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Sacré Cœur de Jésus
Anonymous; French
late 18th century
embossed gold print
10.4 x 6.2 cm.
credit: Author’s collection
THE EIGHT PROMISES
The Sacred Heart reproduced on this rare 18th-century
holy card is an early example how the Sacred Heart of Jesus has been
rendered since Marguerite-Marie Alacoque’s visions of the late
17th century. According to Alacoque, when Jesus appeared to her he conveyed
a number of promises. Today these are known as the Twelve Promises of
the Sacred Heart. Alacoque in her writings, however, recorded only eight
promises. Translated from the original French, they are as follows:
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“My Divine Savior gave me to understand that those who labor
for the salvation of souls shall have the art of touching the most
hardened hearts, and shall labor with marvelous success, if they
are themselves penetrated with a tender devotion to His Sacred Heart.”
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“He will pour forth the sweet unction of His ardent charity
on those communities who honor Him and place themselves under His
special protection; moreover, that He will turn away from them all
the shafts of Divine justice in order to restore them to the state
of grace, whenever they have fallen from it.”
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“As for people of the world, they will, through the means
of this admirable devotion, secure for themselves all the help necessary
for their state…peace in the family, alleviation of their toils,
the blessing of Heaven on all their undertakings, consolation in
their sorrows. And it is especially in this Sacred Heart that they
will find a place of refuge during their entire life and particularly
at the hour of their death.”
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“He took a singular pleasure in being honored under the figure
of this heart of flesh, whose image He wished to have exposed in
public, in order, as He added, by means of this object to touch
the unfeeling hearts of men; promising me that He would pour in
abundance into the hearts of all who honored It all the gifts of
which It is full; and that wherever this image should be exposed
and specially honored, it would draw down all sorts of blessings
on the place.”
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“He discovers to me treasures of love and grace reserved for
those who consecrate and devote themselves to the task of rendering
and procuring Him all the honor, love and glory in their power.”
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“He promised me that no one who has specially dedicated and
consecrated Himself to Him will ever perish.”
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“I promise thee, in the excess of the mercy of My heart, that
Its all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Communion
on the nine first Fridays of consecutive months the final grace
of repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure nor without
receiving their sacraments, My Divine Heart becoming their assured
refuge at that moment.”
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“Fear nothing, I will reign in spite of My enemies and of
those who endeavor to oppose me. This Sacred Heart will reign in
spite of Satan and of all those whom he raises up to oppose it.”
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