Fundamentally, this
is a crusade to restore the rights of Christ the King of
Love over all phases of human activity. We call it a
"crusade for the Social Reign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus."
But we are first crusading to restore faith -- faith in the
merciful love of the Redeemer, especially belief in His
loving concern for the ones most dear to His Heart -- the
family. Our Lord always demanded faith before he worked a
miracle: "All things are possible to him who believes." (Mk.
9:22) As a
sign of your faith in our Lord's understanding love for you
and your family we urge you to carry out His own request to
enthrone a picture or statue of Jesus showing His Heart in a
prominent place in your home. This is your act of faith in
His divine providence that watches over your family; this is
your way of saying : " Lord to whom shall we go? You have
the words of eternal life, and we have come to believe and
to know that You are the Christ, the Son of God." (John
6:68) "Lord, save us, we perish." (Lk. 8:22-25) "Have
compassion on us and help us." (Mk. 9:13) Then you may
expect Him to say to you what He said to the sinner Zachaeus:
"Today, salvation has come to this house."
But the
"exposing" of the image of the Sacred Heart is only the
first step. Our Lord also asked us to "honor" His Heart. So,
the next step is to say the Apostles Creed as an act of
faith in His love. Something else: Jesus asked us to tell
Him that we will try to love Him more than we have; that we
will express that love by trust in the midst of trouble, by
greater fidelity to duty, more frequent (or perhaps more
faithful) Mass and Communion. This is the meaning behind the
"Act of Consecration" of your family to the Sacred Heart
whom you have just enthroned. Our prayers follow, ending
with a familiar prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the
Queen and Mother of every home: the "Hail Holy Queen."
This briefly is
the ceremony of the Enthronement. It lasts about 30 minutes.
But it will prove to be the best half of an hour you ever
spent, provided you follow through on a few simple
suggestions. The Enthronement ceremony is the "kickoff", or
the "launching pad," the "inauguration" of a new way of life
for you and your family-- a life of greater peace, happiness
and unity. In the ceremony, you have proclaimed Christ the
Lord, the King, the Head of your family. You have "invited"
Him into your home to share its ups and downs, its joy and
sorrows.
