“Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart”.
– Mt 11: 29
“By leaving us His love, He will leave us with everything we could wish for; His pure love is everything to us, all other things are nothing.”
Blessed Clelia Merloni
A Blessed Mother Clelia Merloni was deeply marked by her devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which inspired her entire life and mission. From a young age, she gave herself to the Divine Heart as a source of love, reparation and redemption. The Heart of Jesus was her everything, her strength, her shelter, her rock, sustaining her in the midst of adversity and the foundation of her existence and her charism, which gave rise to the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (ASCJ).
Mother Clelia contemplated the Heart of Christ as an eloquent symbol of human-divine love, overflowing with mercy and tenderness. Moved by this passion, she offered her life as a daily sacrifice, seeking to glorify the Sacred Heart and lead others to love Him. Even in the midst of adversity and humiliation, she remained steadfast, trusting fully in Christ's love and responding generously to his call. “One sleepless night, in the throes of an illness that was both mysterious and worrying, she saw Jesus Crucified, life-size, leaning lovingly towards her, showing her his Heart and asking for help. She asks him for love. And suddenly, as if by magic, the answer came from Clelia's heart: “Yes, I'm going with you, I want to live only for you”! From that moment on, the paths of the two hearts merge into one, and love begins to flow abundantly from one Heart to the other...” (Ubaldo Terrinoni)
As Foundress, Mother Clelia taught that the Heart of Jesus is a school of love, sacrifice and reparation. Her deeply Eucharistic spirituality reflected her total commitment and zeal for making Christ's love known. She urged her daughters to let themselves be consumed by the flame of Divine Love and to bring a ray of the tenderness of the Sacred Heart to all people.
Mother Clelia is an example of ardent faith and self-sacrificing love, dedicated to the Heart of Christ until the end of her life.
Her legacy lives on in the mission of each Apostle who, inspired by her devotion, continues to spread the love and mercy of the Sacred Heart throughout the world.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus flourished in the Church during Mother Clelia's time. With this love for the Heart of Christ, Clelia made Jesus the King and the center of her heart. Like the first Apostles, she wanted to express in her own life and in her apostolate the deep faith and love for Jesus that inflamed her and drew her to love him to the cross.
The practices associated with devotion, such as Holy Communion on the first Fridays of the month for nine consecutive months, the enthronement of the Sacred Heart, the Holy Hour and the 12 Promises, also marked the spirituality lived and transmitted by Mother Clelia.
First Friday
Reception of Holy Communion on nine consecutive Fridays in reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alocoque (1647-1690), a French nun in the Visitation Order, and gave her the task of spreading devotion to His Most Sacred Heart.
Jesus asked for special prayers and practices to make reparation for the neglect of the proper reverence owed to God. He promised that he would give the grace of final repentance to all those who receive communion on nine successive first Fridays of the month. He promised that they would not die without his grace, or without having received the sacraments. His divine heart would be their sure refuge in the last moments of their life.”
Sacred Heart Enthronement
Jesus promised to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque that He will “bless the home in which the image of my Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored.” When the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is enthroned in a prominent place in the home, it signifies that Jesus is the King of the family and the center and source of love for all. The image reminds us that Jesus is among us and with us. Families are encouraged to enthrone an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in their homes and to share the love of the Heart of Jesus with all those with whom they come in contact.
The Holy Hour
Jesus asked St. Margaret Mary to stay with him during his agony in Gethsemani, dedicating an hour with him in prayer, in a spirit of reparation, as an act of love to His Heart.
12 Promises to those devoted to his Sacred Heart
Given by the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
- I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life. - I will establish peace in their families. - I will comfort them in all their afflictions. - I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, at their hour of death. - I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings. - Sinners will find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy. - Lukewarm souls shall become fervent. - Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection. - I will bless the house in which an image of my Heart is exposed and honored. - I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts. - I will indelibly write on my Heart the names of those who will spread this devotion andI will never cancel them.
The Great Promise
“The all-powerful love in my heart will grant the grace of final perseverance to all those who will receive communion on the first Friday of the month for nine consecutive months.
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."
