He promised me that all those who are devoted and consecrated
to Him will never be lost. Since He is the source of all blessings,
He will shower them in abundance on every place where a
picture of His divine Heart shall be set up and honored. He will
reunite broken families, will protect and help those who are in
any necessity and those who approach Him with confidence.
— St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
Who is your king? You? Football? Jesus?
On the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, now is the time to reflect on who is our king – whom we put first in our lives.
Our family has been reflecting on putting God first, and, as our 6-year-old says, “Loving Him most.”
She’s been learning about children who are saints – many of them martyrs. On the surface, it might seem too mature to describe the grueling deaths of these young children to our own, but she seems to get it – they loved Jesus so much, they were not afraid of death, and would rather face torture than deny loving Him.
Oh, to have that love. And to have our daughter’s cut-and-dry understanding of our call as Christians – Love God most.
One of the saints our children have been particularly fond of is St. Jose Sanchez del Rio, a teenager who was part of the Mexican Cristero movement. He lived during a time of hostility toward the Catholic Church, and even faced pressure from his own godfather to renounce the faith. Since he would not say, “Death to Jesus Christ,” his godfather ordered his execution: soldiers cut the bottoms of his feet, and forced him to walk to a cemetery, where they sliced and shot him. Some of his final words were, “Viva Cristo Rey” – “Long live Christ the King!”
Oh, to have that love. To have that cut-and dry understanding of our call as Christians – Love God most.
If you can’t honestly say you put God first, above all things, now is the time to make that change. A concrete, tangible way to do this is by formally enthroning Jesus as King of your hearts, your home, and your family through the Sacred Heart Enthronement. (By the way, this is not a sponsored post. I just really love the Sacred Heart Enthronement!)
By enthroning the Sacred Heart of Jesus in your home in a place of honor, not only are there graces bestowed on those who honor Jesus in this way, but the enthronement also serves as an outward sign of your family’s commitment to living the Faith and loving the Lord – to putting Him first, loving Him most.
Did you know that Jesus promised twelve special graces to those who have a devotion to His Sacred Heart?
The twelve promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are these:
- I will give them all the graces necessary in their state
of life. - I will establish peace in their homes.
- I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
- I will be their secure refuge during life and, above all,
in death. - I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their
undertakings. - Sinners will find in my Heart the source and infinite
ocean of mercy. - Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
- Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
- I will bless every place in which an image of my Heart
is exposed and honored. - I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened
hearts. - Those who shall promote this devotion shall have
their names written in my Heart. - 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
the sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe
refuge in this last moment.
Jesus wishes to bestow these graces upon you, if you will accept them and commit to honoring Him as King of your life. The Sacred Heart Enthronement Network has all the resources your family needs to prepare to enthrone Jesus as King of your home. They even offer eight-by-ten-inch images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary. You can get the enthronement preparation kit at WelcomeHisHeart.com.
Long live Christ the King!
