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The Sacred Heart of Jesus
by Jenéne Francis
Provincial Assistant for Pastoral Ministries
Chicago and Detroit Provinces
Given March 9, 2010, at the Church of the Gesu in Cleveland, Ohio, for the 5th Night of the Novena of Grace

There seems to be something about the Sacred Heart that resists theological discussion. There is a little book by Henri Nouwen entitled Heart Speaks to Heart: Three Prayers to Jesus that I picked up during a retreat a few years ago. In the introduction Nouwen describes how he reached the same conclusion. He had embarked on a project, as he put it, “to write a contemporary interpretation about the Sacred Heart” but discovered instead “a real desire to speak to the heart of Jesus and be heard.”(Emphasis Nouwen’s, p. 13)

Like Nouwen, I have not practiced what one might consider a devotion to the Sacred Heart. In fact, typical of my generation, devotional practices are not a regular part of my Catholic practice. But one of the gifts of moving from the corporate life into full-time ministry, first with Charis Ministries, and now as the Assistant for Pastoral Ministry, has been the opportunity to discover these treasures of our Catholic heritage.

Every once in a while I turn to the 1959 edition of the St. Joseph Missal that was my mother’s from before I was born to read about the Saints on feast days or browse the “Treasury of Prayers,” which is where I discovered the Litany of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. There are some beautiful images in this litany, some I find very grand:

In literary terms, litanies are a type of anaphora. An anaphora is a repeated phrase that lends emphasis and is derived from a Greek word meaning “to carry back.” In the recitation of this litany, we are repeatedly carried back to the Heart of Jesus:
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills
Heart of Jesus, patient and most merciful

On retreat in 2006, when I discovered Nouwen’s prayers, I was graced to realize how patient and merciful Jesus has been with me. My retreat director had encouraged me to pray with my memories, specifically to imagine them in terms of a fable or fairy tale, “Once upon a time…”

Imagining this story led me to see Jesus’ singular, repetitive, invitation to me, enticements to lure me into deeper intimacy and friendship. As the narrative unfolded I could see that Jesus had placed a desire in my heart, one that I had been resisting. I did not trust, and was actually frightened of, where accepting that invitation might lead. Frankly, who in their right mind would chose a journey that leads to the cross?
Heart of Jesus, loaded down with disgrace
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our offenses
Heart of Jesus, obedient to death
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance

One of the more vivid memories that surfaced in my prayer involved a service trip with Charis to Idabel, Oklahoma. Our group worked with Fr. John, an energetic Glenmary priest at a small mission parish. Full of wisdom and a heart for the many poor of his rural community, Fr. John had arranged for our group of city dwellers to re-roof what was basically a small shack inhabited by a gentleman I will call Bert. One of Fr. John’s reminders as we started the job was, “Jesus calls us to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. He didn’t mean only those who are nice.”

Bert was a crusty old hermit, and, this being the last week of the month, he was waiting on his next social security check so he could refill his pain medication and buy cigarettes. Little by little, as the old roof was torn off and the new roof went on, Bert softened and would sit with us to share a soda and one of the “extra” white bread and baloney sandwiches we made for lunch.

Our trip in late June coincided with record heat. Those who were actually up on the roof (not I!) melted the soles of their shoes as those of us on the ground tried to carefully pull the stacks of sun-softened roof tiles without tearing them, or each other, apart in order to hand them up the ladder. Bert, of course, had no air conditioning and only a weak box fan that barely pushed the air around. Because of the extreme heat and our desire to finish both halves of the roof before we had to head back to Chicago, we decided one day to be up before dawn to try and beat the worst of the heat.

It took Bert quite awhile to come to the door that morning when I knocked to let him know we had arrived. I was worried about what we would do if he didn’t answer. Any concern I had quickly left me when he did. Bert opened the door and stood shirtless in the dark doorway with his arms up against both sides of the door frame and a scar on his side, probably from appendectomy, but what I saw at that moment was Jesus on the cross.

Later that night I sought out Fr. John. “I admire those who have the spiritual gift of voluntary poverty, but it is not mine” I cried, overwhelmed with heart-break for Bert and his circumstances, stunned by my encounter with the crucified Christ, and mortally afraid of material poverty, a poverty that to this day I find incredibly challenging.

I’ve learned that songs will come up as one of the means the Holy One uses to communicate with me, and as I pondered the mystery of that memory and others during my prayer, I heard a question in song: Do you love me?

This is the question that Tevye asks Golde in Fiddler on the Roof.
“Do I what?” scoffs Golde.
“Do you love me?”
“Do I love you?”
Golde first calls him a fool, but Tevye is still persistent, “But – do you love me?” She then starts in with the list of all the things she has done for him and with him in the past for 25 years. And Tevye repeats himself yet again, “Golde, Do you love me?”

I realized that my prayer-conversation with Jesus followed a similar line. I avoided his question; I listed all the ways I have been ‘doing the right things;’ but I did not want to say IT out loud. His question was a tender, quiet, and genuinely curious inquiry, not in the least condemning. He too was persistent. It started to dawn on me that the answer actually was, “Yes, I love you.” Tevye might have been trying to sort out his emotions for Golde, and I don’t have reason to suspect Jesus was ever unsure how he felt about me, but I sensed us together singing:
“It doesn't change a thing.
But even so,
After twenty-five years (or forty-two or sixty-five)
It's nice to know.”

In the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius asks us to pay attention to consolations and desolations to help us in the discernment of spirits. This moment on retreat was a deep consolation for me.
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation

We are each invited by Jesus to join him in the thick of life, in ups and downs, in joy and suffering, in spiritual as well as material poverty. We are invited to grow into closer union with the One who loved us first even (or perhaps especially) when we falter. We are invited to discover loving Him in return.

Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in You
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in You
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the Saints

Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
make our hearts like Yours.

AMEN

Links
For more information on Devotion click here.

For more information on the Litany of the Sacred Heart click here.

About the Author

Jenéne M. Francis is the Provinical Assistant for Pastoral Ministry for the Chicago and Detroit Provinces. In this role she serves as a liaison and supports retreat houses, spirituality programs, parishes, hospital chaplains, and other Jesuits in pastoral work.

Jenéne joined the Province staff after serving as the managing director from 2003-2008 for Charis Ministries, an outreach of the Jesuits to those in their 20s and 30s. Prior to Charis, Jenéne worked for many years as a manager and senior research and development engineer at the Procter and Gamble Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado and a Master of Arts in Religion from the Athenaeum of Ohio’s Lay Pastoral Ministry Program with an emphasis on Adult Spirituality in the Workplace. While product development and pastoral ministry might seem worlds apart, Jenéne has always found common ground and great satisfaction in being part of projects that have the potential to improve the quality of life for others.

St. Xavier Church Unveils New Visual Identity for 150th Anniversary
 
CINCINNATI, OH—150 years ago on March 25th, St. Xavier Church began construction on what is now its familiar home on Sycamore Street. Having served the downtown community since 1819, the Parish is proud to have its building registered as a historical site for Ohio. 
 
In tandem with this milestone is the launching of a new parish visual identity. This is the product of the parish-wide communal discernment that took place a year ago. Communal discernment describes a process of collaborative reflection and decision-making. Drawing on the talents and knowledge base of parishioners, the visual identity represents the volunteer efforts of lay members of the parish. Not only did this save money, but, because it was spearheaded by a lay team of parishioners and not the parish staff or the pastor, it involved the members of St. Xavier in the life of the parish on a whole new level. The parish also partnered with a local university’s marketing class, which engaged young, non-Catholics and provided a unique perspective.
 
The logo's tagline reads: "Inward Reflection. Outward Action." It is a reflection of the sentiments of parishioners consistent with the Jesuits' identity of being contemplatives in action. It also sets the tone for a longer term strategy for St. Xavier that will play a vital role in the years to come.
 
"For too long all of our external publicity (letterhead, bulletin, website) showed the exterior of the church; while it's a great facade, it did not show what is really great about this parish" says the Pastor, Fr. Eric J. Knapp, SJ. "Our communal discernment, a Jesuit practice that helps in our decision-making, showed us that what is most important is what is on the inside—the people, the activities and ministries, the physical space.  The logo uses the image of the floor tiles that date back to 1859; when overlapped, they form an X on the inside along with arrows that signify our Christian mission to go out and proclaim our faith through service."
 
St. Xavier Church has experienced significant growth in membership and attendance over the past three years.  Nearly 600 new households have registered at the parish.  A plethora of new ministries have begun and are sustained by parishioners. These include homebound ministries, Divorce Care and bereavement, a young adult group committed to service and reflection, wide-ranging faith formation programs, sacramental preparation and social activities.  The parish also hosts a summer block party and 5K run that brings together local businesses, parishioners and downtown neighbors to downtown Cincinnati; the church donates the proceeds from this event to local charities.

 

Fr.
Timothy A.
Howe, SJ

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