Novena in preparation for the Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

DAY FIVE
The obstacles which prevent us from deriving fruit from the Devotion to the Sacred Heart

The obstacles that prevent the deriving of fruit from this devotion can be reduced down to four: tepidness, self-love, secret pride and certain unmortified passions.
It is out of these four principles, like four fateful springs, that all the faults and imperfections are born that hinder so many souls in the path of virtue, destroying the best and most generous resolutions which ultimately spoil the fruit of the holiest exercises of devotion.

          a. First Obstacle: Tepidness
The devotion to the Sacred Heart is an exercise of ardent love. The Redeemers Heart asks for pure souls that are capable of His love, ready to receive his favors and go to the grade of perfection that they are destined to. This cannot come to be in those who are tepid. A tepid soul remains in a blind state caused by tyrannous passions, continuous dissipation, the multitude of venial sins it commits and by rejecting the graces of Heaven. As the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a continuous exercise of ardent love, it is clear that tepidness is one of the greatest impediments to fruition.

          b. Self-love
The great difference between spiritual people and those who are not, is that in the latter self-love acts without disguise, while in the former it is less visible and somewhat better disguised. It is necessary to do violence, raise war against the passions. To destroy or at least mortify our self-love to become true disciples of Christ and reach a true love for Him. Jesus will never recognize as true friends of His Heart, those who are too attached to their comforts and who only love themselves. He told us very clearly who his true servants are. “So, therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple”.

          c. Secret pride
One of the greatest obstacles to our perfection is secret pride. If she is overcome, all other enemies would be weakened. Pride is the enemy’s greatest weapon often used in the most subtle way, for example, in our downfalls when we fall into sadness and desolation when we do not succeed; or in our victories when we feel joy and conceit when we are praised and honored. All of these are proofs deep-seated in vanity that motivates us.

The love of Jesus Christ cannot be compatible with a vice, which is so opposed to it. How could this divine Savior who made humility the first of the beatitudes, the foundation of the spiritual life, the first step on the road of virtue–how could He who invites His followers to learn of Him because He is ‘‘meek and humble of heart,’’ be loved by those who resemble Him so little? This sincere humility of spirit and heart constituted the distinctive character of Jesus Christ; it is therefore impossible for us to be animated by His Spirit, and dwell in His Sacred Heart unless we have this true spirit of humility. d.Some unmortified Passion

The fourth obstacle from which the faults that impede or extinguish the love of Jesus Christ and, consequently, the devotion to the Sacred Heart, are certain non-mortified passions that we have kept and that, sooner or later, are usually the fatal cause of a great unhappiness.

Normally we want to give ourselves completely to God and consequently declare war on our vices, but sometimes there is some dominant passion that we reserve; to deceive us without scruples, there is always some good excuse to leave a hiding place in the heart of one of our enemies. But whoever has a great love for Jesus Christ must rid himself of all dominant passions.

Let’s put ourselves in the presence of God to meditate upon these truths. •Ask the grace: to be able to understand our defects and increase our desire to overcome them.
          •Today’s resolution: Let us do an act of renouncement by overcoming laziness in something that costs us.
         •Jaculatory prayer of the day: (to be repeated throughout the day) Glory, Love and gratitude to the Sacred Heart of Jesus!

Novena in preparation for the Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Lord Jesus Christ, the only redeemer of man,
look with love to those of us who are preparing to consecrate ourselves to Your Most Sacred Heart.
Open for us the eternal fount of your mercy,
that flows from your Heart opened on the Cross.
Through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
we want to be always and only yours: in life, in death, and eternity.
Let nothing separate us from your love!
Grant us a heart similar to yours, meek and humble, that listens to you and keeps your commands;
that is nourished of the Word and the Eucharist so that, rooted, edified and transformed in you, we can grow every day in desires of love and reparation to your Heart, pierced by the sins of men and that we can work tirelessly so you can reign in every heart and every society.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in you.
Sweet Immaculate Heart of Mary, be my salvation.
All the angels and saints of God, pray for us.