SACRED HEART TALK 2020: A Heart that Mirrors God (1)

Welcome to the first of three, short reflections concerning the Sacred Heart.

I’d like to begin by recalling why the Sacred Heart of Jesus – and when I speak of the Heart of Christ, I also infer the Heart of Mary for the two Hearts are as one – why it’s of such importance by sharing some words by the Orthodox theologian, Archbishop. Kalistos Ware:

‘The heart, it has been said, is the primary organ of our being, the point of convergence between mind and matter, the centre alike of our physical constitution and our psychic and spiritual structure.  Since the heart has this twofold aspect, at once visible and invisible, prayer of the heart is prayer of body as well as soul: only if it includes the body can it be truly prayer of the whole person. A human being, in the biblical view, is a psychosomatic totality — not a soul imprisoned in a body and seeking to escape, but an integral unity of the two. The body is not just an obstacle to be overcome, a lump of matter to be ignored, but it has a positive part to play in the spiritual life and it is endowed with energies that can be harnessed for the work of prayer.’

Recently, I came across a small book called, ‘The Sacred Heart of the World’, written by David Richo and published in 2007.  Two years before, he writes, he had received the graces needed to vow to make a contribution to devotion to the Sacred Heart: this book is the consequence.  In reading it I’ve realised I’d found the book I would like to have written!  David is a psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher and retreat leader in California and his book does what it says on the cover – restores mystical devotion to our spiritual life – so I’d like to use these four sessions to share some of his insights. 

He begins by inviting us to consider the universal context in which the Sacred Heart needs to be set.  Right at the beginning he writes: (p.2): …  This clearly reveals the way the Sacred Heart isn’t just a rather saccharine, individualistic devotion, but concerns the essence of our humanity.  (p.3) … It also reveals, of course, that the nature of God is love: (p.6, 7, 9)

It was inside us because God breathed his Spirit into Adams nostrils – the heart of God is a Trinity of Love which flows out and enfolds all things: O then, let my heart awake to your breath within me!  There, where mind sinks into the depths of God, there are rivers of love flowing from the Heart!  ‘In Sufi tradition’, writes Richo, ‘The heart is eternity, light, and divinity.  It is the centre of consciousness and the vehicle by which God sees us.  God breathing life into Adam means that a heart was given to him.’ (p.14)  Later, in sharing some words of Jung, he says that ‘The heart mirrors the psyche itself, which includes both our personal experience and the heritage of wisdom of the entire human collective that keeps stirring in all of us.’ (p.16)

Finally, he writes of the way that the Sacred Heart is a universal symbol which is in everybody's soul.  Yet it’s not only a symbol, a word meaning password in Greek, it’s also a passport to participation in what it signifies.  The sacramental nature of the Sacred Heart contains the power to awaken spiritual truths in us and to give us an appetite for it.  The Heart of Jesus is indeed the centre of the mystical body of humanity and the universe. 

To end this session, I’ll share words from a Sioux Indian which he quotes; ‘the heart is a sanctuary at the centre of which is a little space wherein the Great Spirit abides.’  Hearing them, I was immediately remined of something Thomas Merton wrote in Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander’:

‘At the centre of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusion, a point of truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to God, which is never at our disposal, from which God disposes our lives, which is inaccessible to the fantasies of our own mind or the brutalities of our own will.  This little point of nothingness and of absolute poverty is the pure glory of God in us.  It is, so to speak, His name written in us…  It is like a pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven.  It is in everybody, and if we could see it we would see those billions of points of light coming together in the face and blaze of a sun that would make all the darkness and cruelty of life vanish completely.  I have no program for this seeing; is it only given.  But the Gate of Heaven is everywhere.’ 

MINDFULNESS AND THE CONTEMPLATIVE HEART

According to much Christian teaching the heart is the centre of our being, the focus of our thoughts and feelings which is the locus of the soul.  This challenges a culture which has made the mind – the place of our reasoning faculties – the centre.  Much spiritual teaching has long been concerned with creating a ‘right – clean – heart’ for the heart can become corrupted and so needs to be re-fashioned, re-focussed.  I need to make sure that my heart is focused in God, the source of all goodness, and underlined the need to live a recollected life, a life where the heart, the habitation of the soul, comes alive. 

MINDFULNESS

The recent interest in ‘Mindfulness’, those practices which NHS online says can improve mental well-being, by ‘paying more attention to the present moment, to thoughts and feelings and to the world around you’, has connected with many people estranged from Faith.  Echoing Christian teaching ‘Mindfulness’ is the ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or over-whelmed by what’s going on around us. 

From its use in prisons and schools its benefits are becoming more widely realised.  Yet it draws on practices older than Christianity which, unfortunately, became generally forgotten at the Reformation.  Christianity has taught these practices as aspects of contemplative prayer, practices which encourage us to enter the caverns of the heart as we let go of our thoughts and feelings and descend to our soul.  Unfortunately, our Faith became caught by notions of ‘onwards and upwards’ rather than ‘stillness and descent’, yet the great mystics of the Church always knew that this was the better way.

This ‘prayer of the heart’ is one of the simplest ways in which we can open ourselves to that ‘ground of our being’ which lies beneath the surface of our lives.  It’s a way of praying which is intended to cultivate that interior silence which can calm the raging seas of life and we can overcome the fear of our own hidden depths.  It requires of us nothing more than developing a deep inner stillness and silence as we seek to focus into our desire for God.  At a time when people are beginning to waken to the importance of their inner world the Church needs to re-discover its treasury of contemplative prayer where we can find the most important ‘fresh expressions’ of our Faith which speak to the actual needs people have. 

St Paul recognised the importance of Mindfulness when he prayed that ‘with the eyes of your heart enlightened you may know what is the hope to which (God) has called you.’  The 3^rd century Desert Mothers and Fathers taught that we need to focus into a word which we can gently repeat beneath our breath, which is often spoken of as Centring Prayer; Lectio Divina, taught by the Benedictines, allows words of scripture to enter the heart, and in the 17^th century Brother Laurence taught the importance of living in the Present Moment.  In fact, these practices might be more rightly called ‘heartfulness’ for as St Theophan the Recluse, a 19^th century Russian monk, reminds us:

‘To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and there to stand before the face of the Lord, ever present .. within you.’

That reflects a far older teaching that if we gaze deep within our heart, we shall find there the ladder that leads to heaven. (St Isaac the Syrian)

THE HEART OF CHRIST

This reminds us that we need to give far greater attention to the heart.  We need to re-discover the importance of the Heart of Christ, the Sacred Heart of Jesus for His Heart reveals what our heart might be like.  ‘The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and of great kindness’ says the psalmist (145.8) and reveals aspects of the Heart of God which it can be so hard to incarnate in our lives.  Can I be merciful, compassionate and kind?   If that’s the nature of God’s Heart, and if we were created in the image and likeness of God, then this helps to identify what being human is all about. 

We resonate to these human qualities which pierce beneath the shell that we can build around us and invite us to fix our heart upon them.  Yet they’re only emanations of the nature of the invisible and unknowable God whose nature must be greater than these describe.   To fix the heart on the Heart of God involves deepening our desire to reflect the Sacred Heart which doesn’t just call us to devotion to its physicality, any more than devotion to Christ is about tribal loyalty.  Rather, devotion to the Sacred Heart slowly opens us to the fullness of divine life.  I want my heart, my life, to be like His.  That’s what makes the saints so attractive, for they are people whose lives reveal something of the attractive beauty of God. 

God gently invites us to ‘fix our heart’ on His, to be awakened by and to Divine beauty.  To cleanse our heart that it might shine with the beauty in which it was created.   To recollect this call, hear its echoes and resonances.  This fixing of the heart means I’m being drawn out of my-self into the Sacred Heart.   Yet the heart can be distracted, can become enslaved to another who will lead me away from the Light of Love and needs cleansing, liberating and renewing in the image and likeness of the Sacred Heart.

THE HEART OF THE OTHER

This drawing into the Heart of Christ opens my heart to want to encounter the heart of the other.  In fact, what I have found, like so many others, is that encountering the heart of the other – of all Creation – I find my–self profoundly moved out of that ‘self’ as I gaze on the other.  From the simplest leaf, tiniest insect or most fragile butterfly, to the grandest mountain, vastness of ocean or celestial panoply my heart is moved and drawn more deeply into desiring at-oneness with that ‘other’.  And in allowing my heart to be moved in this way I notice how my own sense of humanity is nourished and affirmed.  I am more ‘me’ as I allow myself to be embraced by the Other.  This seems connected to the way the early Franciscan, St Bonaventure, noted that the very universe is a kind of ladder for ascending to God (cf. ‘The Soul’s Journey into God’) only this is a ladder which takes us into the wonder of the Divine.

BEING AND BELONGING

St Francis of Assisi knew that at heart, we are intimately connected with the heart of all that is.   He taught that we are sisters and brothers with the whole of creation.  The reverence I feel when contemplating the stars connects me to them, for I am made of the same stuff; the fact that I am moved in my depths when I gaze on the animal world should remind me to reverence it - and if it doesn’t, then there is something wrong with my humanity.   If I am not moved it suggests that my heart is closed and needs awakening so that it can be fixed on wonder, love and praise.  I find my sense of belonging widens from the particular (this family, place, nation) to a greater sense of belonging as a creature in creation.  This seems to be what Jesus recognised as he reached out beyond the confines of family (“who is my mother...”) and Paul taught (“circumcision is nothing ... what matters is a new creation”) and calls us to have a heart large enough to embrace the whole.  Slowly the heart needs to break free of its constraints so that it can sing the song of freedom. 

This is what being a Christian is all about - realising myself as a new creation whose heart is fixed on mercy, compassion and love for all things.  I need to be ‘mindful’ of this calling – to recollect this attention in the depths of my heart so that I’m not given to distraction.  And when – inevitably – I am, to collect my attention to its roots in the Heart of God.  This needs to be my well-spring.  And even though I may have a particular love, it is that Sacred Heart of Christ which is to enable all my loving.  As I gaze on His Heart so mine can be warmed.  It can also be challenged to grow beyond the limits of the self; challenged to be renewed (“a new heart create for me, O God...”) and refreshed. 

THE HEART AND DIVISION

This deep and often unconscious yearning for union – at-oneness – which is endemic to our being as a part of Creation will inevitably find the notion of separation a threat and a challenge and it’s experience deeply disturbing.  Yet, at a deeper level, our union cannot be broken – I remain your brother or sister and a brother or sister to the whole of creation whether that is recognised or not.  That recognition was the great gift of St Francis and other saints and their insights need to be recalled at times when we experience brokenness.  The eye of our heart needs to be fixed on the Heart of God which enfolds the whole of creation as we pray: “may you be well; may you be happy; may you know the compassion of Christ.”

MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION

At a time when people are beginning to awaken to the importance of their inner world the Church needs to re-discover its treasury of contemplative prayer.  Here we can find the most important ‘fresh expressions’ of our Faith which speak to the actual needs people have.  If we want to re-connect with them then why not begin by organising a contemplative prayer group – call it ‘Mindfulness and Meditation’ if you like, but let’s do something!  

PRIESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS

‘The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.’ (St John-Marie Vianney)

_________________________________

And with those few words the Cure d’Ars identifies the heart of the priestly vocation. Every priest is called to live out of the Heart of Jesus.

Often I hear of people saying they’re going to be a ‘vicar’ or asking what it’s like to be a vicar – but no one’s ordained to be a vicar!  Or rector, chaplain, padre or whatever; these are simply some of the roles priests inhabit. What we need to do is to reclaim the centrality of ‘being priests’, priests of the Heart of Jesus.  We should not be afraid to reclaim that word for it speaks of sanctification even though many of us fail in that calling. The role – vicar, rector, chaplain etc. can overwhelm anyone but the vocation will always be refreshing. For our vocation is rooted in Christ in whom we are enfolded and who feeds our hearts in His love.   The book I have written concerns that calling.

It’s also apparant that people are being attracted by, and encouraged to consider, being a ‘leader’ as if priesthood and leadership were the same. They are not. When I was a Franciscan it was clear that priest-brothers were not, necessarily, called to be leaders of communities. If the church wants leaders then there is no need for them to be ordained. But if it wants priests, pastors of the flock and ministers of the altar that is a different matter. Not all priests are called to be leaders and not all leaders are called to be priests.

So my book isn’t about leadership but it is about priesthood and what needs to nourish and nurture that vocation. The way in which the Church of England is placing so much emphasis on leadership begs questions about the nature of the Church. I know that many sense a ‘business’ model is influencing the hierarchy and wondering whether this is what the church needs, wondering what has happened to the notion of the primary call of the Reign of God, of Christian sanctification and pastoral care. So my book is an attempt to address this growing imbalance; an attempt to re-focus into the Heart of Him who invites us to share what lies deeply in His Sacred Heart.

PRIESTS OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

In reading Fr John Croiset SJ's The Devotion to the Sacred Heart I was struck by discovering the Vows St Margaret Mary Alacoque made to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Eve of All Saints (I cannot find the year).  Couched in the language of 17th century France some of them are very particular to her but a number would be applicable to any Christian seeking to live in closer union with the Heart of Christ.  They also seem of particular importance to the sanctification of priests:

š  To commit to pray the Daily Office;

š  To respect others and strive to honour all, even those I find it hard to love;

š  Not to seek for any reward save that of doing the Will of God;

š  To offer myself to my bishop to be used for the good of the Church;

š  To give myself, day by day, to living out of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ and to consider my life as a ‘living sacrifice’, offered on the altar of the world;

š  To never seek out the faults in others “and when I am obliged to speak of them, to do so only in the charity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.”

š  To be generous in my judgments of others;

š  To seek the good of all;

š  To live out of the Divine Will of our Father in heaven;

š  To refrain from “dwelling voluntarily, not only on bad thoughts, but on thoughts that are useless.”

š  To offer my life to the greater glory of God.

These commitments, rooted in our Baptismal consecration, are so easily forgotten but are gems which would enrich the lives of those who are called to live out of the 'Love of the Heart of Jesus'.

A SERMON FOR CORPUS CHRISTI

Readings: Exodus 24: 3-8; Hebrews 9: 11-15; S. Mark: 14: 12-16 & 22-26 

"To be possessed by Jesus and to possess Him –

that is the perfect reign of Love."

ª

INTRODUCTION

Recently I was reminded by a friend that the best sermons consist of three points  He illustrated this dictum with the story of how a young ordinand on one Feast of Corpus Christi preached what was arguably the most comprehensive and theologically profound three point sermon ever given .… and this is what he said:

            Point 1: Jesus is God

            Point 2: Mary is his Mother

            Point 3: Go to Mass

and then sat down, thus earning the eternal gratitude of the entire congregation.  

I’m not going to sit down that quickly but my three points as we celebrate Corpus Christi are these:   

Firstly, Jesus is really present in the Most Holy Sacrament. 

Secondly, He holds us in His Sacred Heart. 

And, thirdly, we need to give our profound attention to Him.

You’ll notice that I mention the Sacred Heart of Jesus because I believe they are profoundly connected.  Eight days after this Feast, on the Octave day, the Church celebrates the great Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus because when we gaze on the Host it is not the outer form of bread we want to behold but the heart of Christ.  And we want Him to gaze on us from His Sacred Heart.  But, sadly, most Anglicans have probably never heard of this celebration – which is to our profound loss.  But let’s begin by reflecting on the way that Jesus is truly present in this Most Holy Sacrament. 

1. JESUS IS TRULY PRESENT IN THIS SACRAMENT

Today we join our fellow Christians around the world in affirming His Real Presence in our midst.  On Maundy Thursday we worshipped with Jesus in Jerusalem as he observed the Passover Feast before His Passion and Death.  Now we recognise His continuing presence with us, a presence made explicit in those words: ‘This is my Body, which is for you.”  So, today, we give our attention to Jesus present with us in the Blessed Sacrament. 

            So today is all about affirming that, as we are present to Him, He is present to us.  And as we are present to Him and feed on His Real Presence: ‘The Bread of Life himself changes the person who eats, assimilating and transforming us into himself’ as someone once wrote. ‘See in what sense the Kingdom of heaven is within us!’ (Nicolas Cabasilas)

2. JESUS HOLDS US IN HIS LOVE

Secondly, Jesus holds us in His love.  That we’re at-one with Divine Love is made explicit in those words of the 19th c. French priest St. Peter Eymard: "To be possessed by Jesus and to possess Him, that is the perfect reign of Love."  Knowing that we’re loved by God is fundamental to living by Faith and this Feast reminds us that He who made us and came among us is eternally, lovingly present with us.  And our primary calling is to live in that love. 

            In eight days’ time, on the Octave day of this Feast of Corpus Christi, comes that great Feast of the Sacred Heart which reinforces this profound calling.  It’s a celebration that’s no optional extra, rather it complements Corpus Christi by its focus on the Divine Compassion of God in Christ.  The great Franciscan saint, Bonaventure, wrote these beautiful words: ‘I have found this Heart in the Eucharist when I have found there the Heart of my Sovereign, of my Friend, of my Brother, that is to say, the Heart of my friend and Redeemer. …  Come, my brethren, let us enter into this amiable Heart never again to go out from It.’

            Of course some people will find all this talk of devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Sacred Heart very flamboyant.  But love is passionate, as Bp. Michael Curry revealed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.  It’s not academic or disinterested: we need to allow God’s love for us to permeate into the depths of our heart.  Some people talk about there being a crisis of faith in the western world but I think that, if there is a crisis, then it concerns the way so many don’t realise the depths of God’s love for them.   

            And these twin Feasts of Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart hold us into that deep truth and invite us to allow it to possess us.  One of the problems I frequently encounter through the ministry of Spiritual Direction is that of accepting we are loved.   For too many people childhood was not a time when they learnt this: rather it was a time when they learnt that love had to be earned: it did not come without a cost.  And even the best parent, seeking to love their child to the full, will always make mistakes.   We are adrift in a world where nobody really has the faintest idea what it might feel like to be unconditionally loved.  This is beyond our experience.  Love, even the best we can offer, always comes with provisos and limitations.  So, my final point is that we need to give profound attention to this mystery of God’s love for us.

3. GIVING PROFOUND ATTENTION TO JESUS

A nineteenth century Franciscan, and friend and contemporary of St Peter, was St. John Marie Vianney, better known as the Curé d’Ars.  Some of you may know the moving story about him that speaks powerfully of this need to give our attention to Jesus. 

            Each day an old farmer would enter the village church and sit before the Tabernacle in which, of course, resides the Blessed Sacrament just as it does here in the hanging Pyx.  St John would watch him until, one day, he decided to ask what the old man did when he sat there.  His response was very simple and has become world famous:  “I look at him, he looks at me and we tell each other that we love each other.” 

            That old farmer was contemplating Jesus’ presence in the Tabernacle: he was opening his heart to the Holy Communion of Love.  I often wonder if our Church really encourages people to adopt this contemplative gaze in church – or in life.  We may be well known for our welcome, offer wonderful hospitality, or care for one another, especially those in need, and all of that is right and proper.   But are we well known for our devotion to Jesus?  Nowadays, if you go into many churches, they are often full of noise and activity although Meister Eckart, the great German mystic, maintained that ‘there is nothing so much like God as silence.’  But today, if you like, ‘poor little talkative Christianity’ gives way to our silent adoration of the Word made Flesh.

            I’m sure you’re aware of the way in which what we give our attention to – what we gaze upon – helps mould who we are.   Give your attention to hatred and violence, envy, greed, lust and so on and you may find yourself becoming filled with hate, violence, envy, greed and lust.  The human heart, the centre of who we are, is moulded its desires.  So giving attention, giving our devotion, to Jesus is of greatest importance.  That contemplative prayer of what might be called ‘loving regard’ is essential in developing our life in Christ.  All the great saints have realised this and encourage us to take time to recognise the power of evil and actively gaze upon Christ as He gazes upon us.

            Corpus Christi says: love for you – Mary or John, Christine or David – led me to enter your flesh and shed my blood.  These are my gifts of love for you and the world.  And if you don’t quite understand that – if you can’t grasp that, then look at my Heart.  It’s broken for you, crowned with thorns for you, on fire with love for you and the world.  This Trinity of Persons-in-Love feeds us with love – feeds our hearts because the Heart of God is an ocean of Love. 

In all my woes, in all my joys,

though nought but grief I see,
O sacred heart of Jesus, I place my trust in thee.

When those I loved have passed away,

and I am sore distressed,
O sacred heart of Jesus, I fly to thee for rest.
In all my trials, great or small, my confidence shall be unshaken

as I cry, dear Lord, I place my trust in thee. (Author unknown)

CONCLUSION

Yet there’s something more to this matter of our celebration of Christ’s Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament which we celebrate today.  It’s not only in church we need to re-direct our attention, for each one of us and the whole of Creation is a sacrament of God. 

            Today we affirm the presence of God in all things and so we’re called to venerate all things just as we are called to venerate Christ in His Most Holy Sacrament.  But chiefly we’re called to venerate His presence in each one of us.  Beneath all our masks we bear His image and likeness, which is why we greet one another with a holy kiss at the peace.  Why, just as the Word of God and the Sacrament itself, we are also censed at Mass.  ‘Blessed, praised and hallowed be Jesus Christ on his throne of glory.’  And in the Most Holy Sacrament.  And in you and me and the whole of creation. 

So, today as every day, and in every moment, let us take to heart those words of St. Peter Eymard: 

 "To be possessed by Jesus and to possess Him, that is the perfect reign of Love.”                                  

X

THE SACRED HEART OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

Eight days after the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Octave days, the Church celebrates the great Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Except, of course, most Anglicans have never heard of this celebration and even those churches which realise the Catholic heritage of the Church of England may not recognise this Feast.  This is to our loss for, as Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the USA, preached about at the wedding of their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, love is the way; and the one symbol that speaks to all about love is – the heart.  And the Church has the wonder of the Sacred Heart to offer people – a Heart which is not just concerned with the joys of love, but also knows about passion and pain.  It was while she was kneeling in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament that Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque displaying Hs Heart, "represented as a throne of fire with flames radiating on every side. It appeared more brilliant than the sun and transparent like crystal. The wound received on the Cross appeared clearly: There was a crown of thorns around the Heart and it was surmounted by a cross."  This is the Sacred Heart of Christ’s Passion which, unlike other images of love, constantly reminds us of its true cost.  This is a gift the Church of England sadly neglects.

At Christmas we celebrate the Incarnation of Love is as Love reveals His Presence among us, a Presence we celebrate in and through each Eucharist.  It’s a Presence which is Real, a Presence which we need to penetrate and which needs to penetrate us if we are to encounter the Heart of God.  At Christmas we behold Love clothed in Flesh, Flesh which suffered, died, rose from the grave and ascended into heaven.  Love left us the sacrament of that Presence, and whilst the eye of the body beheld Jesus within Crib the eye of the heart can now begin to see the wonder of Emmanuel – the Love of God with us abiding in the Blessed Sacrament.  The great Franciscan saint, Bonaventure, wrote these beautiful words: ‘I have found this Heart in the Eucharist when I have found there the Heart of my Sovereign, of my Friend, of my Brother, that is to say, the Heart of my friend and Redeemer. …  Come, my brethren, let us enter into this amiable Heart never again to go out from It.’

In his book The Drawing of This Love the author, Robert Fruewirth, explores aspects of the way the 14^th century English mystic, Dame Julian of Norwich, realised how that Divine Love is permeated by compassion.  In one chapter he quotes Julian saying: ‘Here I saw a great affinity between Christ and us … for when he was in pain, we were in pain.  And all creatures capable of suffering pain suffered with him … So was our Lord Jesus Christ set at nought for us, and we all remain in this way as if set at naught with him, and shall do until we come to his bliss…’ (Ch.18)  Divine Compassion lies in the depths of the Sacred Heart – indeed, is the way in which that Heart is to be understood and we can always be present to His compassion when we come before Him in the Blessed Sacrament.  So people have longed to look upon that loving compassion and can do so when the Sacrament is exposed to our gaze on the altar.   There we can be present to Him as He is present to us when the Sacrament is exposed on the altar; if only every church offered times when this practice so that all can sit or kneel in prayer in His Presence.  If churches helped people to come and adore Him who longed – and longs – to be with us!  There we can talk with Him or just rest with Him and know that He is fully present to all who come to Him.  We could just curl up before Him who opens His Heart to us in the Sacrament of Divine Love. 

But even if we cannot find an open church where the brilliance of the Host shines out we can always take Him with us in the tabernacle of our heart for, as St Francis of Assisi wrote in his Rule of 1221: ‘We should make a dwelling-place within ourselves where He can stay, He who is the Lord God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.’ Dame Julian echoes this theme when later she wrote: ‘Then with a glad expression our Lord looked into his side and gazed, rejoicing and with his dear gaze he led his creature’s understanding through the same wound into his side within. And then he revealed a beautiful and delightful place, large enough for all mankind that shall be saved to rest there in peace and in love.’ (Ch.24)  That ‘place’ is His Sacred Heart, a Heart large enough to contain all of us, a Heart enlarged by compassion.  This is the Sacrament of Love upon which we are invited to gaze, as Julian gazed on what was revealed to her.  It is a wonderful thing that we who have been made part of His Body can gaze on that Body which is lit up with Love – as one might look on a building flooded with light both inside and out, throbbing with all the colours there are against the darkness that surround it – a darkness of both sin and a lack of recognition. This is what we are to realise as we gaze on His Incarnate Body shown to us in the monstrance.

God enables us to fashion an inner-monstrance of the heart which is to be the dwelling-place for Jesus where we can adore Him whenever we visit that place.  Few churches can offer perpetual Adoration but He can always be with us and we can always adore Him whenever we choose to make this visit to our heart.  But wouldn’t it be wonderful if more Anglican churches – cathedrals, certainly – offered this facility?  There is a wonderful Tabernacle House, for example, in Southwark Cathedral (which may come from the Convent of the sisters of the Community of Reparation to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament founded in 1869 and ended with the death of the last sister in the early years of this century).

It’s exquisitely beautiful to come to Jesus in this way and be able to just rest with Him – ‘be there’ with Him who is in all places and fills all things yet who left us this way to realise His presence.  It’s a presence that doesn’t require any words and the only effort is to focus attention on Him and Him alone.  To be able to do this in places like Westminster Cathedral and Tyburn Convent in Hyde Park Place is a joy which all would benefit from realising.  And when that is not possible we can make a virtual visit to adore Jesus through a number of websites which offer that facility.

Thankfully even though we may not be able to visit those places, He dwells in the hearts of all who turn aside to Him and unlock the door to this inner sanctuary.  The Sacred Heart is like a door leading into the very soul of Christ, towards complete conformity to Him.

"Devotion to the Sacred Heart has a twofold object: it honours first with adoration and public worship the Heart of flesh of Jesus Christ, and secondly the infinite love with which this Heart has burned for us since its creation, and with which it is still consumed in the Sacrament of our altars." (St. Peter Julian Eymard)

BROKEN

Does anyone else agree that 'Broken', which ended its run on the BBC on Tuesday night (July 4th), is amongst the best programmes dealing with social and personal issues from a profoundly Christian basis?  It also appears to be a story with equally profound spiritual roots - the heart of our relationship with God in Christ and the way that affects life.  It is a real expression of the saying of St. Jean Marie Vianney, Patron of Parish Clergy: 'The Priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus'.

I know the writer professes to be an atheist - but can hardly believe that's true.  His Catholic upbringing has clearly made an indelible mark on his attitude to life.  I've rarely seen such a moving and powerful portrayal of the Christian Faith in action - and all rooted in the dynamic of the Eucharist. Might it be required viewing by theological students and bishops?  It might make an excellent Lent Course for 2018.  Thanks, Jimmy McGovern - this is a real FRESH EXPRESSION!

23rd Anniversary of Priesting and the Heart of our Faith

Today is the twenty-third anniversary of my ordination to the Priesthood in Birmingham Cathedral, a day for which I give thanks.  It seemed very appropriate that the Gospel (1) for today’s Mass, the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, included this statement by Jesus:

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matt.10:37)

It is known as one of the ‘hard-sayings’ of Jesus because, at first sight, it seems both overly-demanding and exclusive.  Yet, on further reflection, it is also one of the most beautiful and inspiring.  For it is a forceful reminder that our gaze be directed to the Heart of Christ, from which every human heart takes its shape and form yet which can become so misshapen.  It is easy for us to be misled by those we love – even the most wonderful of human lovers has their faults – and we need to have our own heart, the centre of our being, constantly re-focussed and re-made.  And we who are Christians find that the Heart of Jesus has no flaws and longs to re-fashion us in Christ’s image and likeness.  So we need to love the Heart of Jesus with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength. (Mt.12:30)   

And, as if offering a further reflection on the Gospel, today’s Office of Readings includes the Homily Pope Paul VI during his visit to the Philippines in 1970 (2):

“I must bear witness to his name: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt.16:16).  He reveals the invisible God; he is the firstborn of all creation, the foundation of everything created.  He is the Teacher of mankind, and its Redeemer.  He was born, he died and he rose again for us.  He is the centre of history and of the world; he is the one who knows us and who loves us; he is the companion and the friend of our life.  He is the man of sorrows and of hope.  It is he who will come and who one day will be our judge and - we hope - the everlasting fullness of our existence, our happiness.  I could never finish speaking about him: he is the light and the truth; indeed, he is ‘the way, the truth and the life’ (In.14:6).  He is the bread and the spring of living water to satisfy our hunger and our thirst.  He is our shepherd, our guide, our model, our comfort, our brother.  Like us, and more than us, he has been little, poor, humiliated; he has been a worker; he has known misfortune and been patient.  For our sake he spoke, worked miracles and founded a new kingdom where the poor are happy, where peace is the principle for living together, where the pure of heart and those who mourn are raised up and comforted, where those who hunger and thirst after justice have their fill, where sinners can be forgiven, where all are brothers.

Jesus Christ: you have heard him spoken of; indeed the greater part of you are already his: you are Christians.  So, to you Christians I repeat his name, to everyone I proclaim him: Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega; he is the king of the new world; he is the secret of history; he is the key to our destiny.  He is the mediator, the bridge, between heaven and earth.  He is more perfectly than anyone else the Son of Man, because he is the Son of God, eternal and infinite.  He is the son of Mary, blessed among all women, his mother according to the flesh, and our mother through the sharing in the Spirit of his Mystical Body.

Jesus Christ is our constant preaching; it is his name that we proclaim to the ends of the earth (cf. Rom 10:18) and throughout all ages (Rom.9 5).  Remember this and ponder on it: the Pope has come here among you and has proclaimed Jesus Christ!”

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(1)  Revised Common Lectionary

(2)  Homily of the late Holy Father, Paul VI, at Mass at the ‘Quezon Circle, Manila, The Philippines, on Sunday, 29 November 1970

COMPANIONS and ASSOCIATES of the COMPASSIONATE HEARTS of JESUS and MARY

Many of us are aware of the presence of hate, fear, bigotry and anger in our society – and see a growing lack of compassion, not least for those who some perceive ‘don’t belong’.   And we might even be aware of the way these feelings can begin to fill our own hearts.  It’s not always a virtue that’s easy to express.

But if you sense that we need to be more compassionate towards each other, then you might be interested in a new online, ecumenical Spiritual Association that’s in formation.  It’s called Companions of the Compassionate Hearts of Jesus and Mary (CCHJM) and it seeks to enable members (Companions) to express compassion by nurturing this virtue.

Compassion lies at the heart of all the world’s great religions and forms an essential aspect of the Christian Faith.  As the well-known writer and theologian, Henri Nouwen, wrote:  ‘When Jesus was moved to compassion, the source of all life trembled, the ground of all love burst open and the abyss of God’s immense, inexhaustible and unfathomable love revealed itself.’ *   Compassion is not the same as feeling sorry for people but is an active being-alongside.  And it all begins with having self-compassion. 

Companions adopt a simple Rule.  They seek to:

Ø to spend time each day in the presence of Compassionate Heart of Jesus;

Ø express compassion in a practical way;

Ø make a compassion Examen (reflection) each day;

Ø recognise the value of the Sacrament of Confession in seeking to fulfil the psalmist’s plea: ‘Make me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.’

If you don’t feel you can take on this Rule but would like to be connected it's possible to become and Associate.  Associates accept the Aims and Purpose of the Association and promise to seek ways of fostering compassion in their hearts and living out of that charism.  They will also receive Compassion Quarterly, the publication of the online Association.

It doesn’t cost anything to join (except to work on being a compassionate person!) and there aren’t any meetings to attend.  You can find out more from the website: www.cchjm.org where there’s a simple form to complete if you wish to ask questions or join, together with prayers and reflections and articles about compassion that might be of interest.

Visit our website: www.cchjm.org, follow us on Twitter: #cchjm123 or like our Facebook Page

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*  ‘ Compassion – A Reflection on the Christian Life’. DLT. 2008

USING DIVINE COMPASSION TO COUNTER HATE, FEAR AND DIVISION

Since the country voted for Brexit and Donald Trump was elected President of the USA I have found, in my work as a spiritual director, many people speaking of an ‘existential angst’ they, or their friends, are experiencing.   Feelings of anger, disgust, fear and emptiness seem to exercise a greater hold and the dread of division has entered their – souls.  And I hear (and recognise something) of the way some are almost addicted to exploring news stories concerning these two subjects which are exercising a hold over them that seems unhealthy.  

As I have reflected on this phenomenon I have noticed a remarkable similarity between the effect that focusing on the effects of Brexit and Trump have with some of the teaching of S. Ignatius in what he described as ‘discernment of spirits’.  Ignatius pointed out that the ‘evil spirit’ (ad if someone has a problem with such a term, think of ‘negative life-force’) will seek to “move (a person) toward lack of faith and leave one without hope and without love” (The Spiritual Exercises, n. 317).  Ignatius goes on to say that when this occurs the person who is seeking to live as God would have them live should ‘confront those things that hold us back from such freedom’ - and act against those behaviours which are not life giving (Contra Agere).

For many years I have been attracted by the Sacred Heart of Jesus, finding in that image and devotion a real sense of God’s passionate love for all creation.  More recently I have become conscious of being drawn to explore practicing Compassion and how developing this deep aspect of our humanity can undermine the consequences of being drawn by the hatred, fear and division present in our world. It has also been realised that developing compassion can be a means of growing in personal well-being.  To that end I have been working on developing an Association of Companions of the Compassionate Hearts of Jesus and Mary. 

The idea of such an Association is to provide a means whereby people can commit to live out the compassionate love of God in their lives.  Jesus and Mary reveal aspects of compassionate love – Jesus responded to the world with Divine Compassion and Mary was warned of the pain compassion can bring when, in bringing the child Jesus to the Temple, Simeon prophesied that her soul would be “pierced” by a sword as she bore Jesus in the world.  

The purpose of such an Association would be to encourage and nurture compassion in the lives of all Companions.  Its aim would be to provide a means of commitment with others in developing a compassionate heart for the sake of the world.  And the charism of Companions would be to:

+  seek to be living lives whereby the love of God, realised in the Compassion of Jesus, might be fully realised;

+  recall that the heart of Mary was pierced by a sword as she remained in union with her Son.   Companions recognise that their hearts will also suffer as they seek to love with the heart of Jesus and Mary;

+  know that they cannot do this by their own unaided efforts, rather they seek to turn to Christ’s Compassionate Heart as the Divine well from which they will drink;

+  value the rich resources that come from all religious traditions that seek to cultivate a Compassionate heart;

+  look to the Sacrament of Confession (Reconciliation) as a means of cleansing and for renewing their own hearts.

At present this is an ‘idea in the working’ and I have sought advice as to whether to take this forward. But it seems to me that there is a great and increasing need, not only to act with compassion, but to live out of the Heart of Compassion.

SS. Cyril and Methodius, Patrons of Europe

February 14^th, 2017

THE SACRED HEART OF GOD

June is the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Although some find the devotion rather extravagant it has always seemed to me a pity that it's ignored by most Anglican's.  Not all, for the first Franciscan community for men in the Church of England was dedicated to the Divine Compassion, which is just another way of speaking of the Sacred Heart.  It's clear that one of the founding members, Fr. James Adderley SDC, had a devotion to the Sacred Heart as shown in this poem he wrote:

O Heart of Jesus, Sacred, Passionate,

Anguish it was, yet anguish that was bliss,

To love them heart to heart, each selfish heart,

To clasp them close, and pray in utter truth –

‘Father, forgive, they know not what they do.’

One was the heart of him that ground the poor,

Poor weary heart, so blinded and misled!

One was the heart of her that reeked in shame,

Poor weary heart, so blinded and misled!

One was my heart, that wasted half its years,

And knew so little how to use the rest

To God’s sole glory, and the love of men,

Poor weary heart, so blinded and misled!

Does the Church of England need to be a bit more extravagant about God's love?  I wonder what might happen if the Sacred Heart were displayed in all our churches? When I was at S. Andrew's, Romford I introduced a statue of the Sacred Heart and sought to encourage people to reflect on God's compassionate love for all.  For, it seems to me, if we are to have a right relationship with God we need to embrace more fully a greater emphasis on the sacred, compassionate Heart of Jesus that burns with love for all people.