In prayer we come to Him with everything that touches our life,
with the sufferings and hopes of humanity.
(Constitutions, 20)
As apostolic contemplatives, Religious of the Sacred Heart root our lives in prayer. With a mission to discover and reveal the love of God, our spirituality and our mission are based in love. Our contemplative outlook is part of who we are, whether in prayer, in ministry or in our daily lives.
"The contemplative outlook on the world has been a call to be authentic apostles of Christ's love, to help bring to birth a more welcoming world, to make known a God who is great, bountiful and tender. It is a call to educate in such a way that God's plan, God's glory, may become a reality, so that all may grow as brothers and sisters in the inward freedom of the children of God, and have fullness of life." (Superior General Concepcion Camacho, RSCJ)
The pierced Heart of Jesus opens our being to the depths of God and to the anguish of humankind.
(Constitutions, 8)
On these pages, we will share prayers, poems, reflections and artwork that reflect the spirituality of the Society of the Sacred Heart. We hope you will return here periodically for resources appropriate to the liturgical season and our Sacred Heart traditions.
With great gratitude to God for St. Madeleine Sophie and her companions, who began the great adventure of the Society of the Sacred Heart on November 21, 1800. The Society, born amid tumult in France, continues to pray for the tumult today in France and in so many parts of our world.
A story from the book “St. Madeleine Sophie: Her Life and Letters” by Margaret Williams, RSCJ:
Happy Feast of St. Philippine Duchesne. Meg Brudney, head of school at Duchesne Academy in Omaha, Nebraska, offers us a heartfelt reflection on Philippine’s meaning for her and for our world. During these days as we see our world in increasing pain across all boundaries, Philippine can continue to help us deepen our love and work for peace for the whole world and all God’s people.
With love and prayers,
Barb Dawson, Meg Causey, Anne-Marie Conn, Sheila Hammond and Diana Wall
ISAIAH 35:2-6
They will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God, he comes with vindication;
With divine recompense he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
Then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.
The month of November invites us to remember all those who have died, those known to us and those unknown. It is worth considering that we celebrate All Saints and All Souls days, not in spring or summer, but in the fall when nature is letting go, life is moving inward. This is a time for harvesting, for reflection.
In taking this time for reflection, two themes emerge:
During the month of November, the month of remembrance and thanksgiving, we invite you to pray a grace before and after meals (as the Pope suggests in Laudat Si’).
A special element of the grace before meals is an opportunity each day to name a family member or friend, perhaps even a person in the news who has died, and to share what it is about that person that stays with us. Together we can remember and celebrate those who have died, give thanks for how they have touched our lives, and ask God’s blessings on our world, so in need of healing and hope.
Mater. Children of the Sacred Heart love her because she is young and at the beginning of her journey like them. They rub the toe of her shoe for luck and tuck prayer requests into her sewing basket. “Help my grandma who is dying.” “Help me pass my exam.” “Help us win the game.”
If you look closely at this image, Love Ripples, by Mary Stewart, RSCJ, you will see me resting in God’s heart – just there on the right of the center of this Heart – in the darkest, quietest corner. I am not alone. Someone is resting there with me. Is it you?
The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is an important one in the Society of the Sacred Heart, because it was important to Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat. We offer here a contemporary version of Sophie's prayer and a poem by Sister Eve Kavanagh.
When I look at this image, I feel safe and loved. I love the colors, the depth, the vitality, but most of all I love the emotion. I identify with what I perceive as a human figure in the lower right corner, sheltered by the cross and the Sacred Heart. There is warmth emanating from that little corner of the world, and the cross of Jesus, with its sturdy support and fiery center, protects her. In a world that offers too much violence, too much uncertainty, too much casual meanness and self-involvement, how many of us are looking for nothing more than security and love?
Pope Francis has designated September 1 as a Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. We offer the prayer below for your use on this day.
Good and gracious God,
I thank you for the beauty of the earth and all creation.
Help me to hear always the calling to be a good steward of your gifts, the caretaker of all you have entrusted to us on earth.
Let me always recognize, cherish and enjoy the goodness in all of creation.
Teach me reverence for every person and all living things.