My Favorite Litany ... Prayer For Today

JMJ    I have always felt a special love for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I ask to be taken in and enfolded in His all-encompassing love, and when I do I really experience a feeling of warmth and protection.  It's a great feeling, and I usually ask Him to enfold not just me, but all of my family, in our struggles to live in this difficult culture.  I went to the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) website and found this, my favorite litany.  It is a wonderful prayer of meditation.  

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In 1899 Pope Leo XIII approved this Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ... This litany is actually a synthesis of several other litanies dating back to the 17th century.  It consists of a total of 33 invocations, one for each year of life of our Lord Jesus Christ. A partial indulgence is attached to this litany.

Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy

Christ, hear us
Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us,  (said after each invocation)
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God, the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, One God,
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father,
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother,
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God,
Heart of Jesus, of Infinite Majesty,
Heart of Jesus, Sacred Temple of God,
Heart of Jesus, Tabernacle of the Most High,
Heart of Jesus, House of God and Gate of Heaven,
Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity,
Heart of Jesus, abode of justice and love,
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love,
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues,
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise,
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts,
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwells the fullness of divinity,
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father was well pleased,
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received,
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills,
Heart of Jesus, patient and most merciful,
Heart of Jesus, enriching all who invoke Thee,
Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness,
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins,
Heart of Jesus, loaded down with opprobrium,
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our offenses,
Heart of Jesus, obedient to death,
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance,
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation,
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection,
Heart of Jesus, our peace and our reconciliation,
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in Thee,
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in Thee,
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the Saints,

Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like unto Thine.Let us pray;

Almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of Thy most beloved Son and upon the praises and satisfaction which He offers Thee in the name of sinners; and to those who implore Thy mercy, in Thy great goodness, grant forgiveness in the name of the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who livest and reignest with Thee forever and ever. Amen.
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Did you notice that this litany offers a partial indulgence?  One of these days I'd like to talk about indulgences ... fascinating concept, usually misunderstood.  I'll do some research to educate myself about them, and not just rely on my childhood understanding.

In The Beginning ...

Don't you just love this painting of Archangel Michael with his foot on Satan's neck?
The saints and their stories in art and oral tradition are part of the joy of being Catholic

JMJ     I am a life-long Catholic, a lover of bad 50's sci-fi movies, great classic films, literature, scary stories and classical music, including classic rock.  I write another blog called ClassicBecky's Brain Food, dedicated to the great old movies of the Golden Age of Hollywood.  Of late, I feel the desire to write about my Faith Trek, " ... to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life, ... to boldly go where no man has gone before."  Yes, it says "man" ... language isn't perfect and never will be.  Sometimes the desire to make language politically correct can have unintentionally funny consequences.  A priest I knew told of an experience he had with a very liberal order of nuns.  He said Mass for them, and during the readings one of the Sisters made a significant change to Paul's gospel, 1 Corinthians:  "When I was a child, I spake as a child ... but when I became a woman I put away childish things."  Considering that Paul, who was speaking about himself, was a man, the priest told me that this must be the first example of a transgender situation in the Bible.  Gave me a good laugh ...

I'm not always to be found at Mass on Sunday -- often I am unable to make it, and sometimes I'm just lazy, for which I always feel guilty.  I'm not particularly social, like the women who participate in pancake breakfasts or festivals.  Those things are great, and I admire people who are able to create that kind of parish fellowship, but I'm not one of them.  My devotion is sort of like that of contemplative nuns -- I sure don't have the calling to live the extraordinary sacrificial life that they do, but I love that type of prayer and try to emulate it.  The rosary is my favorite meditation on the life of Christ, and I try to pray it regularly.  I have doubts and sorrows regarding the failings of the people of the Church, myself included, but no matter how hard it can be sometimes to be a faithful Catholic, I just can't get away from it.    I can't do without the Eucharist -- it's as simple as that.  When I don't receive Communion, I feel empty and alone.  No matter what happens with the human factor that causes such distress, I believe that Christ is present in every way in the Mass, which is after all the fundamental point of  being Catholic.

Writing about walking the faith is a good way for me to think through life and faith, and if you are interested, it might do the same thing for you.  Welcome to my little corner of the cyber-world.