Sacred Heart
Novena 2026
June 3-11
With this novena we begin nine days of preparation for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart. We want to answer the request that Pope Francis made of the whole Church when he wrote the encyclical dedicated to this mystery that we celebrate, asking for the grace to go deeper into the Heart of Jesus Christ as the place where we experience and live our mission.
Our spirituality is centered above all on Jesus Christ and born from experiencing his love. (SRCF 12); therefore, to return to the Heart of Christ is to return to the source of our spiritual and apostolic life.
“I ask our Lord Jesus Christ to grant that his Sacred Heart may continue to pour forth the streams of living water that can heal the hurt we have caused, strengthen our ability to love and serve others, and inspire us to journey together towards a just, solidary and fraternal world. Until that day when we will rejoice in celebrating together the banquet of the heavenly kingdom in the presence of the risen Lord, who harmonizes all our differences in the light that radiates perpetually from his open heart.”
The Novena Day by Day
Day 1
Remain in His Love
V. When we were dead through sin, God brought us to life again in Christ,
A. because he loved us with so great a love.
V. In him is the fountain of life;
A. We drink from the streams of his goodness.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord God, who has desired that the pierced Heart of your Son be a fountain of mercy and grace for us, we ask you to teach us to abide in him, for his Heart is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. “It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.” (Dilexit nos, no. 32)
GOSPEL (Mt 11:28) – (Jn 15:5)
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.
REFLECTION
The Heart of Christ does not want us to live separated from him. He invites us to return again and again to his presence, he seeks us on the road like the disciples of Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13) and also at the “wells” where we go to quench our thirst like the Samaritan woman (cf. Jn 4:5). No matter where we are, we know that “his open heart has gone before us and waits for us, unconditionally, asking only to offer us his love and friendship. For ‘he loved us first’ (1 Jn 4:10).” (Dilexit nos, no. 1)
FINAL PRAYER
Lord, we pray that when we walk on paths that lead us away from you and seek to quench our thirst for happiness in broken cisterns (cf. Jer 2:13), you burst into our lives, so that returning to the love of your Heart, we may choose you as the one thing necessary and orient our whole life to remain in you and be transformed into witnesses of your love.
Kingdom of the Heart of Christ
Establish Yourself in My Heart
Day 2
Remain in His Spirit
V. When we were dead through sin, God brought us to life again in Christ,
A. because he loved us with so great a love.
V. In him is the fountain of life;
A. We drink from the streams of his goodness.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord God, who has desired that the pierced Heart of your Son be a fountain of mercy and grace for us, we ask you to teach us to abide in him, for his Heart is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. “It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.” (Dilexit nos, no. 32)
GOSPEL (Jn 7:37-39)
On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him.’’” He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive.
REFLECTION
Let us now turn to the Holy Spirit, whose fire fills the heart of Christ. As Saint John Paul II once said, Christ’s heart is “the Holy Spirit’s masterpiece”. (…) It is the Spirit who enables us to grasp the richness of the sign of Christ’s pierced side, from which the Church has sprung.” (Dilexit nos, no. 75)
His wounded side, understood as his heart, filled with the Holy Spirit, comes to us as a flood of living water. “The fount of the Spirit is entirely in Christ”. Yet the Spirit whom we have received does not distance us from the risen Lord, but fills us with his presence, for by drinking of the Spirit we drink of the same Christ. (Dilexit nos, no. 102)
FINAL PRAYER
Heart of Jesus, we ask you that as we draw near to drink of the Spirit that flows from your heart, you will immerse us in the springs that are pouring out your grace and your salvation throughout the whole world.
Spirit of the Heart of Jesus
Pour Yourself into My Heart
DAY 3
Remain in the Eucharist
V. When we were dead through sin, God brought us to life again in Christ,
A. because he loved us with so great a love.
V. In him is the fountain of life;
A. We drink from the streams of his goodness.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord God, who has desired that the pierced Heart of your Son be a fountain of mercy and grace for us, we ask you to teach us to abide in him, for his Heart is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. “It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.” (Dilexit nos, no. 32)
GOSPEL (Jn 6:56)
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
REFLECTION
How can we fail to recognize in the Eucharist the free, humble, and close love of the Heart of Christ? It is at the feet of the Eucharist that he receives us to rest in him (cf. Mt 11:28), where he nourishes us for the journey and enkindles our hearts (cf. Lk 24). It is through the Eucharist that we are transformed alongside Jesus into bread broken and givenfor our brothers and sisters.
FINAL PRAYER
Lord Jesus, may we not ” amid the frenetic pace of today’s world and our obsession with free time, consumption and diversion, cell phones and social media, forget to nourish our lives with the strength of the Eucharist.” (Dilexit nos, no. 84)
Eucharistic Heart of Christ
Receive me into your Heart
DAY 4
The Spiritual Life, an Encounter with Jesus who
Calls Us
V. When we were dead through sin, God brought us to life again in Christ,
A. because he loved us with so great a love.
V. In him is the fountain of life;
A. We drink from the streams of his goodness.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord God, who has desired that the pierced Heart of your Son be a fountain of mercy and grace for us, we ask you to teach us to abide in him, for his Heart is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. “It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.” (Dilexit nos, no. 32)
GOSPEL (Lk 10:38-39)
As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
REFLECTION
To abide in Christ is also to remain attentive to his Word. It is to allow ourselves to be challenged daily by reading and meditating on Sacred Scripture, allowing it to illuminate us, renew us, and discern the reflections and thoughts of the heart (cf. Heb 4:12).
He himself told us: “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn 8:31-32)
FINAL PRAYER
Heart of Jesus, teach us to listen to your Word, remaining in attentive and contemplative silence, and once transformed by it, let us joyfully proclaim the experience of your love to our brothers and sisters.
Word of the Heart of Christ
Speak to my heart
DAY 5
Remain in His Grace and Mercy
V. When we were dead through sin, God brought us to life again in Christ,
A. because he loved us with so great a love.
V. In him is the fountain of life;
A. We drink from the streams of his goodness.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord God, who has desired that the pierced Heart of your Son be a fountain of mercy and grace for us, we ask you to teach us to abide in him, for his Heart is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. “It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.” (Dilexit nos, no. 32)
GOSPEL (Jn 3:3-7)
Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’
REFLECTION
The messianic prophecies gradually coalesced around the imagery of purifying water: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean… a new spirit I will put within you” (Ez 36:25-26). This water would bestow on God’s people the fullness of life, like a fountain flowing from the Temple and bringing a wealth of life and salvation in its wake. “I saw on the bank of the river a great many trees on the one side and on the other… and wherever that river goes, every living creature will live… and when that river enters the sea, its waters will become fresh; everything will live where the river goes” (Ez 47:7, 9)”. (Dilexit nos, no. 93)
FINAL PRAYER
Heart of Jesus, give us the grace to recognize our sins and convert from the heart, so that we may have recourse to your sacraments which are the source of the grace and mercy that come to us through you, from the merciful heart of the Father.
Mercy of the Heart of Christ
Forgive my heart
DAY 6
Remain in his prayer
V. When we were dead through sin, God brought us to life again in Christ,
A. because he loved us with so great a love.
V. In him is the fountain of life;
A. We drink from the streams of his goodness.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord God, who has desired that the pierced Heart of your Son be a fountain of mercy and grace for us, we ask you to teach us to abide in him, for his Heart is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. “It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.” (Dilexit nos, no. 32)
GOSPEL (Mt 14:22-23)
Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone.
REFLECTION
The Heart of Jesus remains in constant prayer and it is from there that it lives its self-giving and mission. He spends the whole night in prayer to the Father before choosing his disciples (cf. Lk 6:12); he praises the Father while preaching, realizing that the Father reveals himself to the small and simple (cf. Mt 11:25-26); he thanks the Father because he knows that the Father always listens to him (cf. Jn 11:41); he invites others to go up the mountain to pray and strengthens them in their faith (cf. Lk 9:28-29); he prays to the Father for all of us from his priestly Heart (cf. Jn 17). He prays more intensely in his agony (cf. Mt 26:36) prays for the forgiveness of his executioners (cf. Lk 23:34) and finally gives up his Spirit in a deep prayer of trust and abandonment (cf. Mt 27).
FINAL PRAYER
Heart of Jesus, teach us to remain in the prayer that you raise to the Father in the liturgy, in adoration and thanksgiving, in intercession, and in asking for forgiveness. For the disciple who prays never withers, and lives united to the source that makes the mission of the Kingdom fruitful.
Prayer of the Heart of Christ
Teach Me to Pray
DAY 7
Remain in His Mystical Body
V. When we were dead through sin, God brought us to life again in Christ,
A. because he loved us with so great a love.
V. In him is the fountain of life;
A. We drink from the streams of his goodness.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord God, who has desired that the pierced Heart of your Son be a fountain of mercy and grace for us, we ask you to teach us to abide in him, for his Heart is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. “It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.” (Dilexit nos, no. 32)
GOSPEL (Mt 25:37-40)
The righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
REFLECTION
Christ identifies with each person in this world. To live loving and serving our brothers and sisters who make up the Mystical Body of Christ is also to remain in him, who “took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.” (Mt 8:17). Seeing Christ present in others impels us to love more generously and to live our mission in deep union with his Heart, which takes for itself what has been done to each of the least of these.
FINAL PRAYER
Heart of Jesus, who continues to be present through the humanity that you have desired to take on as your own, we ask you to kindle your charity in us so that we draw closer to each person in their concrete reality with the balm of your love.
Zeal of the Heart of Christ
Embrace My Heart
DAY 8
Remain on His Cross
V. When we were dead through sin, God brought us to life again in Christ,
A. because he loved us with so great a love.
V. In him is the fountain of life;
A. We drink from the streams of his goodness.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord God, who has desired that the pierced Heart of your Son be a fountain of mercy and grace for us, we ask you to teach us to abide in him, for his Heart is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. “It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.” (Dilexit nos, no. 32)
GOSPEL (Jn 19:34)
One soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out.
REFLECTION
To remain on the Cross is to remain in the experience of the merciful love of Jesus who gave himself, even to death, to show us his love: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13). “The wounded side of Christ continues to pour forth that stream which is never exhausted, never passes away, but offers itself time and time again to all those who wish to love as he did. For his love alone can bring about a new humanity.” (Dilexit nos, no. 219).
“As we meditate on Christ’s self-offering for the sake of all, we are naturally led to ask why we too should not be ready to give our lives for others: ‘We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us – and that we ought to lay down our lives for one another’ (1 Jn 3:16).” (Dilexit nos, no. 171)
FINAL PRAYER
Allow us, Father, the grace to remain at the foot of the Cross of Jesus as Mary, his mother, John the beloved disciple, and Mary Magdalene, the first witness of your resurrection did so that, contemplating your love from the intimacy of your Son’s Heart, we may become credible apostles of his resurrection among our brothers and sisters.
Pierced Heart of Christ
Embrace my heart
DAY 9
Remain in his humility
V. When we were dead through sin, God brought us to life again in Christ,
A. because he loved us with so great a love.
V. In him is the fountain of life;
A. We drink from the streams of his goodness.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord God, who has desired that the pierced Heart of your Son be a fountain of mercy and grace for us, we ask you to teach us to abide in him, for his Heart is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. “It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.” (Dilexit nos, no. 32)
GOSPEL (Mt 11:29)
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.
REFLECTION
Often, our sufferings have to do with our own wounded ego. The humility of the heart of Christ points us towards the path of abasement. God chose to come to us in condescension and littleness. The Old Testament had already shown us, with a variety of metaphors, a God who enters into the heart of history and allows himself to be rejected by his people. Christ’s love was shown amid the daily life of his people, begging, as it were, for a response, as if asking permission to manifest his glory. Yet “perhaps only once did the Lord Jesus refer to his own heart, in his own words. And he stresses this sole feature: ‘gentleness and lowliness’, as if to say that only in this way does he wish to win us to himself”. [219] When he said, “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” ( Mt 11:29), he showed us that “to make himself known, he needs our littleness, our self-abasement”. (Dilexit nos, no. 202)
FINAL PRAYER
Lord, grant us the gift of understanding the fruitfulness that is contained in a life that embraces your meekness and humility, so that by choosing to live in this way, we may be authentic disciples of what belongs most to your Heart.
Humility of the Heart of Christ
Shape My Heart
About the design of the Novena
The illustrative art for this novena is intended to represent the pilgrim Church that walks united towards Christ, with its gaze fixed on his Sacred Heart. In the center appears the Risen Jesus showing the wounds of his passion and his open Heart, a sign of the love with which he loved us to the point of giving his life for us and the source from which flows the grace that heals, sustains, and guides the Church’s journey. His outstretched arms evoke the invitation of the Gospel: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28), as well as the call to “remain in his love” (Jn 15:9), a theme that runs through the entire novena.
The whole composition is constructed as a common pilgrimage to God. The different groups represent the richness and diversity of the People of God: families, young adults, priests, consecrated persons, children, and different charisms. Regnum Christi walks together with others, as a spiritual family within the greater ecclesial communion. Everyone moves forward looking towards Christ, because He is the origin, the way, and the goal. The presence of Mary and St. Joseph reminds us that the pilgrim Church never walks alone: they intercede, accompany, and continuously point to Jesus. Also inspired by the early Christian tradition of the Good Shepherd and the people he leads to eternal life, the illustration is intended to evoke the Lord who leads his people to the meadows of rest and the rivers of living water: “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I lack… in green pastures he makes me lie down” (Ps 23). Thus, this novena becomes an invitation to return to the Heart of Christ, to entrust our burdens to him, and to learn from him, “who is meek and humble of heart”.
PRAY THE NOVENA ON THE REGNUM CHRISTI APP!
About the design of the Novena
The illustrative art for this novena is intended to represent the pilgrim Church that walks united towards Christ, with its gaze fixed on his Sacred Heart. In the center appears the Risen Jesus showing the wounds of his passion and his open Heart, a sign of the love with which he loved us to the point of giving his life for us and the source from which flows the grace that heals, sustains, and guides the Church’s journey. His outstretched arms evoke the invitation of the Gospel: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28), as well as the call to “remain in his love” (Jn 15:9), a theme that runs through the entire novena.
The whole composition is constructed as a common pilgrimage to God. The different groups represent the richness and diversity of the People of God: families, young adults, priests, consecrated persons, children, and different charisms. Regnum Christi walks together with others, as a spiritual family within the greater ecclesial communion. Everyone moves forward looking towards Christ, because He is the origin, the way, and the goal. The presence of Mary and St. Joseph reminds us that the pilgrim Church never walks alone: they intercede, accompany, and continuously point to Jesus. Also inspired by the early Christian tradition of the Good Shepherd and the people he leads to eternal life, the illustration is intended to evoke the Lord who leads his people to the meadows of rest and the rivers of living water: “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I lack… in green pastures he makes me lie down” (Ps 23). Thus, this novena becomes an invitation to return to the Heart of Christ, to entrust our burdens to him, and to learn from him, “who is meek and humble of heart”.
