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Dec 29th, 2019
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Originally posted by LatinTrad:
Your words are offensive, not primarily to me, but to Christ who Himself encouraged the spread devotion to the Sacred Heart to the Mystic St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. Sacred Heart devotion was a shot in the arm to a Western Europe that had been paralyzed by the coldness of Jansenism. Since private revelations are not required, I don't know what force this argument has...one could very well legitimately reject the visions and that's that. The only problem I see, though, is that there is a Solemnity of the Sacred Heart on the Roman calendar, with a proper Mass and Office. Also, there is a votive Mass(es) of the Sacred Heart. So, while a private revelation, it is also part of the Roman Catholic Church's Liturgy, and I am not sure you can reject that.
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Hereunder is a summary of the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which we, Latins, take very seriously: Devotion to the Sacred Heart, as we know it, began about the year 1672. On repeated occasions, Jesus appeared to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation nun, in France, and during these apparitions He explained to her the devotion to His Sacred Heart as He wanted people to practice it. He asked to be honored in the symbol of His Heart of flesh; he asked for acts of reparation, for frequent Communion, Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the keeping of the Holy Hour.
When the Catholic Church approved the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, she did not base her action only on the visions of Saint Margaret Mary. The Church approved the devotion on its own merits. There is only one Person in Jesus, and that Person was at the same time God and Man. His Heart, too, is Divine -- it is the Heart of God.
There are two things that must always be found together in the devotion to the Sacred Heart: Christ's Heart of flesh and Christ's love for us. True devotion to the Sacred Heart means devotion to the Divine Heart of Christ insofar as His Heart represents and recalls His love for us.
In honoring the Heart of Christ, our homage lingers on the Person of Jesus in the fullness of His love. This love of Christ for us was the moving force of all he did and suffered for us -- in Nazareth, on the Cross, in giving Himself in the Blessed Sacrament, in His teaching and healing, in His praying and working. When we speak of the Sacred Heart, we mean Jesus showing us His Heart, Jesus all love for us and all lovable.
Jesus Christ is the incarnation of God's infinite love. The Human Nature which the Son of God took upon Himself was filled with love and kindness that has never found an equal. He is the perfect model of love of God and neighbor.
Every day of His life was filled with repeated proofs of "Christ's love that surpasses all knowledge" (Eph 3:19). Jesus handed down for all time the fundamental feature of His character: "Take My yoke upon your shoulders and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of Heart" (Mt 11:29). He invited all, refusing none, surprising friends and rivals by His unconditional generosity.
The meaning of love in the life of Jesus was especially evident in His sufferings. Out of love for His Father He willed to undergo the death of the Cross. "The world must know that I love the Father and do just as the Father has commanded Me" (Jn 14:31).
The love that Jesus bore toward us also urged Him to undergo the death of the Cross. At the Last Supper, He said, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends" (Jn 15:13)
The Heart of Jesus never ceases to love us in heaven. He sanctifies us through the Sacraments. These are inexhaustible fountains of grace and holiness which have their source in the boundless ocean of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I might be mistaken but, as far as I can remember, NOT ONE of the Latin posters in this Forum has ever denigrated any Eastern devotion. Honestly and sincerely, we have come to appreciate the complementarity of Eastern devotions to ours. It is not unreasonable for us to expect the same from Easterners. I am dismayed that Edward, who claims to be a Catholic, more particularly as belonging to a Russian Catholic congregation, displayed such chutzpah in dismissing, without even batting an eyelash, this Latin devotion. Blessed Pio of Pietrelcina is said to have meditated daily on the novena prayer to the Sacred Heart, as composed by the mystic and visionary St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. Padre Pio had that personal affinity to the pierced Heart of Jesus as he, himself, "suffered" as a stigmata until his death. To my Latin mind, Edward's folly borders on sacrilege.  AmdG
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Originally posted by Mor Ephrem:
[QUOTE]Since private revelations are not required, I don't know what force this argument has...one could very well legitimately reject the visions and that's that.
It's true that the private revelation which St. Margaret had could be rejected. However, the theology which *supports* the devotion to the Sacred Heart existed long before her visions, and as you correctly noted, is now part of the Liturgical Calendar. The whole point of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, in my personal opinion, is that it is a rejection of the views of those who tried to say that Christ was not really a human being, that He didn't really physically suffer and die on the Cross. But we believe that He did - that He had (has!) a real, human, physical body - "like us in all things but sin" - and so did indeed know what it is like to be human. Devotion to His Heart is devotion to His humanity. In my humble opinion.  I would also like to add - I've seen a couple of Russian icons that I personally don't care for, but I would never come to this board and post a sarcastic, insulting description of them, 'cause insulting other people's devotions ain't kosher.
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OK we're off topic, but I'll chime in on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
As a priest once said in his homily the Sacred Heart represents Christ's unreasonable love for mankind.
I recall in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the phrase, "lover of mankind." Sound similar?
I maintain that even when devotions differ, the Eastern and Western churches compliment each other to help all Christians receive the fullness of the Gospel.
Paul
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One question I've had for some time about this feast in the Roman sanctoral is this: why is this feast, clearly a late invention, ranked higher than feasts of indisputably greater importance with much greater Scriptural support? I think for example of the Feast of the Transfiguration (rightly accounted one of the most important in the Byzantine sanctoral): it is only a second class feast in the Roman calendar, whilst the Sacred Heart is a first class "solemnity." That makes no sense to me. (Neither, for that matter, does the fact that August's other lovely feast, the Assumption/Dormition, is also ranked more highly than the Transfiguration, even though it, too, has less support than the Transfiguration).
Adam
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Originally posted by Adam DeVille:
One question I've had for some time about this feast in the Roman sanctoral is this: why is this feast, clearly a late invention, ranked higher than feasts of indisputably greater importance with much greater Scriptural support? I think for example of the Feast of the Transfiguration (rightly accounted one of the most important in the Byzantine sanctoral): it is only a second class feast in the Roman calendar, whilst the Sacred Heart is a first class "solemnity." That makes no sense to me. (Neither, for that matter, does the fact that August's other lovely feast, the Assumption/Dormition, is also ranked more highly than the Transfiguration, even though it, too, has less support than the Transfiguration).
Adam Perhaps it's because the Transfiguration is an *event* in Christ's life, whereas the Sacred Heart *is* His life.
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Originally posted by LatinTrad:
Edward Yong:
And if you ask me, the atheistic, materialistic country of Russia could use a little devotion to the Sacred Heart.
God bless.
LatinTrad Hmmmm. I guess we can just ignore the millions of Orthodox believers in Russia. This attitude reminds me of the writer Anthony Ugolnik after one of his trips to Russia confronted by a man who told him "you can't tell me they have any Churches over there???" It is this kind of ignorance that we need to get away from. And as Patriarch +Lubomyr of the UGCC has said "The West does not know the East" :rolleyes:
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Originally posted by Brian:
[QUOTE]And as Patriarch +Lubomyr of the UGCC has said "The West does not know the East"
And vice versa, apparently. Perhaps we could start by showing respect for each other's devotional practices, even when we don't understand them. 
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Dear Brian,
You are correct. The West does not know the East.
Nevertheless, I based my remark on a Russian Orthodox person's comments in a Catholic magazine. He said that Russia is a now a materialist country, filled with atheism, and that the number of serious, practicing Orthodox believers is actually very small.
If his report on the condition of Russia is innacurate, I beg the forgiveness of all for basing my remarks upon it. However, since he is both Russian and an MP adherant, I had no reason to believe that he had an axe to grind. I am sorry.
LatinTrad
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There are several reasons for the strong distaste for "Sacred Heart" devotions amongst many Greek Catholics. For one, there have been strenuous efforts to impose this devotion on us, as though it were some sort of palladium of Catholicism. For another, the attempt to equate this late-Roman devotion with the Biblical concept of the divine Philanthropia is apt to strike us as a comparison between apples and oranges. I could continue, but there's little point. Instead, I will suggest that those who wish to propagate devotion to the "Sacred Heart" are not lacking for web-sites, forums, publishing houses, magazines and other outlets wherein they may do so to their hearts' content. Kindly refrain from seeking to impose it on the Christian East. Incognitus
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Dear all,
apologies for stepping on toes and having been rude. I've had a very rough couple of days.
In Domino,
Edward
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Originally posted by incognitus:
For another, the attempt to equate this late-Roman devotion with the Biblical concept of the divine Philanthropia is apt to strike us as a comparison between apples and oranges. Reminds me of the catechetical/informational materials of our "It's all the same" faction that attempted to show that everything in our "Eastern rite" had an exact analogue in the "Latin rite": bow = genuflection icon = statue Liturgy = Mass epitrachil = stole stichar = alb 3-bar cross = papal cross ikonostas = rood screen akathist = rosary chotki = rosary paraklis = rosary moleben = rosary rosary = rosary (oh, wait, that IS the same!) etc.
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There are several reasons for the strong distaste for "Sacred Heart" devotions amongst many Greek Catholics. No doubt. :rolleyes: I guess that I am young enough to have missed out on the "strenuous efforts to impose this devotion on us". I just remember, from my earliest boyhood, the stara babas joining together before the liturgy to chant this devotion. I haven't the faintest idea of how Latins practice this devotion, but I doubt it resembles what these women were doing. Purely our way. Now our theological thoughts are so sophisticated and spiritual tastes are so refined. :rolleyes: We've even been able to develop distaste for spiritual food that has nourished our saints. O Svjat'ijshe Serdce Isusa, pomiluj nas.
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Well LatinTrad, I'm sorry that you think it's a blashemy that someone called Him a "bearded lady." Granted, yes, it is a rude remark. However, don't you think on our perspective that it's a blaspheme to paint Him to look like a lady? He is a MAN and needs to LOOK like a MAN...with a scruffed look... He was out in the sun constantly preaching....walking in the hot desert...He probably had chapped hands from helping people...He may have had dirty feet...etc. He certainly doesn't look like He had ROSY cheeks...make up on...lipstick on Him...etc. So...you shouldn't be so defensive about it...if you're honest to admit it...it looks kinda feminine, isn't it? And of course...someone shouldn't make a rude remark about it either. SPDundas Deaf Byzantine A Deaf guy who utilizes EYES more to SEE the GOOD TASTE and recognize the BAD TASTE as well. Originally posted by LatinTrad:
There is no need to speak of them dirisively, or to blaspheme Christ by calling Him a "bearded lady".
LatinTrad
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The just recently beatified Basil Hopko was cured of a serious illness after making a novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Now if a holy man such as Blessed Basil can receive such a grace from practicing a so-called "Latin" devotion, who are we to be critical of those Byzantine Catholics who have a devtion to the Sacred Heart? Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary were sources of strength and consolation for Ukrainian Catholics during the communist years. Now back to the topic of the thread.... Saint Therese of the Child Jesus is the patroness of the Russicum. There is a nice article about the Russicum and how she came to be named as its patroness. The link is: http://www.stmichaelruscath.org/russicum.htm Included in the article is the icon of Saint Therese which forms part of the Russicum chapel's iconostasis. A few years ago, the relics of Saint Therese made a visit to the Russicum during its tour of Italy. It turned out to be quite an event. There was an on-line article detailing the visit, but unfortunately it is now inactive.
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