Love for and from Christ is an experience we must ask the Holy Spirit for, because if we cannot believe, we will be even less able to love. It is essential to ask the Holy Spirit daily to introduce us to the Father and the Son, to fill us and increase our love for the person of Christ. Love is forged in prayer because a love that is not personal is not love; therefore, our prayer must be an intimate dialogue with our Creator, not just a repetition of phrases or routines.

Although we celebrate certain special dates each year, such as Mother’s Day or a birthday, that doesn't mean we shouldn't care for or connect with our mothers or those close to us the rest of the year. The same is true of the Sacred Heart: June is a month that can inspire us throughout the year. How can we prepare for this feast? Confession, Communion, but especially with works of mercy and forgiveness. It’s the perfect opportunity to make a deep, real act of contrition that renews our hearts.

Legionaries of Christ Father Ángel Espinosa de los Monteros — a priest, author and speaker from Pueblo, Mexico — shared four ideas. He said Christ wants our love to be tangible, a love that is real, personal, passionate and faithful.

Real: There is knowledge of the person we love and spend time alone together. That is, after all, what prayer is about: growing in the love we have for God and deepening our understanding of the love he has for us. Some questions can help us discern the “realness” of our love for God: Do we believe and share our faith — as long as it suits us and things go our way? Or do we stay close to God even when he allows things to happen to us that we don't like? The true measure of our love for the Lord isn’t how we respond during times of blessing, but how steadfast we remain when faced with disappointment.

Personal: To make our faith personal, there are sacred tools at our disposal — the Gospels, the Eucharist, the tabernacle and the cross. These are the places where we encounter Christ. A suggestion for this month: Read at least two minutes of the Gospel daily, because to know Christ, we must know his story, his life and words. This challenge is a two-minute encounter with Jesus face to face. When we are asked, “Who is Christ?” can we describe him and give a real answer? Or do we speak from an idea we have of Jesus but without foundation? Knowing another authentically and without unfounded assumptions is an indispensable part of personal love.

Passionate: St. Augustine said, “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him is the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.” Are we passionate about the salvation of souls? About the defense of the Church in these difficult times? Having these goals is one of the best ways to love Christ passionately, to offer reparation to his Sacred Heart that suffers constant insults from all humanity.

Faithful: Authentic declarations of love are “forever.” I don’t know if you’ve heard a declaration of love that includes “in the meantime” or “while it lasts.” If you have, that’s a truly disappointing thing. Because far from being worthy of celebration, that would become an  hourglass that comes to an end sooner or later. Now, “forever” doesn’t mean being free of errors, mistakes or difficulties. It’s one thing to be weak and another to be unfaithful. Peter was weak; Judas was unfaithful. It’s OK to stumble in our relationship with Jesus — what’s not OK is to end it. Christ is loved, and he is loved forever. If one knows Christ in a real, personal and passionate way, then fidelity to love himself comes almost without thinking or realizing it.

Pope Leo XIII consecrated all of humanity to the Sacred Heart and said it was the most important act of his pontificate because thousands of people, including several bishops, asked him at different times and incessantly to consecrate the entire world to the Sacred Heart. Here are the promises Christ has made to those who keep a devotion to his Sacred Heart. Hopefully, they will be an incentive for us all to begin or persevere in this devotion:

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will establish peace in their homes.
3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. I will be their secure refuge during life and, above all, in death.
5. I will bestow abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6. Sinners will find in my heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Lukewarm souls will become fervent.
8. Fervent souls will quickly mount to high perfection.
9. I will bless every place in which an image of my heart is exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who promote this devotion will have their names written in my heart.
12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of my heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive holy Communion on the first Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

Families can download a Sacred Heart enthronement kit for the home at welcomehisheart.com. Then, let’s ask, “Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like yours!”