By Emily Jaminet
More than seven years ago, my family welcomed Jesus in a special way through the enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On that day, my husband and I were joined by our six children and my parents for this momentous occasion. At the time, we felt like “life was good” and marriage was “fine,” but we soon discovered that the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus was offering us so much more!
The enthronement allowed us to hit the pause button as a couple amid our very busy lives and pray that our Lord would come into our lives in a new way. Over the years, I have realized that every other significant spiritually impacting experience took place on retreats, at conferences, at our church, and in Holy Mass. The enthronement was the first time where as a couple and a family we were strengthened in the domestic church—our home.
Enthronement to the Sacred Heart is a fulfillment of a direct request Jesus made to St. Margaret Mary in the 1670s. The saint said, “Our divine Lord assured me that he takes a singular pleasure in being honored under the figure of His Heart of flesh, the image of which He wishes to be exposed in public in order to touch the unfeeling hearts of men. He promised he would pour out in abundance into the hearts of all those who would honor His Heart all the gifts with which it is filled, and that everywhere this image is exposed and honored it would draw down all kinds of blessings.” (Enthronement to the Sacred Heart, Francis Larkin).
This promise has been summarized to read,” I will bless every place in which an image of my Heart is exposed and honored.”
At the time of our enthronement, we had just finished eight years of homeschooling and moved to a new home to be closer to our new Catholic school. In a sense, it also reflected a desire for our family to make a fresh start. After years of homeschooling, I felt burned out and called to something new, but what that might be was unclear. My husband and I had become increasingly aware that we couldn’t raise these six (soon to be seven) children on our own; we needed to tap into more grace and strength as we embarked on a new schedule and rhythm for our family. Enthronement felt like the perfect solution for learning to trust Jesus better.
Enthronement is powerful, for through it, Jesus is welcomed as king, savior, friend, brother, and provider, and placed on a throne in the home. I knew I needed him to be all of these things for us as the financial stress lay heavy as we were walking in faith with such a large family. Looking back, I can see that the Lord has not only blessed us and helped us with our tuition bills but also provided for us in all of our necessities.
My desire is to live a life where I choose faith over fear each and every day, and enthronement has allowed me to do this.
Enthronement offers us a spiritual heart transplant so the words from Sacred Scripture can come alive: “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ez. 36:26). I believe that through the gift of enthronement, I have received this new heart and can attest to its powerful grace.
Looking back, I can see that the graces were not like firecrackers but rather like a steady stream of warm, healing water. For example, after our enthronement, we began to pray more as a family, trust that the Lord was with us when life felt difficult, and our family priorities shifted. I can see that I was asked to write my first book shortly after the enthronement, and it would launch me into a whole new ministry and a way to help contribute to the expense of my children’s education.
Enthronement is a holy reminder for my husband and me that no matter what trials we face, Jesus is with us, and that the graces of hope, healing, peace, and comfort are constantly being offered to us. What mattered most was our willingness to accept what Jesus was offering. As so many dethrone our Lord in their lives, we decided to welcome Jesus through enthronement amid the chaos and craziness of our lives.
The founder of enthronement to the Sacred Heart, Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey, gave his life to this cause. He once proclaimed, “I understood what Our Lord wished of me. The plan was to reconquer the world home by home, family by family, for the love of the Heart of Jesus.” (The Firebrand Life of Father Mateo Crawley Boevey, Marcel Bocquet, SS.CC.) He was well aware of the explosion of secularism and the loss of faith and knew that enthronement was a powerful protection for families. The only force capable of overthrowing this darkness impacting families was the flame of the Sacred Heart.
When Father Mateo asked the pope for his blessing to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart through Home Enthronement, Pope Pius X replied, “Father Mateo, not only do I permit you, but I command you to give your life for this work of social salvation to spread the devotion Enthronement of the Sacred Heart throughout the world.” (The Firebrand Life of Father Mateo Crawley Boevey) Fr. Mateo learned very quickly that if enthronement was done with a sincere and open heart, the Lord would bless and strengthen families.
Emily Jaminet is the executive director of the Sacred Heart Enthronement Network. She is the author of the forthcoming Secrets of the Sacred Heart (fall 2020) and coauthor of the bestselling and award-winning Divine Mercy for Moms, The Friendship Project, and Pray Fully. You can find more about her work at Inspirethefaith.com.
