After the devotions of May to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church turns in June to the contemplation of divine love itself: the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is no accident that Western culture has long associated June with love, marriage, and union, nor that Our Lord has drawn countless souls during this month toward deeper reflection on love, sacrifice, and covenant—both human and divine.
The Month of the Sacred Heart, by Abbé Berlioux, offers a rich treasury of practices, meditations, and prayers designed to sanctify the month of June. Intended primarily as a daily devotional reader, the book is equally well suited for First Friday devotions, home enthronement preparations and ceremonies, matrimonial devotions, anniversaries, and the renewal of vows.
Each chapter provides the complete material for a single day: a spiritual reading, a prayer crafted specifically for the day’s theme, and a fitting example—often drawn from the author’s personal experience, historical accounts, or the lives of the saints. The life of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque features prominently, alongside striking testimonies and reflections drawn from the turbulent nineteenth century, an age whose social and spiritual unrest closely mirrors our own. This historical depth lends the work a distinctive atmosphere and enduring relevance.
Over the course of thirty days, the reader is guided through every major aspect of devotion to the Sacred Heart: its origins, promises, and theological foundations; the symbolism of the Sacred Heart image and its individual elements; the desires of Our Lord’s Heart; the sorrows symbolized by the thorns that wound Him; and the concrete means by which the faithful may honor His Heart in daily life. Special attention is given to the Sacred Hearts of the Holy Family and to practical ways of living this devotion amid the demands of modern life.
The readings are intentionally concise, making them ideal for morning meditation or moments of prayer throughout a busy day. The examples following each reading often recount conversions, answered prayers, and even miraculous events attributed to devotion to the Sacred Heart, alongside quieter stories of lives wholly consecrated to Christ’s love. Perseverance in this devotion, the author insists, bears fruit not only for the individual soul but for others as well, extending even to the relief of souls in Purgatory.
The prayers accompanying each day’s meditation are carefully matched to its theme, fostering an ever-deepening love for the Heart of Jesus.
The Month of the Sacred Heart invites the reader to respond to the lament of St. Francis of Assisi—“Love is not loved”—by entering more fully into the mystery of Christ’s love and learning to live each moment in honor of His Divine Heart.
Within its pages, the reader will find:
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A complete, organized 30-day devotion for the month of June
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Daily spiritual readings on the many facets of devotion to the Sacred Heart
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A detailed study of the Sacred Heart image and its spiritual meaning
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Daily prayers corresponding to each meditation
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True-life examples that illuminate each day’s teaching
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A collection of additional devotions and prayers, including a special method of assisting at Mass through the Sacred Heart of Jesus
About the Author
Abbé Berlioux was a nineteenth-century Catholic priest and spiritual writer whose works reflect the depth, warmth, and pastoral realism characteristic of classical French devotional literature. Writing in an era marked by social upheaval and religious renewal, he sought to anchor souls in the enduring love of Christ through sound doctrine, concrete spiritual practice, and heartfelt devotion to the Sacred Heart.
