The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a special religious devotion to the physical heart of Christ as a holy symbol of divine love. It is a central theme in Catholic spirituality and is almost always depicted in art and iconography as a flaming heart, sometimes surmounted by the Cross, often with a crown of thorns and nails piercing it.
The devotion to the Sacred Heart is associated with reflections on the love of God as revealed in the Gospels, particularly the Gospel according to St. John. It is also connected to the devotion to the Sacred Humanity of Jesus, which emphasizes the humanity of Jesus, including His physical heart, as a means of experiencing His divine love.
In addition to being an object of personal devotion, the Sacred Heart is often depicted in icons, paintings, sculptures, and other forms of artistic expression. The celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart is one of the special devotions in the Church of Jerusalem.
Consecration to the Sacred Heart
I give myself and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ, my person and my life, my actions, pains and sufferings, so that I may be unwilling to make use of any part of my being other than to honour, love and glorify the Sacred Heart. This is my unchanging purpose, namely, to be all His, and to do all things for the love of Him, at the same time renouncing with all my heart whatever is displeasing to Him. I therefore take You, O Sacred heart, to be the only object of my love, the guardian of my life, my assurance of salvation, the remedy of my weaknesses and inconsistencies, the atonement for all the faults of my life and my sure refuge at the hour of death.
Be then, O Heart of goodness, my justification before God the Father, and turn away from me the strokes of his righteous anger. O Heart of love, I put all my confidence in You, for I fear everything from my own wickedness and frailty, but I hope for all things from Your goodness and bounty.
Remove from me all that can displease You or resist Your holy will; let your pure love imprint Your image so deeply upon my heart, that I shall never be able to forget You or to be separated from You.
May I obtain from all Your loving kindness the grace of having my name written in Your Heart, for in You I desire to place all my happiness and glory, living and dying in bondage to You.
Amen.