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.
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