In his foreword to the treasure trove of prayer, Ancient Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Carthusian Monks of the 14th-17th Centuries (revised and enlarged by Fr Peter Mary Joseph; Gracewing, 250pp, £12.99), Cardinal Sarah points out that Carthusian prayer “is anchored in interiority, solitude and silence”.
Monks in this austere order – described as never reformed because never deformed – developed their adoration of the Sacred Heart centuries before the apparitions of St Margaret Mary in 17th century France made it public and popular.
Ancient Devotions is “not a scholarly historical book to be studied but a prayer-book to be prayed”, the editor emphasises, adding that he has reprinted the collection of devotions “because I find it the most beautiful prayer-book I have ever used”. A worthy recommendation indeed.
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Fr Thomas Berg, vice-rector of St Joseph’s Seminary in New York, has written an excellent book on a difficult subject in Hurting in the Church: A Way Forward for Wounded Catholics (Our Sunday Visitor, 208pp, £12.99).
Written before the current crisis of same-sex abuse of young men by senior clerics, Fr Berg’s thesis gets to the heart of the healing process essential for all wounded Catholics. Acknowledging that clerical sexual abuse, described by victims as a form of “soul murder”, is one of “the most heinous forms of abuse”, the author addresses all who feel alienated from the Church by her teachings, especially those dealing with marriage and sexual morality.
For members of the LGBT community, Fr Berg writes that “feelings” are not what membership of the Church is about: “Being a baptised Catholic is about following Jesus. It’s about being a disciple.”
He suggests that more support needs to be given to same-sex attracted Christians who are trying to live celibate lifestyles, and emphasises the importance of Christian friendship.
As a former member of the Legionaries of Christ for 23 years, who chose to become a diocesan priest after the scandals surrounding the private life of the Legionaries’ founder, Fr Marcial Maciel, came to light in 2009, Fr Berg is honest about the pain, disillusionment and anger he suffered as a result of those revelations and how “Jesus led me to discover in my wounds an oasis of grace and a call to a new mission”.
While not excusing the criminal behaviour of predatory priests, the author wants victims to recognise that healing is indeed possible, through honest acceptance of past wounds and coming to understand that uniting their suffering “to [Christ’s] redemptive suffering” and taking up “our cross to follow him” is the way to a renewal of hope, alongside skilled counselling and spiritual direction.
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Fr Serafino M Lanzetta is an Italian priest working in the diocese of Portsmouth. In his new book Fatima at the Heart of the Church (available from [email protected], 232pp, £13), he develops the theological implications of Our Lady’s words to the three young shepherds in July 1917: “You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.”
To this request Fr Lanzetta adds: “If we enter into [Our Lady’s] Immaculate Heart we are freed from evil. In her Heart there is no place for sin, nor for the pride which is its root.”
Given the current state of the Church, it is worth taking the trouble to read his persuasive arguments on consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
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This devotion began in the 17th century, alongside devotion to the Sacred Heart, whose feast day it always follows, on the Saturday after the second Sunday after Pentecost.
The author reminds us that the goal of our faith is the salvation of souls, not merely maintaining the institution. For this, we have to be “authentic Christians” rather than “mediocre” ones.
Consecration does not necessarily involve a formal ritual; it means self-surrender to the one person who surrendered herself completely to God in her life – it means saying to Our Lady, “I give you all that I am; you give me everything that is in you … that I may be truly of God.”
Devotion to the Sacred Heart teaches us how much God loves us just as Mary’s Immaculate Heart teaches us how best to return that love. Fr Lanzetta’s thoughtful book is concerned not just with the growth of personal holiness but also with the true renewal of the Church.
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