my feelings overwhelm me, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel I’m too much, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel unlovable, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel despair, Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, I know you love me in all my wounds, Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, consoler of my sorrow, open my heart.
Jesus, most tender, open my heart.
Jesus, my dignity, open my heart.
Jesus, my hope, open my heart.
Jesus, you created me in love, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me for love, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me to be loved, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you see my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you know my true heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you comfort my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you treasure my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you encourage my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me as your beloved, hold me in your arms.

Jesus, soothe and comfort my weary heart, I trust in you.
Jesus, see my pain, I trust in you.
Jesus, dispel my despondency, I trust in you.
Jesus, hear my cries, I trust in you.
Jesus, draw close to me, I trust in you.
Jesus, calm my fears, I trust in you.
Jesus, help me see my true worth as a child of God, I trust in you.
Jesus, shine your radiant light on me, I trust in you.
Jesus, hold me in your loving arms, I trust in you.
Jesus, help me love with my whole heart, I trust in you.
Jesus, you created me to love and to be loved, I trust in you.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its love, I trust in you.

Lord, you are the healer of my soul and my heart. I ask that through this prayer you would transform me more and more into the likeness of your precious and sacred heart. Let your kindness and compassion transform my heart and bring me always into the security of your loving embrace. Amen.

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LITANY OF THE CLOSED HEART
Souls and Hearts

Lord Jesus, you created me in love and for love. Bring me to a place of vulnerability within the safety of your loving arms. Help me today by transforming my closed heart into a heart that can love you, myself, and my neighbor as you intend.

Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its sufferings.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its doubts.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its hurts.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its fears.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its burdens.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its hope, and all its lack of hope.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its joy, and all its lack of joy.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its love, and all its lack of love.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.

When I’m withdrawn, Lord, have mercy.
When I’m consumed with worry, Lord, have mercy.
When I numb out, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel cynical, Lord, have mercy.
When I lose trust, Lord, have mercy.
When I’m distracted, Lord, have mercy.
When I try to escape my feelings, Lord, have mercy.
When my body holds my stress, Lord, have mercy.
When I’m under pressure, Lord, have mercy.
When I am filled with anger, Lord, have mercy.
When I become obsessed with tasks, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel the urge to act out, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel ashamed, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel unforgiven, Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, I know you love me in all my wounds, Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, my helper, open my heart.
Jesus, light of my mind, open my heart.
Jesus, my guide, open my heart.
Jesus, my teacher, open my heart.
Jesus, bread of life, open my heart.
Jesus, face of mercy, open my heart.
Jesus, my redeemer, open my heart.
Jesus, my life, open my heart.
Jesus, my desire, open my heart.
Jesus, my comforter, open my heart.
Jesus, my trust, open my heart.
Jesus, my safe haven, open my heart.

Jesus, you created me in love, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me for love, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me to be loved, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you see my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you know my true heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you comfort my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you treasure my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you encourage my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me as your beloved, hold me in your arms.

Jesus, awaken and restore my stony heart, I trust in you.
Jesus, receive my new heart, I trust in you.
Jesus, draw close to me in my struggles, I trust in you.
Jesus, forgive me, I trust in you.
Jesus, give me new life, I trust in you.
Jesus, hold me, I trust in you.
Jesus, contain my stress, I trust in you.
Jesus, relieve the pressure, I trust in you.
Jesus, comfort my pain, I trust in you.
Jesus, help me see that I’m not defined by what I do, I trust in you.
Jesus, let all my actions flow from your love for me, I trust in you.
Jesus, you give meaning to my life, I trust in you.
Jesus, help me love and forgive others, I trust in you.
Jesus, help me embrace my vulnerability, I trust in you.

Lord, you are the healer of my soul and my heart. I ask that through this prayer you would transform me more and more into the likeness of your precious and sacred heart. Let your kindness and compassion transform my heart and bring me always into the security of your loving embrace. Amen.

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LITANY OF THE FEARFUL HEART
Souls and Hearts

Lord Jesus, you created me in love and for love. Bring me to a place of vulnerability within the safety of your loving arms. Help me today by transforming my fearful heart into a heart that can love you, myself, and my neighbor as you intend.

Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its sufferings.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its doubts.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its hurts.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its fears.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its burdens.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its hope, and all its lack of hope.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its joy, and all its lack of joy.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its love, and all its lack of love.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.

When I feel afraid, Lord, have mercy.
When I don’t know how to feel safe, Lord, have mercy.
When life feels chaotic, Lord, have mercy.
When I’m confused, Lord, have mercy.
When I don’t know how to trust, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel hurt, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel unloved, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel disappointed, Lord, have mercy.
When others fail me, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel let down, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel all alone, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel rejected, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel I don’t belong, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel hopeless, Lord, have mercy.
When I’m afraid of being hurt, Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, help me love others when it is difficult.
Jesus, help me pray for those who have hurt me.
Jesus, I know you love me in all my wounds.

Jesus, most compassionate, open my heart.
Jesus, healer of my wounds, open my heart.
Jesus, my shepherd, open my heart.
Jesus, my protector, open my heart.
Jesus, unspeakable love, open my heart.

Jesus, you created me in love, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me for love, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me to be loved, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you see my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you know my true heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you comfort my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you treasure my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you encourage my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me as your beloved, hold me in your arms.

Jesus, you are present with me, I trust in you.
Jesus, you bring me close to you, I trust in you.
Jesus, you walk with me, I trust in you.
Jesus, you accept me, I trust in you.
Jesus, you calm all my fears, I trust in you.
Jesus, you protect me from threats, I trust in you.
Jesus, you delight in me, I trust in you.
Jesus, help me trust you, I trust in you.

Lord, you are the healer of my soul and my heart. I ask that through this prayer you would transform me more and more into the likeness of your precious and sacred heart. Let your kindness and compassion transform my heart and bring me always into the security of your loving embrace. Amen.

Litany of the Wounded Heart, Litany of the Fearful Heart, and Litany of the Closed Heart © 2022 Souls and Hearts, Inc (soulsandhearts.com). Used under the doctrine of fair use (17 U.S.C. g 107) for educational, non-commercial purposes in a school publication. All rights remain with the original copyright holder.

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LITANY OF HEALING AND REPENTANCE IN THE EUCHARIST
Fr. Boniface Hicks, O.S.B.

Jesus, I believe in you.
Jesus, I believe in your Real Presence in the Eucharist.
Jesus, I believe you are here with me.
Jesus, I believe you are in my heart.
Jesus, I believe in your love for me.
Jesus, I believe your love is greater than every sin.
Jesus, I believe your love is greater than all evil.
Jesus, I believe your love can free me from my sin.

For the times I’ve felt abandoned, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love.
For the times I’ve been betrayed, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been rejected, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been forgotten,Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been disappointed, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been let down by the Church, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been lonely, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been desperate, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been lost, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been dejected, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been used, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been neglected, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been starved for love, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been deprived of affirmation, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve lost my way, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve gone astray, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve made the wrong choice, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve felt abandoned, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love.
For the times I’ve been betrayed, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been rejected, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been forgotten, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been disappointed, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been let down by the Church, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been lonely, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been desperate, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been lost, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been dejected, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been used, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been neglected, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been starved for love, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been deprived of affirmation, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve lost my way, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve gone astray, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve made the wrong choice, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love

Whenever I feel unseen, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel ignored, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel unimportant, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel useless, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel alone, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel abandoned, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel like it would be better if I didn’t exist, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel misunderstood, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel used, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel forgotten, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel angry, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel anxious, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel depressed, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel envious, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel lustful, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel afraid, Jesus, come close to me.

For the times I’ve used others, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve failed to see, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve hardened my heart to a person in need, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve failed to do the right thing, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve given in to peer pressure, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve lied when someone needed me to tell the truth, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve looked away when someone needed my help, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve closed my ears to the cries of the helpless, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve chosen comfort over courage, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve turned my back on someone who was hurting, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve ignored my feelings, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve silenced the cry of my heart, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I haven’t been Your mercy for others, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve invalidated my own feelings, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve believed the lies of others, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve repeated the lies of others, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve suppressed righteous anger, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve given up in despair, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve failed to share You with someone who needed You, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve wrongly hid my faith from others, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve misrepresented You in my words and actions, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve caused scandal by my words or actions, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve brought hatred instead of love, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve brought division instead of peace, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve brought gossip instead of charity, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve torn down when I could have built up, please forgive me, Jesus.

When I doubt the power of Your love, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I doubt Your love for me, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I struggle to trust, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I doubt that I am worthy of love, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I doubt that I have a place in anyone’s heart, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I wonder if I am enough, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I doubt I have what it takes, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I feel helpless, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I feel useless, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I doubt that I have anything to offer, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I doubt that I can make a change, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I doubt that my efforts matter, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I feel hopeless, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I want to give up on my neighbor, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I want to give up on my enemy, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I want to give up on the Church, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I want to give up on myself, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I want to give up on You, Jesus, Jesus, help me to believe.

Jesus, I need You.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Jesus, I love You.
V. Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
R. Make my heart like unto Yours.

Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Good Shepherd who rescues the lost. You are the Divine Physician who heals the sick. You are the Savior Who washes away our sin in your Blood. You are the Beloved Son who shares your sonship with us along with the love of the Father. We know that even if we do not feel it, You will continue this work of healing in our hearts. We trust that You love us and desire our wholeness and flourishing. Fill each of our hearts as we worship You and receive You in all Your love in this Holy Eucharist. We make this prayer in Your Name, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Consecration to the Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey

INTRODUCTION

Having emptied our hearts of some of the clutter of the world, we reflect in these days on the importance of the heart. The heart is where we find our real self. We make our ascent to union with God particularly with our heart. The centrality of our heart in Christian spirituality reveals the affective dimension of love and prayer. We learn to pray from the heart, listening to God and even abiding with Him there in the deep interior center of our soul. A prayer of simplicity, of pure receptivity is a prayer of abiding from the heart. We could even say that “I am my heart” and we learn to listen to the thoughts of our hearts. Our Christian faith permeates us our whole being as we learn to see with the eyes of our hearts. This week we focus on our hearts in its movements, thoughts, stillness and as an abiding place for God in the Spirit. We take these days to reconnect with the heart so that we can open our hearts in the coming weeks to the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

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Day 6: The Heart is Where We Find the Real Self

READING 1
Matthew 6:19-21

Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

READING 2
From The Heart: An Analysis of Human and Divine Affectivity by Dietrich von Hildebrand

In order to understand the nature of the heart, we must realize that in many respects the heart is more the real self of the person than his intellect or will.

In the moral sphere it is the will which has the character of a last, valid word. Here the voice of our free spiritual center counts above all. We find the true self primarily in the will. In many other domains, however, it is the heart which is the most intimate part of the person, the core, the real self, rather than the will or the intellect. This is so in the realm of human love: conjugal love, friendship, filial love, parental love. The heart is here not only the true self because love is essentially a voice of the heart; it is also the true self insofar as love aims at the heart of the beloved in a specific way. The lover wants to pour his love into the heart of the beloved, he wants to affect his heart, to fill it with happiness; and only then will he feel that he has really reached the beloved, his very self.

Furthermore, when we love a person and long for a return of our love, it is the heart of the other person which we want to call ours.

REFLECTION

The Second Vatican Council teaches that “man… cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself.”¹ Furthermore we cannot make a sincere gift, unless we are self-possessed. And we cannot be self-possessed unless we have self-knowledge. And, as von Hildebrand explains, this knowledge, possession and gift are matters of the heart. To use Jesus’s image, the heart is where we keep our treasures. And it is in sharing those treasures that we share our hearts.

Our hearts are complicated and the process of self-knowledge and self-possession are ongoing aspects of our human formation. We struggle to know our hearts because we also struggle to accept what we find there. Our dreams, desires, hopes and loves can be too vulnerable, and when we are wounded by rejection and disappointment, they can end up buried beneath disordered desires, distractions, addictions, impulses and compulsions. These areas become shrouded in shame and difficult to face.

This return to the heart is a necessary step towards truly finding ourselves by making a sincere gift of ourselves. And this is a necessary pre-requisite for cultivating deeper intimacy with the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

PRAYERS
Litany of the Wounded Heart
Radiating Christ

1. Gaudium et Spes x 24. ↩︎

Consecration to the Heart of Jesus Through the Hearts of Mary and Joseph

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey

READING 1
Matthew 11:25-27

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

READING 2
From Benedict XVI’s homily to the International Theological Commission (Dec. 1, 2009)

We have heard that our Lord praises the Father because he concealed the great mystery of the Son, the Trinitarian mystery, the Christological mystery from the wise and the learned, from those who did not recognize him. Instead he revealed it to children, the nèpioi, to those who are not learned, who are not very cultured. It was to them that this great mystery was revealed.

… [I]n our time there have also been “little ones” who have understood this mystery. Let us think of St Bernadette Soubirous; of St Thérèse of Lisieux, with her new interpretation of the Bible that is “non-scientific” but goes to the heart of Sacred Scripture; of the saints and blessed of our time: St Josephine Bakhita, Bl. Teresa of Calcutta and St Damien de Veuster. We could list so many!

But from all this the question arises: “Why should this be so?” Is Christianity the religion of the foolish, of people with no culture or who are uneducated? Is faith extinguished where reason is kindled? How can this be explained? Perhaps we should take another look at history. What Jesus said, what can be noted in all the centuries, is true. Nevertheless, there is a “type” of lowly person who is also learned. Our Lady stood beneath the Cross, the humble handmaid of the Lord and the great woman illumined by God. And John was there too, a fisherman from the Sea of Galilee. He is the John whom the Church was right to call “the theologian”, for he was really able to see the mystery of God and proclaim it: eagled-eyed he entered into the inaccessible light of the divine mystery. So it was too that after his Resurrection, the Lord, on the road to Damascus, touches the heart of Saul, one of those learned people who cannot see. He himself, in his First Letter to Timothy, writes that he was “acting ignorantly” at that time, despite his knowledge. But the Risen One touches him: he is blinded. Yet at the same time, he truly gains sight; he begins to see. The great scholar becomes a “little one” and for this very reason perceives the folly of God as wisdom, a wisdom far greater than all human wisdom.

We could continue to interpret the holy story in this way. Just one more observation. These erudite terms, sofòi and sinetòi, in the First Reading are used in a different way. Here sofia and sìnesis are gifts of the Holy Spirit which descend upon the Messiah, upon Christ. What does this mean? It turns out that there is a dual use of reason and a dual way of being either wise or little….

Then there is the other way of using reason, of being wise—that of the man who recognizes who he is; he recognizes the proper measure and greatness of God, opening himself in humility to the newness of God’s action. It is in this way, precisely by accepting his own smallness, making himself little as he really is, that he arrives at the truth. Thus reason too can express all its possibilities; it is not extinguished but rather grows and becomes greater. Sofìa and sìnesis in this context do not exclude one from the mystery that is real communion with the Lord, in whom reside wisdom and knowledge and their truth.

Let us now pray that the Lord will give us true humility. May he give us the grace of being little in order to be truly wise; may he illumine us, enable us to see his mystery in the joy of the Holy Spirit.

REFLECTION

We empty our hearts by embracing simplicity with a childlike faith. This is the path to true wisdom, to having a heart that can truly see. In seeking truth we do not need to be great scholars, but to approach divine revelation with humble trust, opening our hearts to the Lord in love. As St. Paul said, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor 8:1). Pope Benedict XVI tells us to beware of being puffed up, of having hearts that are bloated by a false self-perception that overestimates our greatness and underestimates the greatness of God. Let us ask ourselves, “How do I approach the Scripture? My studies? My relationship with God? My ministry? Am I puffed up? Am I building up? How can I be more like the little ones so that I may be truly wise?”

PRAYERS

Prayer of Abandonment by St. Charles de Foucauld
Litany of Trust

Consecration to the Heart of Jesus Through the Hearts of Mary and Joseph

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey