Healing Promises: The Essential Guide to the Sacred Heart

By Anne Costa

Our human hearts were made to love and to be love; to give and receive love. Every beat of every heart is made possible through a God who IS love. But did you also know that the very heart of God beats just for you? That is what Jesus said when He spoke to St. Margaret Mary Alocoque, Apostle of the Heart of Jesus, and revealed His enflamed heart to her.

The revelation of His heart is what we have come to know as the Sacred Heart of Jesus; one of the most recognizable images and symbols of our Catholic faith—but one of the least understood devotions of our day. We may know the image, but have yet to experience the depths of the "hidden" love story behind it.

In Healing Promises, you will learn about the many ways to express devotion to the Sacred Heart as well as the history and relevance of the Sacred Heart for our lives today. You will also hear from saints, popes and ordinary people who have been touched by the Heart of Jesus.

Healing Promises is truly a treasure trove of resources and inspiration for anyone who wants to learn more about the Sacred Heart of Jesus. You'll learn about the history and foundation of the Sacred Heart devotion as we know it today and the 12 promises Jesus revealed to St. Margaret Mary Alocoque in private revelation. You'll find prayers for the enthronement ceremony, reflections and practical ways you can apply the Sacred Heart devotion to your life. Author Anne Costa even provides a list of resources and recommended reading to help you take your devotion to the Sacred Heart even further.

Christ's fidelity to the promises He offers through the Sacred Heart devotion is perhaps the best kept secret of our faith in these times. Journey to the center of His Heart, where His promises are real and his message will always be: You are not alone. You are loved!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9781635823196

Book preview

HEALING PROMISES

Title

Dedicated to Gloria Anson

and her Jack

and

all little souls devoted to

the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O my Jesus and my Love, take all that I have and all that I am, and possess me to the full extent of Thy good pleasure, since all I have is Thine without reserve. Transform me entirely into Thyself, so that I may no longer be able to separate myself from Thee for a single moment, and that I may no longer act but by the impulse of Thy pure love.¹

—ST. MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE

Contents

FOREWORD by Gloria Anson

INTRODUCTION

PART I: His Heart Revealed

Chapter One: The Story of His Heart

Chapter Two: St. Margaret Mary: Apostle of His Heart

PART II: The Devotion

Chapter Three: Consecration and Reparation: The Foundation

Chapter Four: Prayer: The First Essential

Chapter Five: The Eucharist

Chapter Six: Solemnities and Feasts

Chapter Seven: Enthronement of the Sacred Heart

Chapter Eight: Mary, Mother of the Sacred Heart

Chapter Nine: Divine Mercy and the Sacred Heart

Chapter Ten: A Devotion for All Times

PART III: A Heart Full of Promises

Chapter Eleven: The Promises

Chapter Twelve: A Promise of Grace

I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.

Chapter Thirteen: A Promise of Peace

I will establish peace in their homes.

Chapter Fourteen: A Promise of Comfort

I will comfort them in all their afflictions.

Chapter Fifteen: A Promise of Refuge

I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.

Chapter Sixteen: A Promise of Abundant Blessings

I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.

Chapter Seventeen: A Promise of Mercy

Sinners will find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.

Chapter Eighteen: A Promise of Fervent Faith

Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.

Chapter Nineteen: A Promise of Perfection

Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.

Chapter Twenty: A Promise of Faithfulness

I will bless every place in which an image of my Heart is exposed and honored.

Chapter Twenty-One: A Priestly Promise

I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.

Chapter Twenty-Two: A Promise for Promoters

Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart.

Chapter Twenty-Three: A Promise of Divine Grace

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 their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

EPILOGUE: The Triumph of His Love

APPENDIX ONE: Preparing for Your Enthronement of the Sacred Heart

APPENDIX TWO: The Enthronement Ceremony for Families

APPENDIX THREE: Devotional Prayers

APPENDIX FOUR: Prayers for Special Circumstances

RESOURCES AND MINISTRIES

RECOMMENDED READING

NOTES

Foreword

Healing Promises: An Essential Guide to the Sacred Heart of Jesus will draw everyone who reads it into a deeper relationship with God, a greater understanding of his love for us, and a desire to want to love him in return. She brings the reader on a journey—a journey of the heart. The reason that many do not love Jesus is because they do not know him and the thoughts of his Heart for all generations.

The power of Anne’s introduction whets our appetite to want to know more and this book is the more!

The signs of our times bid us to read this book, for Anne is sharing with us the answer to the problems of today with the promises of the Sacred Heart. She puts flesh on the promises through the stories of so many who have experienced this devotion in a profoundly personal way.

I have been in this work of promoting love of the Sacred Heart through the Enthronement for forty-three years, across the country and beyond. I feel honored to recommend this book to you, for it presents to us the remedy for these times. How timely is this book!

Congratulations, Anne. You have done your work well!

—GLORIA ANSON, president of Sacred Heart Apostolate, Inc.,

a global movement for creating a civilization of

love through the Enthronement

Introduction

Our human hearts were made to love and to be loved, to give and receive love. Every beat of every heart is made possible through a God who is love. But do you know that the very heart of God also beats for you? That is what Jesus said to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Apostle of the Heart of Jesus, as he revealed his enflamed heart to her: Behold this Heart which has so loved men as to spare Itself nothing, even to exhausting and consuming Itself, to testify to them Its love.¹

This revelation is what we have come to know as the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is one of the most recognizable devotions of our Catholic faith yet one of the least understood. Many Catholics know the image but have yet to experience the depths of the love story behind it. Christ’s fidelity to the promises he offers through this devotion is perhaps the best-kept secret of our faith in these times. In particular, the graces that flow from enthronement of the Sacred Heart are being missed by far too many today.

I must admit that when I was first asked to write a book about the Sacred Heart, I panicked. I wondered how anyone could convey the unfathomable richness of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And at times, it has been like trying to contain the ocean in a thimble!

In addition, when I first started writing this book, I had only recently been introduced to the devotion and the world of Jesus’s heart. I was a true beginner, just as you might be right now. But as the project unfolded, it became very clear that this was not my story but his. He is on a quest to reveal his heart for all eternity, and this book is another chapter in that ageless love story.

I can say, without a doubt, that coming to know the Sacred Heart of Jesus has changed my life. Once I was drawn in and filled with a longing to know and love Jesus more and more, another ardent desire occupied my heart—to share this Heart with others.

Others who have embraced this devotion have found that the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a secure refuge and a source of true peace in the midst of the pressures and chaos of modern life. As one woman remarked, His heart is our hope! And never have we needed that hope more than we do right now.

In a world where people look for love in all the wrong places— settling for second-rate substitutes that can result in addictions, family strife, depression, and suicide—Jesus shows us a way. He is the answer to all our questions, no matter what our age or state of life. He offers solace to those aching for relief. He offers truth to young people who are searching for deeper meaning and security. He restores the dignity and moral center of those who are looking for life and see only death. To each of these weary souls, Jesus says: Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest…learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28–29).

Jesus also cries out, Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the Scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water’ (John 7:37–38).

These living waters that flow from within Jesus come straight from his pierced and Sacred Heart. That perfect and passionate heart was punctured by a lance as he hung on the cross for our sins. It was at that moment that Love won out. The Church was born from the wounded heart of the Redeemer.² For all time, Jesus empties himself in love for you and for me, at the same time longing and thirsting for some small return. Our devotion to his Sacred Heart is that return.

There are many ways to express devotion to the Sacred Heart. In this book you will learn about them, about the history of this devotion, and about the relevance of the Sacred Heart for our lives today. You will hear from saints, popes, and ordinary people like you and me who have been touched by the Heart of Jesus. Many have shared their stories with me, and I am privileged to share them with you here.

In an effort to preserve the privacy of those who have shared, some names and identifying facts have been changed (without compromising the heart of the message). Each story highlights some aspect of the graces and blessings that flow from a devotion to the Sacred Heart. As one priest said, It’s so simple! Yet it is so profound to fall in love with the heart of Jesus!

The first part of the book lays out the history and foundation of the Sacred Heart devotion as we know it today. Our encounter with Jesus’s heart, as it is revealed in Scripture, provides a foundation for the rest of the book. The second part explores various aspects of the devotion—prayer, the Eucharist, feast days, and more. We will also look at the relationship between the devotion to the Sacred Heart and those of Divine Mercy and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Part III covers the twelve promises that Jesus gave to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in private revelation. I pray that you will come to know and trust in these promises and experience the graces Jesus extends so faithfully and generously to those who are devoted to his Sacred Heart. For when we consecrate ourselves to his heart, we enter into a whole new way of life.

Throughout this book there are Heart Notes to encourage further reflection and practical ways to bring the Sacred Heart devotion to your life.

Finally, I look forward to sharing with you one of the Sacred Heart devotions that has come to mean so much to me, the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart. In appendix two, you will find a sample enthronement ceremony associated with the ninth promise of the Sacred Heart, to bless those places wherein the image of my Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored.

Additional appendices include prayers associated with the Sacred Heart devotion, as well as prayers for special circumstances. I have also included a list of organizations and apostolates that are affiliated with or promote devotion to the Sacred Heart. A recommended reading list will aid your further study in the school of Jesus’s heart.

* * *

There has never been a time when we have needed his love more than we do right now. Families are hurting; people are lonely and confused; as the world can be a very scary place sometimes. Many are on a desperate search but they don’t know what they are searching for. Yet, just when we think we have reached our end, the story of his Heart begins anew. It is a story of hope, healing, and love.

You are not alone and there is a remedy. Together we will journey to the center of his Heart where his promises are real and his message will always be: You are loved and help is on the way!

In the service of his precious heart,

Anne Costa

Part One

His

Heart

Revealed

Chapter One

The Story of His Heart

The adorable Heart of Jesus wills to establish its reign of love in every heart, so as to overthrow that of Satan. It seems to me that He so greatly desires this that He promises great rewards to those who, with good will and in good earnest, devote themselves to it, according to the means and to the light He grants them.¹

—ST. MARGARET MARY

Do you remember your first awareness or experience of feeling loved? Maybe you were a child, looking into your mother’s eyes. Or perhaps you were a young adult, completely enraptured by the warmth of someone’s smile. Maybe there was a teacher who communicated love, or a babysitter who made you feel special, or a sister who cared for you. Or perhaps you are someone who is still searching for love.

Even if you have never felt loved or struggled to love, being loved is an ever-present reality and a never-to-be broken promise that flows directly from the heart of God. You are loved, and as St. Augustine said, God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us to love.² Think about that! You are loved exclusively and completely by God. You don’t have to compete for or earn God’s love or be anybody different from who you are, because God is in love with you. His Word is plain: I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you (Jeremiah 31:3).

Through the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we encounter this faithful love of God. Through our devotion to the Sacred Heart, we experience that love in a whole new way. And through the breath of his Holy Spirit, we are inspired to share it with others. In short, devotion to the Sacred Heart is our return for the unfailing love of God. As author James Kubicki clarifies, Sacred Heart devotion isn’t our devotion… It’s God’s devotion to us…because God loved us first [1 John 4:19].³

HIS HEART IN SCRIPTURE

The first mention of an encounter with the heart of Jesus in Scripture is at the visitation. It was then that, tucked away in the womb of Mary, the newly beating heart of Jesus was recognized by his cousin John the Baptist, who leapt for joy in his own mother’s womb. A human heart starts beating at eighteen days after conception, and it would have taken Mary about that amount of time to travel to Elizabeth’s house after the annunciation. The reality of Jesus’s heart was made known at the earliest possible moment by the very one who would announce the Good News of his coming some thirty years later with the words, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near! (Matthew 3:2).

The incredible mystery of the Incarnation is that God willed that a human heart should contain his divine love as a way to be near us and draw us into himself. As we contemplate the beautiful devotion of his heart, we plunge into the depths of the unfathomable love that God has for each one of us. The revelation of God’s heart may be seen in the entire life, ministry, and death of Jesus and in the role that the Blessed Mother plays. From the very beginning, their two hearts have been entwined.

Jesus revealed his heart in his encounters with the poor, the rich, the sick, the lame, and the sinner. He reached out to the Samaritan woman at the well, one whom others shunned (see John 4). He had compassion on the crowd who had been with him for three days and needed food, which he then provided (Matthew 15:32–38). He wept at the tomb of Lazarus before raising him from the dead (John 11).

Then we come to the Last Supper, where Jesus shows his disciples the full nature of his heart and the depth of his love. At this first Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and every one since, Jesus pours out his heart in the Eucharistic banquet. Father Francis Larkin, who has promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart in our times, gives us a beautiful point to ponder:

When you receive Jesus in Communion, like St. John, you can rest your head on His Heart.… Each time you participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus, from His ever open Heart, pours into your heart—provided it is open and receptive—His Holy Spirit, the spirit of understanding, of wisdom, knowledge and especially love. ⁴

St. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, leaned upon the breast of Jesus, close enough to sense the beating of the Savior’s heart. St. Augustine wrote that in these tender moments of closeness, St. John received Divine Wisdom and the sublime secrets from the innermost depth of Our Lord’s Heart.⁵ St. Bede the Venerable stated, Because in Jesus’ breast are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, it was fitting that the one who leaned upon his breast was the one to whom he had granted a larger gift of unique wisdom and knowledge than to the rest.⁶

St. John went on to accompany the Blessed Mother at the foot of the cross, and there Christ gave him the responsibility of caring for her. John was filled with