One of the pillars of the Sacred Heart devotion is an act of consecration, whereby an individual entrusts their own heart to the Heart of Jesus.
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was one of the principal saints who promoted such a consecration, and it was intended to unite the Christian faithful more closely to Jesus, looking to the example of St. John the apostle, who “reclined upon [Jesus’] chest during the supper” (John 21:20).
This image of resting upon the Heart of Jesus became a primary motivator behind this devotion, symbolizing a deeper relationship with Jesus.
To consecrate oneself to Jesus Christ is to pledge your life to Jesus Christ, making an intentional promise to reform your life and act with love.
Consecration with the help of Mary
One way to perform this consecration is to invoke the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Pope Benedict XVI reflected on the close connection between the Sacred Heart and the Blessed Mother on the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, when he said, “The heart that resembles that of Christ more than any other is without a doubt the Heart of Mary, his Immaculate Mother, and for this very reason the liturgy holds them up together for our veneration.”
It is fitting to then ask for her help in entrusting our own hearts to the Heart of Jesus.
Here is a consecration prayer from the Manual of the Sacred Heart that incorporates such an invocation and can be prayed on a daily basis.
O Jesus, I consecrate to thee my heart, place it within thine own. It is in thy heart I wish to dwell, through thy heart I wish to love, and in thy heart that I desire to repose, unknown to the world and known to thee alone; it is from this heart of thine that I should draw that ardent love which should consume my own, then I shall find strength, light, courage, and true consolation. When I languish it will animate me, when sad it will give me joy, afflicted and in trouble it will encourage me.
O heart of Jesus, let my heart be the altar of thy love, my tongue publish thy goodness, my eyes be unceasingly fixed on thy wounds, my mind meditate on thy adorable perfections, my memory preserve for ever the precious remembrance of thy mercies; everything in me express my love for thee, O Jesus, and my heart be ever ready to make any sacrifice for thee.
O heart of Mary, after the heart of Jesus, the most loving compassionate and merciful of all hearts, present to the heart of thy Son this my consecration, my love, my resolution. That heart will be softened at the sight of my miseries and deliver me from them and after having been my protectress in this world, O mother of Jesus, be thou my queen in heaven.
