During Mass for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus June 12 at the Wisconsin-based Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Cardinal Raymond Burke consecrated the U.S. to the Sacred Heart, inviting spiritual renewal across the country as it celebrates its 250th anniversary.
In his homily, Cardinal Burke told the more than 200 people gathered that the consecration’s fruitfulness involves their personal devotion to Christ, indicating that renewal begins in the home.
“There is no greater gift that we can give to our family and our homeland,” he said, “than the gift of our heart, one with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, through the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.”
“Christ bids us as faithful and grateful citizens to place our hearts, one with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, completely into His glorious, pierced heart,” he added, “so that we may shower the pure and selfless love of Christ upon our nation — so that our hearts may become rivers of living water for our brothers and sisters.”
Cardinal Burke also urged Catholics to entrust their households to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The nation’s consecration, he said, “will be most efficacious to the degree that the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is enthroned, and the image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is enshrined in our homes, asking Christ the King to rule over every heart and every home.”
Cardinal Raymond Burke consecrates nation to the Sacred Heart using Pope Leo XIII's 1899 prayer
After the homily, he led the faithful in the prayer of consecration, kneeling before the altar, behind which hung an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas.
Those gathered prayed the Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart authored in 1899 by Pope Leo XIII:
Most sweet Jesus, redeemer of the human race, look down upon us, humbly prostrate before Your altar. We are Yours and Yours we wish to be; but to be more surely united with You, behold, each one of us freely consecrates himself today to Your Most Sacred Heart.
Many, indeed, have never known You, many too, despising Your precepts, have rejected you. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Your Sacred Heart.
Be You king, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken You, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned You; grant that they may quickly return to their father's house, lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.
Be You king of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of faith, so that soon there may be but one flock and one shepherd.
Be You King also of all those who sit in the ancient superstition of the Gentiles, and refuse not You to deliver them out of darkness into the light and kingdom of God.
Grant, O Lord, to Your Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give peace and order to all nations, and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: Praise to the divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to it be glory and honor forever. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Gospel reading for the Solemnity Mass relates when Christ invites all who are weary to come to Him and rest, proclaiming that “my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” During the homily, Cardinal Burke invited Catholics to contemplate the pierced Heart of Jesus, saying “Christ invites us to come to Him by the means of the image of His divine and human heart,” which is pierced, surrounded with the crown of thorns, and “ever aflame with love for us.”
“He looks upon us with love, drawing us to love Him in return with all our heart,” the cardinal continued. “He looks upon dedicated citizens of our homeland with affection, for He knows the hidden and sometimes little-appreciated service, which the exercise of the virtue of patriotism requires to safeguard the most sacred goods of the nation and to rectify injustices, so that His truth and love may shine forth for the good of all in the church in the world.”
Cardinal Burke noted that throughout the past 250 years, Catholics’ love of their homeland, even to the point of deep sacrifice, has been inspired by faith in God and His love. He also emphasized how the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, provide profound encounters with God’s love. Through the Eucharist, according to the cardinal, Christ’s heart becomes united with the faithful, whose own hearts are in turn purified and strengthened.
“With the help of divine grace pouring forth immeasurably and unceasingly from the heart of Jesus into our hearts, the burden of our mission of pure and selfless love, which seems so formidable, and even at times impossible, becomes possible,” he said. “It becomes, in fact, light.”
Many of those gathered at the Shrine for the Solemnity Mass are also set to attend a patriotic prayer rally, called Zeale for America 250 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, June 13. Cardinal Burke is set to speak at the rally, and in the June 12 homily, he encouraged the faithful to pray for the event, that through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, it will “make faithful and fruitful all its initiatives for the sanctification of our nation.
“May the fruits of today's Holy Mass be manifest in a special way,” he also said, “in tomorrow's prayer rally for our homeland."
Additionally, the cardinal encouraged the faithful to pray, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for God’s blessing “upon our nation and her citizens,” and that the current time of prayer for the country “will strengthen us in the meekness and humility of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the service of all our brothers and sisters in truth and love.”
Devotion to the Sacred Heart and consecrations across the globe
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus dates back to the 17th century, when a French Visitation Sister, Sr. Margaret Mary Alacoque, received three miraculous visions of Our Lord, depicting His heart burning with love and pierced by thorns.
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The U.S. joins countries across the globe that have been consecrated to Jesus’ Sacred Heart. The practice began in the late 19th century when Ecuador became the first nation to make this solemn act in 1874. Predominantly Catholic countries followed, including Ireland, Spain, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, Poland, Brazil, and Costa Rica.
In 1899, Pope Leo XIII, consecrated the entire world to Jesus’ Sacred Heart.
Such acts are in step with the Gospel, particularly in Matthew 28:18-20: “All authority on heaven and earth is given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
The U.S. joined the tradition to mark its 250th anniversary and entrust the future of the nation to Our Lord. The first official act occurred June 11, the eve of the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, when the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops formally consecrated the U.S. to the Sacred Heart. The bishops called on clergy throughout the nation to participate by holding their own consecrations, such as the one in Wisconsin.
President Donald Trump issued a message June 11 joining the U.S. bishops in prayer as they consecrated the nation to the Sacred Heart. Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., also put forth a House resolution June 12 to officially honor the feast.
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