Sacred Heart, somewhere in France …
Bursting in me:
I have spoken of Paray-le-Monial in France, where His Most Sacred Heart once was seen, blazing like the sun.
Paray-le-Monial, where lived St Margaret Mary …
And I have mentioned, how while bearing heavy suffering, I felt held and bathed in the love of that Most Sacred Heart, which still can be felt beating there … beating at Paray-le-Monial in France.
And there, there I had experiences that helped me leave behind ever more decisively, the entrenched assumptions from the New Age spirituality of my youth. O how entrenched these can be and how difficult to overcome!
But it was only after some of these experiences, I think, that I discovered a tiny little book with prayers from time gone by, prayers to His Most Sacred Heart.
And there I found by a prayer by a long forgotten Jesuit, named simply as Rev W. Roche. But when I read his prayer, I knew that I was only still in process of rediscovering a precious spirituality now being buried, buried.
A precious spirituality now being buried … buried by feel-good spiritualities of serene detachment and “empowerment” – which so often serve to stigmatise and shame those who are not serene, detached and feeling good …
Remembering my friends known and unknown carrying heavy crosses which cannot be denied with upbeat positivity, I would like to offer once again that forgotten prayer from time gone by …
Remember, most gracious Lord for Thy Son’s sake, all those whose lot He shared on earth: the poor, the workpeople, the lonely, the oppressed.
He is the man of sorrows gathering in Himself His people´s griefs and bearing all human burdens in His Heart.
He is sorrowful with the sorrowful, hungry with those that hunger, in pain with those who suffer pain.
His soul responds by sympathy and love to every secret misery and silent agony.
His heart-beats are as echoes to every pain and pang and cry of woe.
For His sake, O God!
For His sake whose life is one with ours, let comfort and courage be carried everywhere to every struggling soul, by the ministry of Angels and of men, from the copious treasures of the Eternal Sacrifice wherein is all the hope of all mankind. – Rev W. Roche S.J.
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4 Comments
When I pray I want to know there is someone who is in sympathy with me and my suffering, this seems to be part of the message of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. No, I do not expect to be spared suffering for that would also spare me from the Cross. But if the fire of suffering could be turned into the furnace of His Love in His Sacred Heart I could know that I am held in the midst of it. And suddenly in a flash it is clear all the way through. His Heart holds universes, countless lives and all those who suffer as does His Wounds. Once I had a dream of Him. I saw a man I know with apparent suffering written on his life, then I saw Jesus and He showed me the open wound on His Shoulder. As I looked at it seemed that the whole universe fell into it and was in it. So this is an awesome profound prayer that does not bypass the reality of the suffering world but contains it in His Love.
Edwin, re:
“His Heart holds universes, countless lives and all those who suffer as does His Wounds.”
In this and so much more that you share here there is so, so much beauty. I don´t think my words can do justice to your experience here, but I thank you for telling us this profound dream and for all your insight into relationship with His Most Sacred Heart.
This is beautiful.
Thank you.
Thank you Gabriele! I found the prayer so beautiful as well and am glad to know I am not alone …