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SACRED
HEART OF JESUS: EUDIST SPIRITUALITY
Saint John Eudes liturgical feast: October 20, 1672
Fr. Leonardo Arboleda, CJM
LET US PRAY:
Hail, Heart most Holy!
Hail, Heart most gentle!
Hail, Heart must humble!
Hail, Heart most pure!
Hail, Heart most wise!
Hail, Heart most patience!
Hail Heart most obedient!
Hail Heart most Vigilant!
Hail Heart most faithful
Hail Heart most merciful!
Hail, most loving Heart of Jesus and Mary!
We revere you!
We praise you!
We glorify you!
We give you thanks!
We love you with all our heart,
with all our soul,
with all our strength.
We offer you our heart.
We give it to you.
We consecrate it to you.
We immolate it to you.
Receive and posses entirely.
Purify it.
Enlighten it.
Sanctify it.
Live and reign in it now, always and forever.
Amen.
(Saint John Eudes)
THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
OUR SPIRITUALITY
Saint John Eudes Spirituality about the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a
practical Theology and the Church embraces the importance of this
Spirituality. We know, when Saint John Eudes refers the Most Sacred
Heart of Jesus he is talking about love and mercy more than reparation.
FORNAX AMORIS
The Heart of Jesus is “Fornax amoris”. The meaning of this
expression is: “Blaze of Love” like a furnace of Love or burning fire of
love. In this Blaze of Love the most Blessed Virgin Mary receives love
and life. So, Saint John Eudes invites us to contemplate and honor the
Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary as one heart itself as a perfect unit of
Spirit and affection.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus, according to Saint John Eudes, encompasses
all the virtues, and God's sentiments, including the different stages of
Jesus' life; for example: his incarnation, birth, crucifixion and
Resurrection, and Ascension into Heaven.
The Sacred Heart also expresses, the Unity of the different members of
the mystical body of Christ which is the Church. For Saint John Eudes
the Heart of Jesus is the center of the Universe and is the point of
union between God and all creation. Our Founder took this idea from the
French school of Spirituality which emphasizes Jesus as a center of
Christian life.
THREE HEARTS IN ONE HEART
Saint John Eudes distinguishes three hearts in the Heart of Jesus:
1. The Physical and Psychological Heart in which dwells love and
passion.
2. The Spiritual Heart which is the superior part of the soul. This
Spiritual Heart represents intimacy and the desire to love and befriend
others.
3. The Divine Heart, which is the Holy Spirit. We experience the
Divine Heart through faith. This Divine Heart is the Heart of our Heart
which means it is the center of our heart. It is God himself who lives
within us. Consequently God is love.
Jesus, our Savior, has one Heart with his Father and the Holy Spirit.
So, when we adore the Heart of Jesus, we also adore the Heart of the
Father and the Heart of the Holy Spirit. This Heart is a Blaze of love
for us. “Blessed are those who live in that blaze of love”.
LOVING GOD THROUGH HIS LOVE
Saint John Eudes says that God loves us in Jesus, through a human
Heart. But God Himself gives us the Grace of love in order to love Him
through his love which is manifested in the Sacred Heart of his Beloved
Son. It is possible to love God and others because God himself dwells
within us.
REMEMBER:
From the time of our baptism our heart belongs to Jesus and the
Heart of Jesus belongs to us.
PROOFS OF LOVE:
1. The Father! The proof of the blaze of love for us is that God our
Father sent his beloved Son for ourssalvation. God of mercy seems to
love us more than Jesus in sending him by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In doing this, God the Father demonstrates his compassionate love for
us.
2. The Son! Jesus demonstrates his love for us when he says: “I love
you, just as the Father loves me” (John 15:9) My Father proved his love
for you by surrendering me to die on the Cross. I love you because I
accepted the Cross for you. What can we say to Jesus? We may say: “O
Jesus, you love me so much; and you seem to detest yourself in order
to love me.”
3. The Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit who is the Heart of the Father and
the Son demonstrates his love for us in creating Jesus in Mary's womb;
in guiding Jesus in each moment of his life on earth, and in giving
Jesus strength in order to accept the Cross for us.
OUR RESPONSE
This is the way in which God loves us. And, what will we do to
respond? God does not ask odd things! He only wants our hearts. He
becomes happy when we surrender our affections, especially; love and
hatred. The love to love Him with all our strength, and the hatred to
hate only sin.
Saint John Eudes says: “If someone asks you if you love God, you will
respond: YES, I want to love God with the total capacity of my heart,
and I surrender my life to God in loving Him”.
THE CHALLENGE
The challenge of this Spirituality is evident: “if we want to love
God and others we are invited to contemplate the Heart of Jesus in order
to make Jesus' life continue within us”.
FOLLOWING JESUS
How can we can continue to have Jesus' life within us?
1. See and follow Jesus in all things and in all actions.
2. Practice love with your sight, with your mind, and with your
heart.
3. Renounce sin; renounce pride, vanity, and self importance. And,
open your heart to receive Jesus' virtues in order to live in holiness.
If we practice these three steps Jesus will live and reign within us.
LET US PRAY:
“O Lord, give me your feelings; help me to love you above all things;
don't let me separated from you.” (Saint John Eudes)
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