THE SACRED HEART/APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER MOVEMENT (A.K. Matovu, PRESIDENT.) Way back in 1844, FR.FRANCIS X. GAUTRELETS realized the need of encouraging his seminary students to offer their prayers and good works in a prayer apostolate, while centering on the love of Christ. They assimilated the practice of self daily offering to Christ, in that they could be apostles even when they were at the seminary, carrying on their studies. Before long, many other people joined the seminarians in offering themselves each day to Christ, with the motive of love. Later in 1860, FR.GAUTRELET’S group merged with the league of the sacred heart of FR. HENRI RAMIÈRE who gave the whole movement a definite structure and transformed it into a world wide organization. Since then, it has spread like a bush fire since it offered a plan of life that no one could hardly reject and bear not to follow. The popes have acknowledged and praised the association exceedingly, and have for many decades entrusted their prayer intentions (both general and mission intentions) to the apostleship of prayer. These prayer intentions are also publicized and distributed by the apostleship of prayer in each country and it holds the position of a “pious association.” The apostleship of prayer, according to POPE PIUS is the “most perfect form of devotion to the sacred heart.” To be devoted is to give one’s self without reserve to another person or to a cause. Therefore when we speak of the devotion to the sacred heart, we refer to a doctrinal cult by which we worship the person of Jesus Christ, considered in his heart and all that his heart symbolizes. Every devotional practice approved by the church is based on a doctrine (revealed truth of faith), thus the devotion to the sacred heart rests upon this quotation from the Bible that; “God is love” (1John 4:16). Since JESUS is God and the heart is a symbol of love, we have therefore a reason of honoring the person of Jesus in this devotion. Thus, the “sacred heart” means the Christ who loves us. Pictures or statues of the sacred heart depict how God loves us and how much we should love him in return. The crown of thorns is around his heart and not his head to indicate that His immense love for man was the cause of all his suffering. The cross implanted in his heart reminds us of his interior sufferings-the humiliations, sorrows and the contempt he was submitted to even before he died on the cross. The wound in his heart was made by the centurion’s lance and signifies in this human way what sin does to him. The flames indicate the intensity of his love for all men. We should also not be lied to that the devotion to the sacred heart is not any where in the bible since it is impossible to read our lord’s last discussion, as recorded by St. John in chapters 14 and 17 and fail to recognize that it was founded on the words of Christ. While addressing his father, he concluded this heart-to-heart talk with his disciples as follows; “to them I have revealed your name, and I will continue to reveal it so that your love for me may live in them, and I may live in them.” (John 17:26). Having known him, it is therefore necessary to show the love we have for him, which lives within us. There is nothing wrong with the relationship you share with him (right now) provided you are knocked from your horse like Paul, and blinded outside Damascus, and have your eyes opened at Emmaus. Let us be ready always to say that, “HEART OF JESUS BURNING WITH LOVE FOR US, SET OUR HEARTS ON FIRE WITH LOVE FOR YOU.”
Posted on: Tue, 25 Feb 2014 15:19:22 +0000
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