Act of Reparation 1

On the feast of the Sacred Heart, the Litany given below is publicly recited, after which this Act of Reparation follows.

 Dearest Jesus, thou pourest forth thy love upon mankind, and they repay thee all ungratefully with neglect, indifference, contempt. Behold us kneeling humbly before thy altar (or: in thy presence), striving to repair, by a special act of homage, this heartless ingratitude of men, and the insults that are everywhere being inflicted on thy all-loving Heart.

 We do not forget that we ourselves have had our part in this unworthy treatment of thee; and the remembrance fills us with deepest grief. First, then, we entreat thee to have mercy on us. We are ready to atone, by this voluntary act of expiation, for the crimes we ourselves have committed, and also for the sins of those who, striving far from the way of salvation, either refuse, in the obstinacy of their unbelief, to follow thee, their shepherd and guide, or trample upon their baptismal vows and have shaken off the sweet yoke of thy law.

 We are anxious to atone for all these deplorable crimes, but more especially to make reparation for those following immodesty and shameful excesses in life and dress; the many snares laid to corrupt innocent souls; that disregard of holydays; the vile blasphemies hurled against thee and thy saints; the reproach cast on thy Vicar and on the whole priestly order; the neglect of the very Sacrament of thy divine love, and its profanation by horrifying sacrilege; and lastly the public sins of the nations in rebellion against the just rights and the teaching authority of the Church founded by thee.

 Would that we could wash away these outrages with our own blood! As it is, in order to atone for the violations of the honour due to God, we offer thee the selfsame satisfaction which of old thou didst offer to thy Father upon the cross, and which thou failest not to renew daily upon the altars of thy Church. To this we add the expiatory merits of thy Virgin Mother, of all the saints, and of the pious faithful on earth. With all our hearts we promise, first, to atone, so far as in us lies, with the assistance of thy grace, for our past sins and those of others, and for our coldness towards thy great love, by steadfast faith, spotless purity of life, and perfect fulfilment of the law of the Gospel, especially the law of charity. We also pledge ourselves to prevent, so far as we are able, such injuries from being done to thee, and to bring as many as we can to follow thee.

Accept, we pray thee, most gracious Jesus, at the plea of our Lady of Reparation, this free-will offering of atonement, and be pleased to keep us, by the great gift of final perseverance, dutiful and loyal in thy service to the death. So may we all come al last to that fatherland where thou livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen