11nd Stage - The Guard of Honour and the Pope's Prayer Network
The Guard of Honour and the Pope's Prayer Network
Over the centuries, a great many initiatives have been set up to give practical expression to devotion to the Heart of Jesus. At this stage, I would like to introduce the Guard of Honour, founded by the Visitation, and the Pope's World Prayer Network, led by the Jesuits.
The Guard of Honour or the hour of presence
What is the Guard of Honour?
The Guard of Honour of the Sacred Heart was founded in 1863 by a Visitation nun from Bourg-en-Bresse, Sister Marie du Sacré-Cœur. Its models are the Virgin Mary, Saint John and Saint Mary Magdalene, who were the first «Guards of Honour», standing at the foot of the Cross during the six long hours of the crucifixion. The members of the Guard of Honour render - and I quote from the statutes - «a continual cult of Glory, Love and Reparation for the wound he received visibly by the lance on the tree of the Cross, and for that which he receives invisibly every day, through forgetfulness, ingratitude and the sins of men‘. The aim of this association is ‘to ensure that, at all hours of the day, fervent Christians are attentive to the Lord's present love for each one of them and for their brothers and sisters.
What is the meaning of that?
- This is a way of responding to Jesus« request to St Margaret Mary: »You, at least, love me!". It is about returning love for love, responding to Jesus' Love which was offered as a sacrifice for each one of us.
- It is also to become a consoler of the Heart of Jesus: «I looked for comforters but I found none» (Ps 68:21), continuing the holy hour in which we accompany Jesus in his agony, abandoned by the apostles who fell asleep.
- This is a tangible way of living out consecration. Indeed, through consecration, I give God my whole life, all my time. To give every day of my life, I will begin by giving him each day, each «today». And, for this, I give him a very specific hour, which I «consecrate» to him, whatever activities may take place during it. This is a simple way to sanctify daily life, particularly suited to those who live in the world, especially lay people.
To consecrate my life to Jesus, I don't have to leave my daily life. A bit like Margaret Mary, who wanted so much to stay in the chapel, but was asked to sweep up. She had a vision of seraphim praising the Lord, singing: «Love triumphs, love enjoys, the love of the Holy Heart rejoices! They told her that they had come to join her in rendering the Lord a continual homage of love, adoration and praise; and that, to this end, they would hold her place before the Blessed Sacrament, so that she could love unceasingly through them, even when she was sweeping!
How can one live it?
- This involves choosing your HOUR per day (for example, from 4 pm to 5 pm), not necessarily the one I usually pray at.
- Let this time pass, without changing your present activities (work, study, meals, rest, sport, prayer, leisure), but by living them under the gaze of Jesus present in the tabernacle and by offering them in union with the Offering that Jesus made of himself to his Father for his glory and the salvation of our brothers. Thus, I live this hour of my day normally, and I offer it in reparation for all our sins and those of the world: indifference, ingratitude, blasphemies, and even sacrileges towards the Eucharist that exist far or near us.
For more information and to become a member of the Guard of Honour, visit the association's website: gardedhonneurdusacrecoeur.org
The Pope's prayer intentions
What is the Pope's Prayer Network?
On 27 December 2023, the Sacred Heart Sanctuary of Paray-le-Monial officially joined the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, which is not widely known in France. Yet, an intimate link unites the Worldwide Network and the Heart of Jesus.
From the outset, the Jesuits were associated with the Visitandines in their mission to spread the message of the Sacred Heart. Over the centuries, they were at the origin of many initiatives to promote devotion to the Heart of Jesus. The Apostleship of Prayer is one of these initiatives that stands out for its breadth and depth.
The Apostleship of Prayer was founded in 1855 on the initiative of Father François Gautrelet, SJ, to help zealous young Jesuits become apostles of prayer from their novitiate, by offering all their actions in union with the Heart of Jesus, for the proclamation of the Gospel and the salvation of the world. Gradually, prayer for the Pope’s missionary intentions was established. In 2014, under the impetus of Pope Francis, the Apostleship of Prayer entered a process of re-foundation. It then became the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, recognised as a Pontifical Work in 2018. This re-foundation was accompanied by a renewal and updating of devotion to the Heart of Jesus and the establishment of a spiritual path, the Way of the Heart. This journey leads our hearts to be profoundly united to the Heart of Jesus, in a mission of compassion for the world.
What is the meaning of that?
Two aspects of the spirituality of the Heart of Jesus are highlighted:
- It is rooted in the love of the Church in communion with the Pope
- It is profoundly missionary, turned towards the proclamation of the Gospel with a heart of compassion for all people and the whole world. as an extension of the holy hour when we accompany Jesus in his agony, abandoned by the apostles who fell asleep.
What does this mean?
The Pope's World Prayer Network offers two forms of participation: an «open» form and another of ’belonging and commitment«, considering the Eucharist as a model of offering and availability, in order to live according to the style of Jesus.
The open method of participation, open to all baptized persons, consists of praying for the prayer intentions proposed by the Pope every first Friday of the month. These monthly intentions are the fruit of the Pope's pastoral discernment for living the mission today, both in the themes chosen for each one and in the way they are formulated. The Pope is offering us a missionary compass.
The belonging and commitment modality requires more active collaboration. Those subscribing to this modality are asked to establish a link with the national office of the Pope's Global Prayer Network in their country or region. This link can be made by participating in the activities proposed by this national office. This sense of belonging and commitment can take place at a personal level or at the level of a group or community. It can even take the form of a personal consecration.
Finally, it is possible to participate in the Path of the Heart, which is a spiritual journey for a mission of compassion for the world. It helps people to commit to praying and living the challenges of humanity and the mission of the Church, as expressed by the Pope's prayer intentions. This journey is a true pedagogy for allowing oneself to be transformed by the Heart of Jesus to become fervent apostles of divine mercy.
All the information is available on the following websites:
https://www.prieredupapefrance.net/ and https://www.popesprayer.va
We shall complete our journey in the final stage which will lead us into the missionary and eucharistic dynamic of a life consecrated to the Heart of Jesus..
