NATIONAL SHRINE OF THE SACRED HEART: CROSS MY HEART . . . AND HOPE TO DIE?

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

CROSS MY HEART . . . AND HOPE TO DIE?

WE BEGIN WITH GOD AND END WITH GOD

We have said this line many times before when we were kids hoping to make our friends truly believe whatever we say. I wonder if at our age now, we can still complete our line with such a bold statement . . . and hope to die!

If there is one thing we cannot stop as the soaring prices and the crash of stocks, it is the reality of death that we hope to cope with. It is only when we are ready to face death that we can be ready to appreciate and live life to its fullest.

October is the Mary month of the Rosary and it is not merely a devotional prayer but a preparatory for a happy death. The beads of the Rosary constantly reminds us of our identity. We are merely pilgrims in this life that is hoping for the final destination. The Rosary begins with Jesus and ends with Jesus. Our lives are similar, we begin with God and we end with God.

Each bead, each prayer, each praise, is like a rose offered to God that makes us a step closer to Him. May our life of faithfulness and devotion be a promise like a Cross in our hearts as we hope for a happy death. Each Rosary is a preparation for the ultimate end . . . Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Perhaps, it is a part of a design that the month of the Rosary leads us to Todos Los Santos, All Saints Day. We are all invited not only for our homecoming to be with the Communion of Saints in heaven, but a challenge to live saintly lives. A life of holiness is a life of truth. As the words of Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales reverberates in MAGPAS: "to be faithful and true to goodness is holiness. To witness the truth is to proclaim the truth."

And so, as we age in wisdom, may we utter the truth in every word we say and may the day come when there will be no more need to say: "Cross my heart and hope to die!" May we learn to follow the path of Mary through the Rosary that leads us to Jesus.

" I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE."
(JOHN 14:6)

Fr. Vic Y. Apacible
Parish Priest
NATIONAL SHRINE OF THE SACRED HEART
Makati City, Philippines

SCHEDULE OF CELEBRATIONS

Rector / Parish Priest: Rev. Fr. Roderick L. Castro
Resident Guest Priest: Rev. Fr. Rogelio A. Orpiada

WEEKDAY MASSES
6:00 AM, 6:45 AM and 7:30 AM * 12:15 PM * 6:00 PM

SATURDAY MASSES: 6:00 AM, 6:45 AM, 7:30 AM
ANTICIPATED MASSES: 5:00 PM / 6:30 PM (Tagalog)

SUNDAY MASSES
6:00 AM, 7:30 AM (Tagalog), 9:00 AM, 10:30 AM 12:00 NN
2:30 PM (Children's Mass Tagalog), 4:00 PM (Tagalog),
5:30 PM, 7:00 PM and 8:30 PM

SPECIAL MASSES - Second Sunday
7:30 AM Mass for the Elderly (Tagalog)
5:30 PM Mass for the Youth

CONFESSIONS
Monday to Friday 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 11:45 AM, and 5:30 PM
Saturday 6:00, 6:30, 7:00 AM, 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM
Sunday
6:30, 7:00, 8:30, 10:00, 11:30 AM
4:00, 5:00, 6:30 PM, 8:00 PM
First Wednesday
6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 11:45 AM * 12:15, 5:30, 6:00 PM
First Friday
6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 11:45 AM * 12:15, 5:30, 6:00, 7:00 PM

ALL FRIDAYS
Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus at all Masses

FIRST FRIDAYS
Whole Day / Night Adoration and Vigil in Church
Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus at all Masses
Veneration of relic of St. Margaret Mary after 12:15 PM Mass
Additional 7:00 PM Mass
Additional Mass at 12:00 MN followed by continuation of Adoration/Vigil until 5:00 AM

FIRST SATURDAYS
5:00 AM Dawn Procession in Honor of Blessed Virgin Mary

BAPTISM: Every Sunday at 11:45 AM (Mass Baptism)
Individual Baptism is by appointment

ANOINTING OF THE SICK / EMERGENCIES: Anytime

ADORATION CHAPEL: 5:00 AM - 9:00 PM Daily

ENTHRONEMENT OF THE SACRED HEART
By Appointment

STA. CRUZ CHAPEL SUNDAY MASSES
7:30 AM (Tagalog) / 6:30 PM

12 SACRED HEART PROMISES

Every First Friday of each month, devout and faithful Catholics consecrate to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the spirit of reparation.

Jesus Christ Himself made the following promises to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, in favor of those who fervently practice and promote this devotion.

1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.

2. I will give peace in their families.

3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.

4. I will be their security and refuge during life, and above all, in death.

5. I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.

6. Sinners will find in My Heart the Source, and Infinite Ocean of Mercy.

7. Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.

8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.

9. I will bless every place in which an Image of My Heart is exposed and honored.

10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart.

12. I promise you in the excessive Mercy of My Heart, that My all powerful Love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months, the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in My disgrace, nor without receiving their Sacraments. My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

MY SACRED HEART DAILY PRAYER

O Lord, I pray that in my home, peace, quiet and well being may prevail under the shadows of Your Holy Mantle.

Bless and protect, O Lord, my endeavors, my enterprises, and all those who depend on me and everything that I long for and desire.

Banish from my mind and my heart false ideas and evil sentiments. Infuse in me a love of my neighbor and grant me the means to help him.

Give me resignation and fortitude of spirit in time of adversity, so that I may rise above the contradictions of life.

Guide and protect, O Lord, my own who are exposed to the dangers and contingencies of the world.

Do not forget, O my Jesus, our loved ones with whom we are united in life and whose departure from this earth caused us sorrow, at the same time consoled by the thought that, because they remained faithful to You, You did not abandon them at the hour of death.

Have pity on them, O Lord, and bring them to their eternal glory in heaven. Amen.

PRAYER TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER

Heavenly Father, as we honor and cherish our earthly father, we give you grateful thanks and praise for giving us one of the most important persons in our earthly life.

For it is in the person of our very own father, that we are able to understand and experience the true meaning of fatherly love. Because of him and through him, we are able to comprehend the essence of your Divine Fatherly love.

We thank you for being such a wonderful Heavenly Father to all of mankind. We are most eternally grateful for your Divine Virtues of Mercy, Compassion, Benevolence and Providence.

We praise your Holy Name for your Divine Love for us, for You are so gracious and merciful that You didn't withhold from us Your very own Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who willingly offered His own life so that all of mankind might be saved through Him and that through Him, we are reconciled to You.

We are always grateful that You continue to provide for our daily temporal and spiritual needs and that You are always compassionately forgiving us for our many faults and sins.

We acknowledge with human humility, that we came into this world with nothing and shall also leave with nothing.

For who we are and all that we have comes to us from the abundant grace of Your Divine Providence, to sustain our needs and those of our neighbors.

Thank You for Your Divine Patience with us, Your prodigal children who at times, neglect and are indifferent to the many great things You lovingly do for us.

Because of Your inexhaustible Divine Mercy, we are always assured of a warm welcome upon our return to our Eternal Home to You.

Almighty God and Divine Father, we ask that You grant us Your Fatherly Blessings and send us Your Holy Spirit as You continuously watch over and provide for us in perfect accordance with Your Divine Will.

We ask this in the Holy Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ with the Maternal Intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, Amen!