Aspirations – short, repetitive prayers – are an easy way to invite the Sacred Heart of Jesus to transform us in our everyday moments.
A source of courage
Before my foster children landed on my doorstep ten years ago, I thought I was patient and kind. I was wrong. I quickly found myself feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and doubting my ability to cope with the mission God had given me. As I parented these traumatised boys, I had no natural maternal bond to draw upon. I realised that whatever virtues and abilities I had were insufficient. I needed to love them with Christ’s love. I prayed, again and again: ‘Jesus, make my heart more like yours.’ And in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I found what I lacked: strength, patience, steadfastness, mercy, and transforming love.
Let my heart resemble yours
During a Sunday Angelus audience in 2020, Pope Francis shared a personal and beautiful memory:
There is an ancient prayer — I learned it from my grandmother — which said: “Jesus, make my heart more like yours.” It is a beautiful prayer. “Make my heart similar to yours.” A beautiful and short prayer, to pray during this month. Shall we say it together now? “Jesus, let my heart resemble yours.” Once more: “Jesus, let my heart resemble yours.”
This resonates with me for several reasons.
First, it draws attention to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which profoundly expresses the truth that God is love, that God loves us with a tender, divine, and human heart, and that he wants us to respond to love with love.
Since the early days of Christianity and throughout the centuries, saints, and popes have reflected on Christ’s heart and encouraged the faithful to draw near to this mystery. Devotion to Christ’s pierced heart is not just one of many good but optional pious practices, suited to some spiritualities but not to others. Rather, it “is totally orientated to the love of God who sacrificed himself for us, and it has an irreplaceable importance for our faith and for our life in love” (Pope Benedict XVI).
A mother's prayer
Pope Francis’ anecdote is also meaningful to me because it illustrates the simple power of maternal prayer. His grandmother taught him this prayer, and it never left him. At 83 years old, both the prayer itself and her gentle, maternal, loving instruction continued to influence him and draw him to the heart of Jesus.
I love this recollection because it teaches a traditional method of prayer that has become a foundation of my everyday spiritual life. Aspirations are brief, prayerful phrases or sentences repeated throughout the day. They help us set our hearts and minds on the things of heaven and redirect us when we find ourselves overcome by the busy rush or anxieties of our daily lives.
Aspirations of the heart
The word ‘aspiration’ comes from the Latin verb spirare, ‘to breathe.’ These short repetitive prayers become almost reflexive, like the act of breathing that sustains our life. They help us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:13) and can be incorporated easily into mundane tasks. I have aspirations that I pray while vacuuming, and others when swimming laps, and others while hanging out the laundry. They help transform my present moment into a moment of grace.
You can use whatever prayers you like, but I have found traditional ones directed to the Sacred Heart particularly inspiring:
‘Sacred Heart of Jesus, I believe in your love for me.’
‘Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.’
‘Sacred Heart of Jesus, I offer all to you.
‘Sacred Heart of Jesus, protect my family.’
As we prepare to celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart on 27 June, we can find in His Heart a sure refuge and the source of all that we need. Receive the transforming love that will make your heart more like His.
‘Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.’
Mary Beth grew up in the USA, but “true love” led her to Australia in 2002. She and her husband Peter are long-term foster carers and reside in Sydney. Mary Beth taught in Catholic high schools for over 15 years. These days, she enjoys travelling, cooking, and cocktail making, as well as spending time in her makeshift art studio, where she creates mosaics using classical methods.
