Virgo Potens

2 of 2 Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ~ June 20th Are you suspicious, easily offended, and punctilious about all things that concern your honour and dignity? I am not speaking now of that honour which is founded on virtue, but of that despicable honour which depends on the opinion of the world. What value do you set upon this honour? Do you take offence easily, considering yourself injured by every little adverse word, every slight that you receive from others, becoming angry and irritated, nourishing aversion and rancour, demanding humble apologies and satisfaction, and showing yourself unforgiving, irreconcilable towards them: fearing to lose your dignity, if you consented to make peace like a good Christian? If such be the case, where is your humility, either of knowledge or affection, which is necessary for your salvation? ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).

“He that feareth man, shall quickly fall: he that trusteth in the Lord, shall be set on high.” Proverbs 29:25 Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ~ June 20th 125. It is this humility of affection, this humility of the heart taught us by Jesus Christ, which makes us as little children, and enables us to enter into the kingdom of Heaven. But what shame for you if, when you examine yourself, you find you have not even the shadow of such humility! If you happen to hear that others have spoken uncharitably of you, and maligned you, are you not perturbed, disquieted, grieved, displeased, distressed? How you resent it when you think some one has wronged you or not treated you with proper respect! (continued)

2 of 2 The Disappointments of the Sacred Heart 2. Yet how often the brilliant promise comes to nothing, or next to nothing. The soul which might have risen to a high degree of sanctity and enjoying continual peace and joy, is still battling with passion, anger, sloth, impatience, self-indulgence, vanity, distastes for the things of God, jealousy and ill-feeling, uncharitableness in thought and word. How is it that so little progress has been made? How is it that the Sacred Heart of Jesus has been disappointed of His desire for a complete possession of the heart that He loved? 3. Alas! it is the old story. Unfaithfulness to grace in little things. He spoke plainly enough, asking for some little sacrifice, and was refused. He asked again and another refusal. At length He ceased to ask, or the unfaithful soul ceased to hear His voice. What a sad disappointment for Him! What an irreparable loss for the soul that was thus ungrateful to the invitations of her Divine Spouse! Is not this my case? ~ Rev. Richard F. Clarke, S.J., The Devout Year (1893)

Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ✧✿✿✧❁❁✧✿✿✧ The Disappointments of the Sacred Heart 1. We often see a morning that opens bright and fair, clouded over before midday, and the afternoon dark and gloomy, ending in storm and desolation. So, too, there is many a life that opens with the happiest promise; a natural attraction to piety, great graces, good influences, an amicable character give hopes that he to whom these privileges are given will turn out an eminent servant of God, and love with an ever-increasing devotion the Sacred Heart of Jesus. (continued)

Sayings of the Saints "I understand that the devotion to the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts is the last effort of His Love during the latter times." ~ St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, pray for us.

2 of 2 Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ~ June 19th And since, far from loving self-abasement, you have such a desire to gain the esteem of others, you belong truly to those proud sons of Adam, of whom the Prophet cried: “Why do you love vanity and seek after lying?” [Ps. iv, 3] Confess the truth to your own conscience, that you have more pride than humility, and that you love vanity better than truth. ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).

Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lies. ~ St. Vincent de Paul Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ~ June 19th [124. continued] How far you are from that humility of affection! How you fear lest any of your faults should be revealed, and how many excuses and justifications you make, in order that this imputation of a fault which you have really committed may not diminish the esteem in which others hold you. In order to be more esteemed, you try to show your ability and talent, and if you have but little ability and little talent, how often you pretend you have more in the hope of being esteemed still more! (continued)

Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lies. ~ St. Vincent de Paul Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ~ June 19th [124. continued] How far you are from that humility of affection! How you fear lest any of your faults should be revealed, and how many excuses and justifications you make, in order that this imputation of a fault which you have really committed may not diminish the esteem in which others hold you. In order to be more esteemed, you try to show your ability and talent, and if you have but little ability and little talent, how often you pretend you have more in the hope of being esteemed still more! (continued)

2 of 2 The Gratitude of the Sacred Heart 2. To those who love Jesus He imparts a sweetness and joy which makes all the joys of earth seem paltry and contemptible. If He sends trials to those who love Him, it is only that He may have an excuse for giving them a greater reward hereafter, and even with the trials He mixes so much peace and lightness of heart that the saints pray for more trials and more sufferings. 3. But what is the gratitude of the Sacred Heart in heaven? Words cannot express it, our hearts cannot imagine it. We shall enter into the joy of Our Lord, that is, He will share with us His own unspeakable happiness. Nay, He Himself will come forth and serve His elect, to prove His exceeding gratitude to every faithful servant. O Jesus, may I be one of those thus honored! May I earn Thy Divine gratitude by my love and my obedience! ~ Rev. Richard F. Clarke, S.J., The Devout Year (1893)

Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ✧✿✿✧❁❁✧✿✿✧ The Gratitude of the Sacred Heart 1. There was never anyone so grateful for every little act of kindness as Jesus Christ while He was on earth. The woman of Samaria gave Him a drink of water, and in return He gave her the grace of eternal life. Zacheus left his business to see Him, and in return salvation came to all his house. St. Mary Magdalen poured upon His head a little box of ointment, and her gift obtained for her a name as long as the world shall last, and an everlasting reward in heaven. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the same now; still grateful for the smallest sacrifice, for each thought of affectionate remembrance. (continued)

2 of 2 Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ~ June 18th “This is of necessity, that is of the will,” says St. Bernard, and he adds: “I fear lest in some respects that he whom truth humbles, the will should extol.” [Serm. 42 in Cant.] Take heed lest, while you do not esteem yourself, you should still wish to be esteemed by others. This would be to love something that does not exist, to love a lie.” (continued) ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).

To possess a grain of true humility is to possess a treasure and money that can buy heaven and the heart of God. ~ St. Jane Frances de Chantal Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ~ June 18th 124. The humility of affection consists in the recognition that we are more miserable than any one else, and to love to be regarded as such by others. To be vile and abject in our own eyes through the knowledge that we have of ourselves is the humility of necessity, to which we are compelled by the obvious truth of it; but to have a sincere desire to be looked upon as vile and abject by others, this is true and virtuous humility of the heart. (continued)

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee. EFFICACIOUS NOVENA to the SACRED HEART of JESUS Begins today at Christus Regnat ~ https://t.me/RexUniversi

O SACRED HEART, LET ALL THE EARTH Hymn O Sacred Heart, let all the earth Join with the heavens above, And every voice with sweetest notes Proclaim thy deathless love. Come, Christians, come, and see how sin The Lord of love has slain; Crave pardon of his Sacred Heart, And never sin again. Sweet, patient, kind and loving Lord, My sins have wounded Thee; O take me to thy Sacred Heart, Its Love will pardon me. O Christians, see what previous wounds For love your Saviour bore; Take refuge in His Sacred Heart, And you will sin no more. Friendless I stand beside thy cross, In guilt and misery, O take me to they wounded Heart, Its Love will comfort me. Come, Christians, come and see what sin Against your Lord could do; Then look into his Heart, and see What He hath done for you. Amen. ~ The Catholic Hymnal (1885)

2 of 2 The Cravings of the Sacred Heart 2. What sort of a love does He ask for? What are its marks if it is to satisfy Him? (1) It must be a love of obedience. If you love Me keep My commandments. It must obey each whispered inspiration, it must have no will save His. (2) It must be a generous love, a love that rejoices in making some sacrifice for Him. A love which counts it a joy to follow in His footsteps and to suffer for Him. (3) It must be a love of compassion. It must grieve at all that grieves Him. It must lament over the sins of others. It must seek to make reparation in some way or other for all the coldness and ingratitude of men. 3. How am I to know whether my love is one that at all satisfies the desires of the Sacred Heart? There is one certain test: when self contests my obedience with Jesus, whom do I obey? When self-love resents some injury do I indulge it? When self craves some pleasure which Jesus asks me to forego, do I listen to self or to the gentle voice of the Sacred Heart of Jesus? ~ Rev. Richard F. Clarke, S.J., The Devout Year (1893)

Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ✧✿✿✧❁❁✧✿✿✧ The Cravings of the Sacred Heart 1. What is it that we desire one and all with a strong desire? It is to be loved. The Heart of Jesus does not differ in this respect from the hearts of ordinary men. He, too, longs for love. While on earth, the bitterest pang of His Sacred Heart was that He came to His own, and they refused Him their love. He still desires our love. He still cries out to each of us from His Cross, I thirst—I thirst for your love. Alas! how faintly I have loved in return. (continued)

2 of 2 Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ~ June 17th The first reason is to consider in our hearts what really belongs to us, namely, malice and wickedness, and to consider what our neighbour possesses that is of God, namely, his innumerable benefits. The second is to consider some particular good quality which that person may have and which we have not. The third is to recognize some fault in ourselves which that other person has not. The fourth is to possess a wise fear that there may be some secret pride within us which corrupts our holiest actions, and that we may be mistaken in the opinion we have of ourselves, imagining ourselves to be virtuous when we are not. [2a 2æ, qu. clxi, art. 3 in 4; dist. 25, qu. ii, art. 3 ad 2] ~ Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (1660-1753), Humility of Heart. Tr. Herbert Cardinal Vaughan (1903).

Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ~ June 17th [123. continued] When St. Paul teaches us that in holy humility we must believe all others to be better than ourselves, he also teaches us the way to accomplish this, namely, not by considering the good we have in ourselves, but that which others have or may have, “each one not considering the things that are his own, but those that are other men’s.” [Phil. ii, 4] Upon this St. Thomas founds this doctrine that all the evil that is in man, and is done by man, comes from man, and all the good that is in man and is done by man comes from God; and he says that for four reasons we may unhesitatingly affirm that everyone is better than we are. (continued)

2 of 2 O JESUS, OPEN WIDE THY HEART 3. O sweetest Jesus, how do we For all this make return? Do we give love for love to Thee, Or all Thy mercies spurn? Alas, our heart’s are icy cold, Our souls are sinful still; We pierce Thy Heart for pride or gold, We rob Thee of our will. 4. And still with Thy most tender Heart Thou lovest us so well, That Thou from us wilt ne'er depart, But on our altars dwell. There rises up with morning’s breath The saving sacrifice, In holy mem’ry of the death That opened Paridise. 5. O Jesus, meek and merciful, To Thee my soul I turn; Thou wilt not crush the bruised reed, Nor contrite spirit spurn. Then take me to Thy sacred Heart, And seal the entrance o’er, That from this home my wayward soul May wander nevermore. ~ “Hosanna" Catholic Hymn Book (1910)