The Litany of the Sacred Heart, the best way to understand Christ’s love for men

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Short invocations addressed to God, the Virgin, the saints or a particular saint, the litanies are all punctuated with the request: “Pray for us”. To pray to the rhythm of the litanies is to let oneself be carried and inspired by the virtues of the person to whom they are addressed. This summer Aleteia invites you to (re)discover the five litanies recognized as the official liturgical prayer of the Church. Today the Litany of the Sacred Heart. (4/5)

To pray to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is to contemplate the overflowing love of Christ for men, it is to fix one’s attention on the loving heart of Jesus, infinitely compassionate and merciful. “The Church contemplates the heart of the Savior of humanity and lets herself be guided by him to the depths of the mystery of love where man and God meet,” underlines the Catholic Church.

The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, popularized around 1720 by the Venerable Anne-Madeleine Remuzat, Visitandine nun from Marseille, was a powerful help during the terrible plague which devastated the Phocaean city at that time. Slightly modified by the Sacred Congregation of Rites, they now include 33 invocations which correspond to the 33 years of Christ’s life. They can be divided into three parts: “the fundamental excellences of the Heart of Jesus”, “the pleasantries and attractions of the Heart of Jesus” and “the priority role of the Heart of Jesus”. They were recognized as an official, liturgical prayer for the universal Church on April 2, 1899.

Lord,have mercy on us!O Christ,

have mercy on us!Lord,

have mercy on us!Jesus,

listen to us.Jesus,

hear us.Heavenly Father, who are God,

have mercy on us.Son, Redeemer of the world, who are God,

have mercy on us.Holy Spirit, who are God,

have mercy on us.Holy Trinity, who are one God,

have mercy on us.

Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, united substantially with the Word of God,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty,

have pity on us.Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, house of God and door to heaven,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, fiery furnace of charity,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, sanctuary of justice and love,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, full of love and kindness,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues,

have pity on us.Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, in whom are found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, in whom resides all the fullness of the Divinity,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, object of the Father’s complacency,

have pity on us.Heart of Jesus, whose fullness is poured out on us all,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, the desired of the eternal hills,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, patient and most merciful,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, liberal to all those who call on you,

have pity on us.Heart of Jesus, source of life and holiness,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, full of reproaches,

have pity on us.Heart of Jesus, crushed because of our crimes,

have pity on us.Heart of Jesus, obedient unto death,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, pierced by the spear,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, our life and our resurrection,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, our peace and our reconciliation,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, victim of sinners,

have pity on us.Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in you,

have mercy on us.Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in you,

have pity on us.Heart of Jesus, delight of all saints,

have mercy on us.Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

forgive us, Lord.Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

hear us, Lord.Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, Lord.Jesus Christ,

listen to us.Jesus Christ,

hear us.Jesus, meek and humble of heart,

make our hearts like yours.

Let us pray.Almighty and eternal God, consider the Heart of your beloved Son and the praises and satisfactions he has offered you on behalf of sinners: to those who implore your mercy, kindly grant forgiveness in the name of this even Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord and our God, who reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.

So be it.

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