The biblical doctrine about the human heart is very rich:

it is mentioned more than 1100 times. In Scripture the heart refers to the interior of a person; we read about the heart of God, but mostly about the human heart. In Jeremiah 31:31-34; 32:37-41 and in Ezechiel 11::17-20; 36:24-27 God promises a new covenant which will be characterized by a new heart and a new spirit:

I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you;  I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh instead.  I shall put my spirit in you...
(Ez 36: 26-27).

In the letter to the Hebrews chapter 8 Christ is described as the mediator of the new covenant and Jeremiah 31:31-34 is applied to him. He is the one who writes the law of God on our hearts.

How does he do that?  Well, the heart of Jesus is the source of living water, that is, of the Spirit, (John 7:37-39).

On Calvary his heart was pierced and blood and water flowed from it. The source of living water was opened, and, as became apparent on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit was poured out on us to renew the face of the earth. The paschal mystery is a pentecostal mystery. The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us (Rom 5:5).

Since the Heart of Jesus is the source of salvation for the world, together with our founder we see it as our mission to make this known to all:

"May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere."

We believe that also in our time people can find healing for their evils at this source. What a "new heart" really means can be seen in the life of Jesus.

In the first movement of a spirituality of the heart, one encounters Jesus Christ in many ways:

Through Scripture, in the sacraments, in life situations, in prayer and meditation, through other people. Sometimes people can recognize his presence and sometimes they are not sure if or how he is present.

"Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Mid′ian; and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and lo, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, "I will turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt." When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here am I." Then he said, "Do not come near; put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God."
Exodus 3:1-6

In the second movement of a spirituality of the heart, people long for a deeper, more intimate encounter with God in Jesus.

They long to experience his love as personal, unconditional and faithful. The greatest human need, if people are to find meaning and happiness on earth, is to learn to believe in God's love for them and to allow His love to transform their lives. (Fr. Jules Chevalier, MSC) Human hearts hunger for unconditional love - everything and everyone else will eventually leave them unsatisfied.

Living a spirituality of the heart means learning to live each day with trust in God's love. We have come to recognize and believe the love God has for us. (1 Jn: 4) God's love is already present and will never change. God's love is unconditional; we are loved because God chose to love us. St. Paul tells us that God loved us when we were still sinners. God's love is faithful; we can turn away from God but God cannot turn away from us because God's nature is faithful.

Recognition of God's love can come only from God within, who speaks to the heart. When people meditate on the Gospels, they allow Jesus to touch their hearts; they begin to know God's personal love in a way that is beyond feelings and thoughts. No sermon, retreat or talk can convince people of God's love.  People can affirm the message and life events can offer an experience of God's love, but only God can convince our heart.

It is not enough to recognize God's love. There is also a need to accept his love.  Francis Thompson wrote: I fear, having God, I will have naught besides. People usually hesitate to accept God's love and his offer of intimacy. There is an innate fear of getting too close to God. People fear that if they get too close to God, they wil have to give up too much that they enjoy in life.  Instinctively, people know that God's love is demanding and will become the primary relationship of their lives.

This fear of getting too close to God can block intimacy, can block an experience of God's compassionate love and stop people from letting go of whatever is blocking their spiritual growth.

To accept God's love means to accept Jesus' invitation into a relationship with himself and with the Father. Jesus tells us:

"I no longer call you servants....I call you friends. It was not you who chose me; no I chose you...."

Jesus invites each person into friendship and relationship with him; we can respond to this invitation daily.

The third movement in the spirituality of the heart is conversion.

When people experience God's personal, unconditional and faithful love, they are moved to desire a change of their hearts and minds. Mostly, they are moved to let go of whatever might block their relationship with God and growth in their relationships. All the
spiritual writers teach us that letting go is the most effective way to participate in one's spiritual growth. The MSC tradition speaks of the necessity of turning away from anything that limits our capacity to love and be loved.

People usually fear having to change. They want to get rid of obstacles to love without having to change. If we are able to accept and trust God's personal, unconditional and faithful love, we cannot remain the same. We start this conversion by choosing to be willing to let go and to allow God; both are necessary for transformation - as necessary as breathing in and breathing out. Spirituality of the heart teaches people to open their hearts to God. We need to be open to receive whatever gift God wants to give us and to allow Him to touch our hearts and transform our lives.

This transformation happens in and through life events. Books, retreats, and days of recollection do not change people. Life events change people. Books and retreats may give an awareness of the possibility of change, but real change happens in life. One of the great gifts of the spirituality of the heart is that it integrates life and thought; life and Scripture; life and reflection. We can only grow spiritually by becoming immersed in our own life. To do that, we need to experience our daily losses and disappointments and the feelings of anger and sadness that accompany the. We only grow by taking up our cross.

Life is a series of letting-go events, especially as one moves from one stage of life to another.

Spiritual growth includes a challenge to be patient for God's transforming action. This demands that we are prepared to wait until the Lord comes to transform our lives. In Matthew's Gospel, the parable of the give foolish bridesmaids, they were not prepared to wait for the coming of the Bridegroom. Scripture tells us to be prepared for we do not know the day or the hour. Prayer prepares; perseverance strengthens; kindness makes us ready to receive. Being patient is the first step to learning about the love that transforms.

The fourth movement of the spirituality of the heart is a desire to share.

The movement of conversion, of letting go and allowing God, highlights the importance of telling stories.  The way people most easily talk about conversion experiences is by describing how they were, what happened, and how they are now. What was their human condition? How did the events of their life affect them, especially with regard to their ability to trust, to love and to receive love? What was/is their experience of intimacy, of a closer relationship with God or another? How did this love change their way of thinking and acting their way of relating?

When people listen to each other's stories about hurt and loss, about intimacy and change, they affect each other. People experience growth in community. Growing spiritually is a community process. When people are hurt they go into isolation. Isolation is a symptom of being hurt and of the destructive power of hurt. When people share stories, they are invited out of isolation, into relationship again.

The fourth movement of a spirituality of the heart is a desire to be a new person, in a new relationship, and allow this transformation to affect all of one's relationships. The mission is to share the experience of intimacy and conversion with others, by words and actions. It is a gift offered, not a compulsion urged. It is freely received and freely given, to anyone who wishes to receive it.

Sharing one's story gives the message of Jesus' flesh today. The focus is on Jesus and what he has done in this life, so that people might remember Jesus and be grateful to him. Ultimately people share their faith, hope and love with others in such a way that they, in turn, will share their faith, hope and love with still others.

By Fr. Peter Campbell, MSC
___________________________________________________
Father Peter Campbell, MSC, served as Director of the Life's Healing Journey Retreat Ministry for over thirty years before retiring in 2007.

In the first movement of a spirituality of the heart, one encounters Jesus Christ in many ways:

Through Scripture, in the sacraments, in life situations, in prayer and meditation, through other people. Sometimes people can recognize his presence and sometimes they are not sure if or how he is present.

"Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Mid′ian; and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and lo, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, "I will turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt." When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here am I." Then he said, "Do not come near; put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God."
Exodus 3:1-6

In the second movement of a spirituality of the heart, people long for a deeper, more intimate encounter with God in Jesus.

They long to experience his love as personal, unconditional and faithful. The greatest human need, if people are to find meaning and happiness on earth, is to learn to believe in God's love for them and to allow His love to transform their lives. (Fr. Jules Chevalier, MSC) Human hearts hunger for unconditional love - everything and everyone else will eventually leave them unsatisfied.

Living a spirituality of the heart means learning to live each day with trust in God's love. We have come to recognize and believe the love God has for us. (1 Jn: 4) God's love is already present and will never change. God's love is unconditional; we are loved because God chose to love us. St. Paul tells us that God loved us when we were still sinners. God's love is faithful; we can turn away from God but God cannot turn away from us because God's nature is faithful.

Recognition of God's love can come only from God within, who speaks to the heart. When people meditate on the Gospels, they allow Jesus to touch their hearts; they begin to know God's personal love in a way that is beyond feelings and thoughts. No sermon, retreat or talk can convince people of God's love.  People can affirm the message and life events can offer an experience of God's love, but only God can convince our heart.

It is not enough to recognize God's love. There is also a need to accept his love.  Francis Thompson wrote: I fear, having God, I will have naught besides. People usually hesitate to accept God's love and his offer of intimacy. There is an innate fear of getting too close to God. People fear that if they get too close to God, they wil have to give up too much that they enjoy in life.  Instinctively, people know that God's love is demanding and will become the primary relationship of their lives.

This fear of getting too close to God can block intimacy, can block an experience of God's compassionate love and stop people from letting go of whatever is blocking their spiritual growth.

To accept God's love means to accept Jesus' invitation into a relationship with himself and with the Father. Jesus tells us:

"I no longer call you servants....I call you friends. It was not you who chose me; no I chose you...."

Jesus invites each person into friendship and relationship with him; we can respond to this invitation daily.

The third movement in the spirituality of the heart is conversion.

When people experience God's personal, unconditional and faithful love, they are moved to desire a change of their hearts and minds. Mostly, they are moved to let go of whatever might block their relationship with God and growth in their relationships. All the
spiritual writers teach us that letting go is the most effective way to participate in one's spiritual growth. The MSC tradition speaks of the necessity of turning away from anything that limits our capacity to love and be loved.

People usually fear having to change. They want to get rid of obstacles to love without having to change. If we are able to accept and trust God's personal, unconditional and faithful love, we cannot remain the same. We start this conversion by choosing to be willing to let go and to allow God; both are necessary for transformation - as necessary as breathing in and breathing out. Spirituality of the heart teaches people to open their hearts to God. We need to be open to receive whatever gift God wants to give us and to allow Him to touch our hearts and transform our lives.

This transformation happens in and through life events. Books, retreats, and days of recollection do not change people. Life events change people. Books and retreats may give an awareness of the possibility of change, but real change happens in life. One of the great gifts of the spirituality of the heart is that it integrates life and thought; life and Scripture; life and reflection. We can only grow spiritually by becoming immersed in our own life. To do that, we need to experience our daily losses and disappointments and the feelings of anger and sadness that accompany the. We only grow by taking up our cross.

Life is a series of letting-go events, especially as one moves from one stage of life to another.

Spiritual growth includes a challenge to be patient for God's transforming action. This demands that we are prepared to wait until the Lord comes to transform our lives. In Matthew's Gospel, the parable of the give foolish bridesmaids, they were not prepared to wait for the coming of the Bridegroom. Scripture tells us to be prepared for we do not know the day or the hour. Prayer prepares; perseverance strengthens; kindness makes us ready to receive. Being patient is the first step to learning about the love that transforms.

The fourth movement of the spirituality of the heart is a desire to share.

The movement of conversion, of letting go and allowing God, highlights the importance of telling stories.  The way people most easily talk about conversion experiences is by describing how they were, what happened, and how they are now. What was their human condition? How did the events of their life affect them, especially with regard to their ability to trust, to love and to receive love? What was/is their experience of intimacy, of a closer relationship with God or another? How did this love change their way of thinking and acting their way of relating?

When people listen to each other's stories about hurt and loss, about intimacy and change, they affect each other. People experience growth in community. Growing spiritually is a community process. When people are hurt they go into isolation. Isolation is a symptom of being hurt and of the destructive power of hurt. When people share stories, they are invited out of isolation, into relationship again.

The fourth movement of a spirituality of the heart is a desire to be a new person, in a new relationship, and allow this transformation to affect all of one's relationships. The mission is to share the experience of intimacy and conversion with others, by words and actions. It is a gift offered, not a compulsion urged. It is freely received and freely given, to anyone who wishes to receive it.

Sharing one's story gives the message of Jesus' flesh today. The focus is on Jesus and what he has done in this life, so that people might remember Jesus and be grateful to him. Ultimately people share their faith, hope and love with others in such a way that they, in turn, will share their faith, hope and love with still others.

By Fr. Peter Campbell, MSC
___________________________________________________
Father Peter Campbell, MSC, served as Director of the Life's Healing Journey Retreat Ministry for over thirty years before retiring in 2007.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

When in 1854 Father Jules Chevalier was thinking of founding a society of men whose mission it would be to cure the evils of that time by leading people to the Heart of Christ as the healing source of life, he asked Our Lady for help. Having experienced her powerful intercession several times he felt that, out of gratitude, his society should honour her in a special way.

Eventually he invoked her with the title "Our Lady of the Sacred Heart" and the devotion to Mary with that title spread rapidly in all continents. A confraternity with that name was founded and reached 18 million members in 1891. The Congregation of Sisters founded by Father Chevalier are called "the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart". The feast of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is celebrated nowadays on the last Saturday of May.

The purpose of this devotion, according to Father Chevalier, is to honour Mary "in her relationship of ineffable love which exists between her and the Sacred Heart of Jesus."

This is a very rich mystery with many aspects, for Mary was the Mother of Christ and also his partner in the work of redemption. On Calvary Our Lord gave her as Mother to the disciple he loved, that is, to all of us, and Mary saw how the Heart of her Son was pierced and how blood and water flowed from it.

In John 7:37 Christ referred to his heart as the source of living water, that is, of the Spirit. The source was opened on Calvary, and when Our Lady prayed with the Apostles in the Cenacle, the Spirit was poured out over them and they started to preach: the Church came to life. As Mother of the Church Our Lady continues to obtain life for all of us. 

Prayer to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Remember,
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart,
the great things the Lord has done for you.
He chose you for his Mother.
He wanted you close to his cross.
He gives you a share in his glory.
He listens to your prayer.
Offer him our prayers of praise and thanksgiving;
present our petitions to him.
Let us live like you
in the love of your Son
that his Kingdom may come.
Lead all people
to the source of living water
that flows from his heart,
spreading over the world
hope and salvation
justice and peace.
See our trust in you;
answer our prayer.
Show yourself always our Mother.

Amen.

The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is situated in the parish of Randwick in Sydney.  The website opens with a power point presentation of a wide range of images of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. The site has prayers and articles on the devotion and the theology behind it.

http://www.sacredheart.org.au/nationalshrineOLSH/index.htm