Ninth Promise I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honoured.

PROMISES OF THE SACRED HEART

SACRED HEART OF JESUS.

PROMISES OF THE SACRED HEART SERIES.

In this series, there will be posts on the Promises of the Sacred Heart on each First Friday.  I may add further posts on other Fridays as well but for now as it is a new series, let us focus on each promise each month.

THE PROMISES OF OUR LORD.

"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 Friday for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance; they shall not die in my disgrace nor without receiving the sacraments; my divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in that last moment." 

NINTH PROMISE

I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honoured.

Today is the first Friday in September.  Let us consider this ninth promise by Jesus and make it our intention during September.’’

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At first glance, this promise might seem different from the other promises so far in that the image seems to be the important aspect of the image.  Some would say I don’t need to have an image of the Sacred Heart to honour Him. We might even say that this is the easiest promise to implement.

Obviously, Jesus knows human nature better than we do.  It is very easily to be distracted from keeping Jesus first place in our hearts.  We have to earn an income, often be in jobs we really don’t like but do it to keep food on the table for our families.  There can be with even the best of intentions many things ( not necessarily evil but not the best choice) that can pull us towards them. Our focus on Jesus is lost.

If we have an image of the Sacred Heart exposed in our homes, it can serve as a reminder- a glance can become a prayer of petition, of praise, of thankfulness.  It keeps us connected with the one who truly lovely us.

I grew up with a picture of the Sacred Heart on the mantelpiece. The frame is old and the glass which it used to have is long gone.  However, when I sold the family home almost 4 years ago, the picture came with me. There was of course a sentimental aspect to it to remind me of my family home. However, it sits on the mantelpiece in my unit despite it being a bigger picture than what one would normally place there, I have come to love it being there.

There has been many a prayer, a glance, a question and sharing my joy with Jesus when I have looked at it.  Because of its size, I cant miss it but actually I am now glad it is that size- I really cant miss Jesus in my life.

I think this is the point of this promise. Having an image of the Sacred Heart in our homes, although it would be considered so old fashioned by many people, is a reminder of how much love Jesus has for us.

In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives it is great to come home and be reminded every day how much Jesus loves us and to be able to share our homes with Him.

The other thing I have noticed is that when people come to my home it helps them to be respectful as well.  I remember a ''tradie'' telling me that he was about to be less than honest with me but when he saw the picture of the Sacred Heart, he decided that he should not.  I was definitely grateful to Jesus that day because it would have cost me dearly if he had been dishonest.

Many people who visit do not necessarily comment, but they are aware of it and it helps to keep the standard of conversation wholesome and healthy. Who knows whether they offer a prayer too.

So Yes, in my experience Jesus does honour and bless those who expose Him through a sacred image of the Sacred Heart.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
This promise may or may not be easy to implement. It may take some creative thinking to consider how it might be implemented in your family. 

1.  Bring the family together for a meeting in how each individual and as a family may put this into practical application for this month.
2.    Remember to get each member to be specific so that the process of practical application is viable and able to be managed.
3.    Think about how you might apply this promise not only In your own life and family but in your parish and extended world.