From Pentecost to the Feast of the Sacred Heart

The Feast of the Sacred Heart -  the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, falls 19 days after Pentecost, on a Friday. This year (2017) it falls on the 23rd June.  This date was chosen as it was  given to St Margaret Mary  by Jesus on June 16, 1675. In the vision, Christ asked St. Margaret Mary to request that a Feast of the Sacred Heart be celebrated on the Friday after the Feast of Corpus Christi (18th June).  Looking at the state of the world at the moment, now is a good time to make reparation for the wickedness of humanity in the face of God's great love.

Having taken a break from blogging, this year I will renew my devotion to the Sacred Heart by reflecting on the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Sacred Heart in the weeks leading to the Feast. At Pentecost we are reminded of the Sacred Heart by the colour of the vestments worn by the priest: red, the colour of fire and blood as well as of the fire of the Holy Spirit.  In the icon the fire of love and of the Holy Spirit is very prominent, as is the water of the Holy Spirit which flowed from his wounded heart. So as we journey to the Feast of the Sacred Heart I will use the icon to reflect and explore the relationship between the 3 feasts: Pentecost, Corpus Christie and The Sacred Heart.

This pentecost the need for the Holy Spirit is sadly obvious in the world today.  The words read by Cardinal Dolan (although little heeded) at the inauguration of President Trump Dolan from the Book of Wisdom  seems so relevant to the state of the world :

"God of our ancestors and Lord of mercy, you have made all things. And in your providence have charged us to rule the creatures produced by you, to govern the world in holiness and righteousness, and to render judgment with integrity of heart. Give us wisdom, for we are your servants, weak and short-lived, lacking in comprehension of judgment and of laws. Indeed, though one might be perfect among mortals, if wisdom which comes from you be lacking, we count for nothing. Now with you is wisdom, who knows your will and was there when you made the world, who understands what is pleasing in your eyes, what is conformable with your commands, send her forth from your holy heavens. From your glorious throne, dispatch her that she may be with us and work with us, that we may grasp what is pleasing to you. For she knows and understands all things and will guide us prudently in our affairs and safeguard us by her glory." ( Wisdom: 9: 1-11) 

The world is always in grave peril when those with power fail to act wisely.   And to do that, requires a humble heart.  It is from the Heart of Jesus,  - the 'never ending source of all virtues' and in which are found ' all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' that we are called to learn humility.  For Jesus shows us what humility of heart looks like. In his TED talk, Pope Francis wisely said this:

“The more powerful you are, the more your actions will have an impact on people, the more responsible you are to act humbly. If you don’t, your power will ruin you and ruin the other.”

 “Power is like drinking gin on an empty stomach. You feel dizzy, you get drunk, you lose your balance, and you will end up hurting yourself and those around you if you don’t connect your power with humility and tenderness.”

Pentecost  is a time for us all to learn anew how  to practice the great virtue of humility.  We take as our guide one whose heart was formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin mother'.  We pray that all those with power will learn to be meek and humble of heart. 

Ian Knowles in the Sunday Telegraph

Good start to 2017! As we celebrated the feast of the Epiphany, it was wonderful to see a big half page spread in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper today reporting on the Bethlehem Icon School.

We all hope and pray that the Icon school in Bethlehem continues to thrive.  (Click on the picture to enlarge.)

Read on line Here 

Advent and the Sacred Heart

I return to the blog after a few months absence after realising yet another dimension of reflecting and reading and icon of the Sacred Heart.  This advent the icon has drawn me into reflecting  on the great 'O' Antiphons that are said/sung in the last seven days of Advent .These are the antiphons
chanted or recited before and after the Magnificat of Vespers.  Their name comes from the fact that they all begin with "O".  The antiphons focus on the names or titles of Jesus:
words:  Sapientia, Adonai, Radix, Clavis, Oriens, Rex, and Emmanuel.

In the middle ages it was discovered that, if you adjusted the order of the names you get  ERO CRAS (I will be, tomorrow).

My advent reading of the icon this year have been aided by a fortuitous recommendation from a friend of a book by Oliver Treanor, Seven Bells to Bethlehem: The O Antiphons, Greenwing 1995.

Treanor begins the journey by focusing on the Blessed Virgin and the Magnificat. One point that I found instructive was the notion that the 'O' antiphons said/sung  before and after the Magnificat remind of her fullness as pregnant with the Son of God. This prompted me to reflect upon the many icons that as us to contemplate the image of pregnant - full of grace - Mary.  Many of these icons make use of very explicit O to remind us of the wonder of the incarnation, and the holiness of Mary.

We use the 'O' a good deal in a variety of contexts, and familiarity does breed contempt.  The antiphons, however, ask us to think far more deeply about 'O'.  And, as Treanor suggests images of a pregnant Mary help us in beginning the last stages of our advent journey.  Advent is in many ways a journey into this 'O'.  The Madonna of the 'O' expresses how Mary is full of God's grace, because she is not full of herself.  In her humility she magnifies God, and not herself.  So as we approach Christmas we have 'O'pen our hearts and minds and let the Christ child in.  When we say or sing 'O' we must try to become like Mary, and create that space wherin the Holy Spirit can dwell.   Each of the titles of the Messiah is an 'O' through which we must enter to make our journey.

Hence, of course, we begin with wisdom.  It also leads us to contemplate other icons, Mary as the seat of wisdom. Mary as the ark of the covenant, as the great exemplar of humility, and God bearer. Sapientia  and  humility have  been an important and recurring theme in my reading of this icon of the Sacred Heart ,  and with the great O antiphons, I find myself once again drawn into praying for humility and wisdom.

17th December.

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad
finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia:  veni ad docendum nos viam
prudientiae.

  (O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High,
that reachest from one end to another, and orderest all things mightily
and sweetly:  come to teach us the way of prudence.)


The antiphon of the 18th December also pulls me back into to reflecting on the fire  or furnace of love at the very heart of the icon.

O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi
apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti:  veni ad redimendum nos in
bracchio extento.

 (O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, Who
didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gavest him the law in
Sinai, come to redeem us with an outstretched arm.)


I find that these first two antiphons inspire and lead me to contemplate an icon of Christ in terms of ' the root of Jesse and the key of David

December 19

O radix Iesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt
reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur:  veni ad liberandum nos, iam
noli tardare.
(O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the
people, at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths, Whom the Gentiles
shall seek:  come to deliver us, do not tarry.)

December 20
O clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel; qui aperis, et nemo claudit;
claudis, et nemo aperit:  veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris,
sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

(O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth:  come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them
that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.)

And in the light of these 'O's , the light and fire in the glow of the icon illuminates splendor of the King of the Universe who came into this world as a baby.

December 21
O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol iustitiae:  veni et illumina
sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

(O Dayspring, Brightness of the everlasting light, Son of justice:  come to give light to them that sit
in darkness and in the shadow of death.)

December 22
O Rex gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis
utraque unum:  veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

 (O King of the Gentiles, and desire thereof, Corner-stone that makest of two
one:  come to save man, whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the
earth.)

And then as we near the stable and contemplate Mary and Joseph and the Christ child, we behold the great truth: he is God with us!

December 23
O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, expectatio gentium, et Salvator
earum:  veni ad salvandum nos, Domine Deus noster.

(O Emmanuel, our King and our Law-giver, Longing of the Gentiles, and salvation thereof:
come to save us, O Lord our God!)

Saint Teresa of Calcutta

It is a wonderful day : we have a new Saint!  For those concerned to promote the devotion to the Sacred Heart, today's canonization is good news.  Saint Teresa was one of the most important promoters of the Sacred Heart in the twentieth century.  At a time when it was thought that the devotion was no longer relevant, Saint Teresa saw it as the very centre of her mission of love.

As she once said:

“By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus. '




And my prayer today is to ask Saint Teresa to pray for the church to be renewed by a great revival in the devotion to the Sacred Heart.

 Go here to explore the role of the Sacred Heart in her life and mission.

( The icon in the picture is very powerful, it would be good to find out more about it!)

Feast of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

A few years ago I noted on this blog the importance of the Sacred Heart to Edith Stein, St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. See  here) Yesterday was her feast day, and it was timely reminder of the importance of this great Saint and how relevant she is to us in these violent and troubled times.

A passage of hers which strikes me as sone of the most beautiful and insightful  ever words written on the Sacred Heart came to mind yesterday , and they have remained with me:

'In the heart of Jesus, which was pierced, the kingdom of heaven and the land of earth are bound together. Here is for us the source of life. This heart is the heart of the Triune Divinity, and the center of all human hearts... It draws us to itself with secret power, it conceals us in itself in the Father's bosom and floods us with the Holy Spirit. This heart, it beats for us in a small tabernacle where it remains mysteriously hidden in that still, white host.' 

These words are to found in her poem:  I Will Remain With You. Read it here. 

'Feast' of St Mary Magdalene

My attention is often drawn towards the image of Mary Magdalene in the bottom  right hand corner of the icon.  It was, I think, significant that the Pope signed the decree to raise her memorial to the dignity of a liturgical feast, on the feast of the Sacred Heart (3rd June 2016).
As Vatican Radio reported:

"In a letter announcing the change, the Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Arthur Roche, writes the decision means one “should reflect more deeply on the dignity of women, the New Evangelization, and the greatness of the mystery of Divine Mercy.” Archbishop Roche drew attention to the fact Mary Magdalene was the first witness to the Resurrection, and is the one who announced the event to the Apostles. “Saint Mary Magdalene is an example of true and authentic evangelization; she is an evangelist who announces the joyful central message of Easter,” he writes. “The Holy Father Francis took this decision precisely in the context of the Jubilee of Mercy to signify the importance of this woman who showed a great love for Christ and was much loved by Christ,” writes Archbishop Roche. He also notes Saint Magdalene was referred to as the "Apostle of the Apostles" (Apostolorum Apostola) by Thomas Aquinas, since she announced to them the Resurrection, and they, in turn, announced it to the whole world. “Therefore it is right that the liturgical celebration of this woman has the same grade of feast given to the celebration of the apostles in the General Roman Calendar, and shines a light on the special mission of this woman, who is an example and model for every woman in the Church.” ( See here)

The icon and ' Give Us this Day'

As I was walking down my drive this morning  I met a delivery man walking up it with a parcel from Liturgical Press. ( See here )   I was delighted to find enclosed copies of the latest number of 'Give us this Day' which has a picture of Ian's  icon on the cover.  For those who do not know about this excellent publication, go here.

I pray that in some small way it may hope to renew its readers devotion to the Sacred Heart.

I also hope that readers will learn more about the Bethlehem Icon Centre and School and the wonderful work it is doing in the Holy Land. Read about it here. 


Sadly, for some strange reason, I cannot edit sections of the blog anymore.  So the contact the blog section is out of date. But readers may contact the blog through  'orasro@gmail.com'