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The Litany of the Sacred Heart was put in its present form by Leo XIII in 1899. At first sight, it can seem a bit strange, with a few unfamiliar images, such as “Heart of Jesus, desire of the eternal hills, have mercy on us”. But we can truly be blessed if we pray this wondrous litany, a true treasure of Christian prayer, and discover the rich biblical meaning of its individual invocations. Dietrich Von Hildebrand’s The Heart has a final section in which he presents the passages from the Bible, and mainly from the Gospel, that are the foundation for the various invocations in the Litany. Father James Kubicki, in A Heart on Fire: Rediscovering Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 2012, pp. 27-33), also gives biblical references for each of the 33 invocations of the Litany.

Like the Rosary, the litany is a repetitive prayer, and the repetition of “Have mercy on us” after each line is, in fact, like our regularly repeating heartbeat, very calming: once we meditate on the references, it gives us insight into the love of God for us in Jesus, and it gives us serenity through the heartbeat of its repetitive pattern. In our frazzled world these days, we especially need both that insight and that serenity.

Lord, have mercy Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy Lord, have mercy
God our Father in heaven Have mercy on us
God the Son, Redeemer of the world Have mercy on us
God the Holy Spirit Have mercy on us
Holy Trinity, one God Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, one with the eternal Word Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, infinite in majesty Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of he Most High Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, aflame with love for us Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, source of justice and love Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, wellspring of all virtue Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, worthy of all praise Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, treasure house of wisdom and knowledge Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, in whom there dwells the fullness of God Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father is well pleased Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, from whose fullness we have all received Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, desire of the eternal hills Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, patient and full of mercy Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, generous to all who turn to you Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, atonement for our sins Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with insults Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, broken for our sins Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, obedient even to death Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, pierced by a lance Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, salvation of all who trust in you Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, hope of all who die in you Have mercy on us
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the saints Have mercy on us
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world Have mercy on us
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world Have mercy on us
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world Have mercy on us
Jesus gentle and humble of heart,
Touch our hearts and make them like your own.

Let us pray:

Father, we rejoice in the gifts of love we have received from the heart of Jesus, your Son. Open our hearts to share his life and continue to bless us with his love. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.

May our daily meditation on the Passion of the Christ, and on its symbolic representation in the sign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, bring us home to the heavenly Jerusalem through the perils of this valley of tears, and lead us to imitate Our Lord, in sharing his true love with each person whom we encounter on our journey.