EN - Personal Covenant with Sacred Heart of Jesus

Personal Covenant with Jesus

Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Guidelines for its Celebration in the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network

The consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, is understood in view of a greater apostolic availability.

A personal relationship with Jesus and closeness to His Heart help us to notice and discern his joys and sufferings for the world, and thus hopefully become available at the service of his mission of compassion.

In this sense, we understand the Personal Covenant with Jesus, or Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as a commitment to His mission. This means that the person who makes this commitment becomes available to support the mission of the Pope’s Prayer Network in one’s country and respond to its call.

Personal Covenant with Jesus

Introduction To consecrate your life or make the consecration is to offer your life to the Lord completely, to see our life turned to God totally and definitively, creating with Him a bond of deepest closeness, a covenant. This consecration or covenant is understood and lived as a response of gratitude and commitment, a personal offering to the One who has loved us first and continually creates us and takes care of us. To consecrate is to offer oneself in order to enter into a profound covenant in response to the One who initiates it.

In the Old Testament, we find stories about ritual sacrifices of animals and things that were consecrated with gratitude for benefits received from the Lord. The story about Cain and Abel’s offerings to God is told in Genesis: “In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the soil, while Abel, for his part, brought one of the best firstlings of his flock.” (Gn. 4, 3- 4) The figure of Abraham is a novelty in the context of neighboring peoples who sacrificed their first-born males to their god. Abraham starts a new way revealed by God: “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you. Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey, took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well…

But the Lord’s messenger called to him from heaven ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy,’ said the messenger. I know now how devoted you are to God… As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram… So, he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.”

(Gn. 22, 2-13) Moreover, in the story of the liberation of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, God asks of Moses the consecration of every first-born: “The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Consecrate to me every first-born that opens the womb among the Israelites, both of man and beast, for it belongs to me’.” (Ex. 13, 1-2) In this biblical and historical context, where the sacred and the profane are distinguished, to “consecrate” means to separate the object or the person from the profane in order to devote them totally to God. As it is written in the New Testament, Mary and Joseph went to the Temple to consecrate their son to the Lord according to the Jewish tradition, which asks that they “buy the life” of their son by sacrificing an animal instead of offering him. “When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, “and to offer the sacrifice of ‘a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,’ in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. (Lk. 2, 22-24). The presentation of the first-born male aimed at consecrating every first-born to the Lord following the criteria that every first-born of human, animal, or plants belongs to the Lord. (Ex 13,2). Thus, they were consecrated, meaning that they were separated to be distinguished from the profane, and this separation indicates that they belong completely to the Lord.

With Jesus Christ, this separation between the profane and the sacred disappears, as it is revealed by Himself to the Samaritan woman: “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. (…) But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed, the Father seeks such people to worship him.” (Jn 4, 21.23) In this way, in Jesus Christ there is no more distinction between sacred and profane people, objects, and places. Through the Son, with Him and in Him, everything can be an offering to the Father by the action of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ offered Himself by love for our salvation once for all; and it is through Him, with

Him and in Him that we consecrate and offer our life for our brothers and sisters, and in union with His Life, we could be of help to His mission of compassion for the world. “This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.” (Jn. 10, 17- 18).

The consecration reflected in the figure of Jesus is the gift of our own life for others. “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also everyone for those of others.

Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness.” (Philippians 2, 3-7).

With his whole life, Jesus Christ has given a final meaning to the offering that expresses a total commitment to God. We also find in the Bible the term “Covenant.” Throughout the history, God has renewed his Covenant, first with Noah after the flood, promising him that He would never destroy humanity again; then, with Abraham as His people’s father; with Moses and the liberation of the people from slavery in Egypt: “I will take you as my own people, and you shall have me as your God.” (cf. Ex.19) It is this Covenant that Jesus Christ was going to renew with his death and resurrection, whose memorial we celebrate in the Eucharist.

We can learn the dynamic of the covenant from the one that the Lord makes with Abraham. The covenant that the Lord makes with Abraham is a promise that expresses a binding commitment of God with his creature. This divine promise awakenes in Abraham the desire to be faithful. He commits himself and his offspring to faithfulness, establishing a bond and obligation with God. However, Abraham does not have to make any gesture or action to express this commitment.

The Lord invites him to count the stars and confirm that He is the Creator of heaven and earth, that everything is in his hands, and Abraham like a creature is invited to enter a relationship of confidence with Him. This image reminds us that this promise is pure grace, a boundless gift of God who does not require anything on the part of Abraham. The Covenant is God’s initiative: “My covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations.” (Gen. 17,4)1 In this way, the consecration is understood as a gift of ourselves in response to the Lord’s call, which is His totally free initiative whereby He offers us a relationship of greater closeness and communion with Him. We respond to this covenant by giving our life for our brothers and sisters, in union with His mission of compassion and offering of Himself.

The consecration is an answer to a covenant offered by the Lord. That is why we talk of “Consecrating ourselves or making a covenant.”

1 Nuevo Diccionario de Teología Bíblica, dirigido por P. Rossano, G. Ravasi, A. Girlanda. Adaptación Ediciones Paulinas. 1990.

Pag. 46-48

The Consecration as part of the mission As part of the mission of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, regardless of the modality of participation (in communities, in groups of the Apostleship of Prayer, in EYM or in an individual way) the participants could make the Personal Covenant with Jesus, if they wish to and if they feel called.

In this way, the General Statutes says that personal consecration, or “covenant” with Jesus, is for those who experience a call to live in close union with the Heart of Jesus and in this sense wish to formalize their personal devotion, commitment, and service. Those who consecrate themselves become “apostles of prayer,” and through it they commit themselves to be open and ready to serve the communities of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (including the Eucharistic Youth Movement), in the mission of the local Church. Consecration, or covenant with Jesus, is made following the guidelines of the National Office and in coordination with the International Office.

This Covenant is the person`s response to a personal call that the Lord makes in the context of their participation in the mission of compassion wherein they collaborate in this Prayer Network. It is an invitation on the part of the Lord. He has the initiative; “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you” (Jn. 15, 16) .

The personal Covenant is an offering of greater love and a commitment to be available to the mission of compassion for the world, at the service of the mission that the National Office proposes. Thus, the personal Covenant with Jesus leads us back to apostolic availability as the intuition of the Consecration to the Heart of Jesus, as suggested at the beginning by the Apostleship of Prayer. The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network has different forms of participation (not limited to the groups of the Apostleship of Prayer); that is why this Covenant has redefined its meaning, in line with this broader form of participation.

History and Recreation This Covenant is rooted in the act of consecration to the Heart of Jesus in the groups of the Apostleship of Prayer. This consecration was especially made by the “zealous,” as they were called then, who committed themselves to spread the Apostleship and promote the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus “with greater apostolic zeal” in order to motivate more people and/or groups to join the Apostleship of Prayer. This was the intuition of Fr. Henri Ramiere SJ, the second founder of the Apostleship of Prayer, who, in his book “The Apostleship of Prayer,” describes the “zealous” as “people who have goodwill and the eagerness to work.”

They registered the members, promoted and distributed the magazine “Messenger of the Sacred Heart,” and worked under the leadership for sake of the association, that is, for the sake of the intentions of the Heart of Jesus, who was the first to pray and intercede for us so the Kingdom of God may come.

According to different sensibilities, this consecration has had different forms of realization, even in some places, and it has long been a requisite to belong to or to associate oneself with the groups of the Apostleship of Prayer.

In the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, we want to recover the first foundational intuition wherein the consecration means a greater offering and availability for the mission of the Heart of Christ and his mission of compassion.

The person who makes the Covenant concretizes their commitment in relation to the mission that the National Office leads for the communities of the Prayer Network and its youth branch, the Eucharist Youth Movement. They commit themselves to be available to serve the communities of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network in their own countries as well as the EYM, following the orientations of the National Office.

Given that it is a commitment of greater love and personal offering to Jesus to serve in His mission, it is advisable that the decision would be the fruit of a formation process and discernment.

In this sense, the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network suggests making previously the formation program The Way of the Heart, which helps enter into the mission of compassion for the world. It is a spiritual experience of meeting Christ, of becoming attuned to the feelings and wishes of His Heart and available for his mission, with Him, like Him, with His style. He is the rhythm of our mission. This is the reason why this itinerary is the privileged way to embark on a formation process for the mission, with greater depth each time, and more in tune with the Heart of Christ, in the framework of the mission of the Prayer Network. Hence, it is advisable to have done The Way of the Heart at least once to experience how you can live out and actualize the mission of compassion in the spiritual charism of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

The Way of the Heart as a path of preparation Those who are members of the Prayer Network can begin The Way of the Heart as a preparation for the Personal Covenant, according to different modalities: workshops, open spiritual retreats, novena, closed spiritual retreats, on digital platform or in-person – for example, it can be done on the first Fridays for nine consecutive months. To settle the way to do it, they can ask for help from the National Office.

What is the best time of the year to make the Covenant?

This Covenant can be made any time of the year. However, according to one’s personal sensibility and the possibilities, the solemnity or the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus would be a very conducive time to make the Covenant, as it would help to take the decision and to be prepared. The major liturgical times (Lent, Easter, Advent, Corpus Christi, the Feast of Christ the King, etc.) could be helpful opportunities to go deeper into this spiritual itinerary and make this covenant.

What are the necessary formalities to make the Covenant?

The personal Covenant should be made in the context of a community celebration in the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network of each country or region in which the person is received.

The community witnesses this covenant and at the same time sends the person to a specific mission.

The celebration of the Covenant could be done in the context of the Celebration of the Eucharist, of a community prayer, in-person or on a digital platform, as deemed suitable for the purpose, considering time, place, and people’s circumstances. It is advisable to make the Covenant in coordination with the National Office and always in the presence of other people who are active in the Prayer Network (including the EYM).

Proposals for the Celebration of the Covenant We suggest some resources for the celebration that could be used according to the previously mentioned circumstances, always choosing what would be more helpful.

Nine personal commitments The person expresses to the Lord those things they choose to offer at this time. The person discerns and decides these commitments according to their sensibility and personal circumstances, and they express those works, efforts, sacrifices, specific and concrete offerings they wish to make.

These commitments are a personal response of love to the Heart of Christ. They are a “personal” code of love, service and offering that a person chooses and assumes with love as an act of self-donation.

They are the fruit of the prayer experience of The Way of the Heart, of the gifts received from this itinerary, in words, images, phrases, etc. which can be written in the form of a commitment.

If it is helpful, these commitments can be renewed after some time, and could function as a compass or guidance for one’s growth as a person and in service. This renewal could be done every time the person goes deeper into the spiritual experience of The Way of the Heart, letting themselves be guided by the Holy Spirit.

We offer some examples that may be helpful in writing one’s personal commitments.

• I commit myself to look at the good side of everything.

• I commit myself to find the Lord’s Love in everything.

• I commit myself to remain silent before attacks.

• I commit myself to say sorry the soonest.

• I commit myself to pray before taking a decision.

• I commit myself to quiet my own noise to listen to your silence.

• I commit myself to look at the good and be thankful.

• I commit myself to be kind in my personal dealings.

• I commit myself to be faithful to my prayer times.

• I commit myself to speak well of my brothers and sisters.

• I commit myself to be more thankful and complain less.

• I commit myself to be true to my words and not let them stay as promises.

• I commit myself to live the reading of the day to be guided by the Lord’s Spirit.

Motto of the Personal Covenant The person offers to the Heart of Christ a personal motto, the fruit of their prayer experience of The Way of the Heart. A motto is a short, simple, and meaningful sentence that, when read, evokes the experience of this Covenant, the fruit of a personal decision matured in the crucible of The Way of the Heart. The motto could also be an

image, a Gospel image, a Gospel verse, or any other element that makes sense and fulfills that purpose.

It is given by the Spirit of the Lord; it is a grace that the person has to ask during the preparation process for the Covenant and in The Way of the Heart.

We offer here some examples that may inspire as one listens for and recognizes the motto that one is given: “Happy, with You and like You, with Your Style” “Servant of my brothers and sisters” “My Lord and my God” “Come and see” “Inhabited by Christ” “Here I am, you can count on me” Personal Prayer for the Covenant “We are yours” Lord Jesus, We are yours and yours we desire to be …

And to live closer to you, we offer ourselves today to your Heart We want to renew our Baptism, to intensify our love and offering, giving up everything that keeps us away from You. Here we are, O Lord…

Teach us to pray in the struggles, the difficulties, and the joys of every day.

Teach us to serve, You who did not come to be served but to serve.

We want to work with you… and in union with you, we want to be missionary disciples: so that everyone can feel the Love of your compassionate Heart.

May you be pleased to accept our offering through the loving heart of Mary, the Mother You gave us.

Lastly, O Lord, give us the grace to announce with enthusiasm this message of encouragement and hope in a mission of compassion for the world, especially to those who feel burdened in life, to the poor, and to those who live in the margins of society.

Come Holy Spirit!

Make our hearts more like the Heart of Jesus. Amen.

Personal Prayer for the Covenant “Here I Am” Here I am, O Lord, with my whole being before You grateful for Your unconditional Love that exceeds everything, fills everything, embraces everything.

Fully trusting in your goodness and help, I come to offer You my whole life willfully and freely.

I want to live the mission of my Baptism more deeply, and seal a covenant with You forever.

Here I am, O Lord, take my heart close to your heart, that you may teach me your ways, and your ways may become mine.

Lord, You know my weakness, let Your Spirit make me more and more available each day, to cooperate with You in the mission you have received from your Father.

You who gave your life for me, You who are Eucharist, make me bread, broken for other people and a living eucharist throughout the day.

Teach me to find You in the heart of this world which you love so much, that I may love it as You do, and work in it happily, with You and like You. Allow me to go wherever you go, and to be wherever you are, qnd to help you make this Common Home a more human and fraternal place every day.

O Lord, take my life; ever increase in me your mission of compassion.

And send me into the world, I want to be an apostle of prayer, together with my brothers and sisters in this Worldwide Prayer Network, through the hands of Mary, your Mother.

All for Your greater glory and praise. Amen.

Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Guidelines for its Celebration in the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network