This Lent, I began a 33-day consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus with my family. Like many families with teenage children, our schedules are full: school events, sports, youth activities, work, and the ordinary busyness of daily life. What was supposed to be a 33-day journey has taken us much longer. Some nights we missed readings. Some prayers were rushed. Sometimes we simply had to pick back up where we left off.
But in a way, that has made the experience even more meaningful. Consecration is not about perfection. It is about intentionally inviting Christ deeper into the life of the family.
When we started, I had no idea that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops would later encourage all families across the country to consecrate themselves this year to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 12, the Feast of the Sacred Heart. Through this national invitation, the bishops are encouraging Catholics to prepare with a novena and renew trust in the love and mercy of Christ. USCCB Consecration Information
Looking back, I can already see how this journey has changed our family. The consecration led us to do several things we had rarely done together before. On Divine Mercy Sunday, we went to confession together as a family. Â On another day, we also spent time in Eucharistic adoration together, sitting quietly before Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament. In a noisy world filled with distractions, that silence became a gift.
Perhaps most meaningful of all was one simple exercise: each member of the family independently came up with specific ways to pray for every other member of the family. Those prayers became deeply personal. They moved beyond general intentions into a genuine act of love and sacrifice for one another.
The Sacred Heart devotion reminds us that Jesus does not love humanity in some distant or abstract way. He loves us personally, intimately, and sacrificially. His Heart burns with love for every family, including families that are busy, imperfect, distracted, or struggling. That is precisely why this consecration matters.
At a time when family life can feel fragmented by technology, schedules, anxiety, and division, intentionally dedicating our homes to the Sacred Heart creates space for grace. It encourages families to pray together, receive the sacraments together, and grow together in holiness.
The bishops’ invitation is not merely another devotional program to add to an already crowded calendar. It is an opportunity to place Christ back at the center of family life. You do not need to do everything perfectly. You simply need to begin.
I encourage every Catholic family to consider taking part in this consecration and novena. Start where you are. Pray together however you can. Go to confession. Spend time before the Eucharist. Pray intentionally for one another. The journey may take longer than expected, as ours has, but it may also become one of the greatest blessings your family experiences this year.
For information about the consecration and novena, visit USCCB Sacred Heart Consecration Page.