Preparatory Prayer
Eternal Father, source without source of all life and all love, who in the fullness of time gave us your only-begotten Son so that the world might have life through Him, grant us during these days to penetrate the ineffable mystery of His Sacred Heart.
Holy Spirit, subsistent Love of the Father and the Son, divine fire who searches the depths of God, open the eyes of our soul so that we may contemplate the unfathomable riches enclosed in the Heart of Jesus Christ. Lead us to that source from which grace, mercy, forgiveness, and life flow. Bring us not only to the knowledge, but to the intimacy of that blessed Heart; not only to its contemplation, but to its friendship; not only to its admiration, but to its love. Introduce us into the burning sanctuary of the Heart of Jesus, so that we may learn to live, to suffer, to hope, and to love with Him.
Amen.
Prayer to the Eternal Heart of the Incarnate Word
Sacred Heart of Jesus, eternal Heart of the Word made flesh, before beating in the silence of Nazareth You were already infinitely loved by the Father; before trembling in the manger of Bethlehem You were already the object of the eternal delights of the Trinity; before shedding Your blood upon the Cross You already burned from all eternity in that ocean of love which is the intimate life of God.
Today I wish to approach You with reverence and wonder. I do not come merely to contemplate a pious symbol or a venerable image inherited from my ancestors: I come to contemplate Your Love.
You are the human Heart of God. In You has beaten the most perfect filial love that has ever existed. In You the infinite adoration of the Son toward the Father has found human expression. In You have been united, without confusion, the tenderness of a heart of flesh and the unfathomable depths of divine charity.
Heart of Jesus, when I think of You, I understand that I am not the fruit of chance nor a leaf swept by the winds of history: I have been thought of, desired, and loved from all eternity. Before my mother pronounced my name, You already knew it; before I could seek You, You had already found me; before I loved You, You had loved me first.
How many times have I sought support in human hearts which, though good, were too small to satisfy my thirst for the infinite. How many times have I begged for understanding, affection, security, or consolation where everything was necessarily fragile and fleeting. Yet from the beginning, it was You who awaited me. You were behind all my searches and all my longings. You were the secret of all my hunger for happiness. Make me understand, Lord, that the human heart finds rest only when it rests in Your Heart. Remove from me the illusion of seeking outside of You the fullness that can come only from You.
As I begin this novena, let me not remain on the shores of devotion, but enter into its depths. Make me descend to that hidden sanctuary where the eternal flame of Your love burns.
And when I experience the weariness of my struggles, the poverty of my virtues, the weight of my years, or the sadness of my failures, remind me that there is a place where I will always be awaited: Your Heart. That Heart which knew me before the creation of the world, which loved me before my first heartbeat, and will continue to love me when the last beat of my heart has fallen silent forever on this earth.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You!
Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Immaculate Heart of Mary, masterpiece of the Holy Spirit and purest reflection of the Heart of your Son, lead us to Jesus.
You who kept all His words in your heart, teach us to listen to Him. You who remained beside the Cross when many fled, teach us to remain faithful. You who knew as no one else the joys, the silences, the sufferings, and the secrets of the Heart of Christ, introduce us into His intimacy.
During this novena may we learn to love Him with something of your purity, to serve Him with something of your humility, to follow Him with something of your fidelity. And when our earthly pilgrimage ends, lead us to that open Heart which will forever be our homeland, our rest, and our beatitude.
Amen.