Day 7: The Ascent of the Heart to God

READING 1
Psalm 86:11-13

Teach me, O Lord, your way, so that I may walk in your truth, single-hearted to fear your name. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart, and glorify your name forever. Your mercy to me has been great; you have saved me from the depths of Sheol.

Reading 2
From The Journey of the Mind to God by St. Bonaventure

Blessed is the man whose help is from you; in his heart he has prepared to ascend by steps in the valley of tears, in the place which he has set. Since happiness is nothing other than the enjoyment of the highest good and since the highest good is above, no one can be made happy unless he rise above himself, not by an ascent of the body, but of the heart. But we cannot rise above ourselves unless a higher power lift us up. No matter how much our interior progress is ordered, nothing will come of it unless accompanied by divine aid. Divine aid is available to those who seek it from their hearts, humbly and devoutly; and this means to sigh for it in this valley of tears, through fervent prayer. Prayer, then, is the mother and source of the ascent. Dionysius, therefore, in his book Mystical Theology, wishing to instruct us in mystical ecstasy, places a prayer at the outset. Let us pray, therefore, and say to the Lord our God: Lead me, Lord, in your path, and I will enter in your truth. Let my heart rejoice that it may fear your name.

REFLECTION

St. Bonaventure encourages us to seek the greatest happiness which comes from arriving at the highest good. This requires us to rise above ourselves which is only possible if One above us lifts us up. The desire to reach the highest good is already welling up from the depths of our hearts. It can only arrive at its destiny with the help of God. Sometimes we struggle with ambivalence when we feel this desire. It puts us in a place of dependency, because we cannot realize our desire on our own. That ambivalence may lead us to shut down our desire. Sometimes this is why we numb ourselves with distractions. In other cases we try to fulfill that desire on our own, which leads to other forms of self-indulgence and sin. To feel the desire is also to feel our powerlessness to fulfill it. It is truly to sigh, as St. Bonaventure said, crying out to God, asking His help and waiting for His timing. This stretches our hearts. Let us ask ourselves, “Am I in touch with my deepest desire? Do I allow myself to cry out for God from that deep desire? Do I let myself feel my helplessness in this vale of tears? Lead me, Lord, in your path, and I will enter in your truth. Let my heart rejoice that it may fear your name.”

PRAYERS

Litany of the Wounded Heart
Radiating Christ

Consecration to the Heart of Jesus Through the Hearts of Mary and Joseph

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey

the Lord ascends to Heaven

They were looking up at the sky

“When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven’” ( Acts 1:1-11 )

“Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with him. Listen to the words of the Apostle: If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth.” 

Saint Augustine

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St. Therese of Lisieux says “Our Lord does not come down from heaven every day to lie in a golden ciborium. He comes to find another heaven which is infinitely dearer to him—the heaven of our souls, created in his image, the living temples of the adorable Trinity.”

St. Thomas More: “Earth hath no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.”

St. Jean Vianney says “O my dear parishioners, let us endeavor to get to heaven ! There we shall see God. How happy we shall feel! If the parish is converted we shall go there in procession with the parish priest at the head We must get to heaven ! ”

Prayers for Part 2: Return to the Heart

RADIATING CHRIST
St. John Henry Newman

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance wherever I go.
Flood my soul with Your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly, that my life may only be a radiance of Yours.
Shine through me, and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Your presence in my soul.
Let them look up and see no longer me, but only Jesus!
Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as You shine, so to shine as to be a light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from You; none of it will be mine.
It will be you, shining on others through me.
Let me thus praise You the way You love best, by shining on those around me.
Let me preach You without preaching, not by words but by my example, by the catching force of the sympathetic influence of what I do, the evident fullness of the love my heart bears to You.
Amen.

LITANY OF THE WOUNDED HEART
Souls and Hearts

Lord Jesus, you created me in love and for love. Bring me to a place of vulnerability within the safety of your loving arms. Help me today by transforming my wounded heart into a heart that can love you, myself, and my neighbor as you intend.

Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its sufferings.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its doubts.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its hurts.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its fears.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its burdens.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its hope, and all its lack of hope.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its joy, and all its lack of joy.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its love, and all its lack of love.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.

When I feel unseen, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel unheard, Lord, have mercy.
When I believe I’m not good enough, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel inferior, Lord, have mercy.
When I doubt my worth, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel devalued, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel exposed, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel humiliated, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel discouraged, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel lonely, Lord, have mercy.
When my feelings overwhelm me, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel I’m too much, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel unlovable, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel despair, Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, I know you love me in all my wounds, Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, consoler of my sorrow, open my heart.
Jesus, most tender, open my heart.
Jesus, my dignity, open my heart.
Jesus, my hope, open my heart.
Jesus, you created me in love, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me for love, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me to be loved, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you see my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you know my true heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you comfort my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you treasure my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you encourage my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me as your beloved, hold me in your arms.

Jesus, soothe and comfort my weary heart, I trust in you.
Jesus, see my pain, I trust in you.
Jesus, dispel my despondency, I trust in you.
Jesus, hear my cries, I trust in you.
Jesus, draw close to me, I trust in you.
Jesus, calm my fears, I trust in you.
Jesus, help me see my true worth as a child of God, I trust in you.
Jesus, shine your radiant light on me, I trust in you.
Jesus, hold me in your loving arms, I trust in you.
Jesus, help me love with my whole heart, I trust in you.
Jesus, you created me to love and to be loved, I trust in you.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its love, I trust in you.

Lord, you are the healer of my soul and my heart. I ask that through this prayer you would transform me more and more into the likeness of your precious and sacred heart. Let your kindness and compassion transform my heart and bring me always into the security of your loving embrace. Amen.

LITANY OF THE CLOSED HEART
Souls and Hearts

Lord Jesus, you created me in love and for love. Bring me to a place of vulnerability within the safety of your loving arms. Help me today by transforming my closed heart into a heart that can love you, myself, and my neighbor as you intend.

Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its sufferings.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its doubts.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its hurts.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its fears.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its burdens.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its hope, and all its lack of hope.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its joy, and all its lack of joy.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its love, and all its lack of love.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.

When I’m withdrawn, Lord, have mercy.
When I’m consumed with worry, Lord, have mercy.
When I numb out, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel cynical, Lord, have mercy.
When I lose trust, Lord, have mercy.
When I’m distracted, Lord, have mercy.
When I try to escape my feelings, Lord, have mercy.
When my body holds my stress, Lord, have mercy.
When I’m under pressure, Lord, have mercy.
When I am filled with anger, Lord, have mercy.
When I become obsessed with tasks, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel the urge to act out, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel ashamed, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel unforgiven, Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, I know you love me in all my wounds, Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, my helper, open my heart.
Jesus, light of my mind, open my heart.
Jesus, my guide, open my heart.
Jesus, my teacher, open my heart.
Jesus, bread of life, open my heart.
Jesus, face of mercy, open my heart.
Jesus, my redeemer, open my heart.
Jesus, my life, open my heart.
Jesus, my desire, open my heart.
Jesus, my comforter, open my heart.
Jesus, my trust, open my heart.
Jesus, my safe haven, open my heart.

Jesus, you created me in love, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me for love, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me to be loved, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you see my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you know my true heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you comfort my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you treasure my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you encourage my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me as your beloved, hold me in your arms.

Jesus, awaken and restore my stony heart, I trust in you.
Jesus, receive my new heart, I trust in you.
Jesus, draw close to me in my struggles, I trust in you.
Jesus, forgive me, I trust in you.
Jesus, give me new life, I trust in you.
Jesus, hold me, I trust in you.
Jesus, contain my stress, I trust in you.
Jesus, relieve the pressure, I trust in you.
Jesus, comfort my pain, I trust in you.
Jesus, help me see that I’m not defined by what I do, I trust in you.
Jesus, let all my actions flow from your love for me, I trust in you.
Jesus, you give meaning to my life, I trust in you.
Jesus, help me love and forgive others, I trust in you.
Jesus, help me embrace my vulnerability, I trust in you.

Lord, you are the healer of my soul and my heart. I ask that through this prayer you would transform me more and more into the likeness of your precious and sacred heart. Let your kindness and compassion transform my heart and bring me always into the security of your loving embrace. Amen.

LITANY OF THE FEARFUL HEART
Souls and Hearts

Lord Jesus, you created me in love and for love. Bring me to a place of vulnerability within the safety of your loving arms. Help me today by transforming my fearful heart into a heart that can love you, myself, and my neighbor as you intend.

Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its sufferings.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its doubts.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its hurts.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its fears.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its burdens.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its hope, and all its lack of hope.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its joy, and all its lack of joy.
Jesus, I offer you my heart with all its love, and all its lack of love.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.

When I feel afraid, Lord, have mercy.
When I don’t know how to feel safe, Lord, have mercy.
When life feels chaotic, Lord, have mercy.
When I’m confused, Lord, have mercy.
When I don’t know how to trust, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel hurt, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel unloved, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel disappointed, Lord, have mercy.
When others fail me, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel let down, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel all alone, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel rejected, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel I don’t belong, Lord, have mercy.
When I feel hopeless, Lord, have mercy.
When I’m afraid of being hurt, Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, help me love others when it is difficult.
Jesus, help me pray for those who have hurt me.
Jesus, I know you love me in all my wounds.

Jesus, most compassionate, open my heart.
Jesus, healer of my wounds, open my heart.
Jesus, my shepherd, open my heart.
Jesus, my protector, open my heart.
Jesus, unspeakable love, open my heart.

Jesus, you created me in love, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me for love, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me to be loved, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you see my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you know my true heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you comfort my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you treasure my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you encourage my heart, hold me in your arms.
Jesus, you created me as your beloved, hold me in your arms.

Jesus, you are present with me, I trust in you.
Jesus, you bring me close to you, I trust in you.
Jesus, you walk with me, I trust in you.
Jesus, you accept me, I trust in you.
Jesus, you calm all my fears, I trust in you.
Jesus, you protect me from threats, I trust in you.
Jesus, you delight in me, I trust in you.
Jesus, help me trust you, I trust in you.

Lord, you are the healer of my soul and my heart. I ask that through this prayer you would transform me more and more into the likeness of your precious and sacred heart. Let your kindness and compassion transform my heart and bring me always into the security of your loving embrace. Amen.

Litany of the Wounded Heart, Litany of the Fearful Heart, and Litany of the Closed Heart © 2022 Souls and Hearts, Inc (soulsandhearts.com). Used under the doctrine of fair use (17 U.S.C. g 107) for educational, non-commercial purposes in a school publication. All rights remain with the original copyright holder.

LITANY OF HEALING AND REPENTANCE IN THE EUCHARIST
Fr. Boniface Hicks, O.S.B.

Jesus, I believe in you.
Jesus, I believe in your Real Presence in the Eucharist.
Jesus, I believe you are here with me.
Jesus, I believe you are in my heart.
Jesus, I believe in your love for me.
Jesus, I believe your love is greater than every sin.
Jesus, I believe your love is greater than all evil.
Jesus, I believe your love can free me from my sin.

For the times I’ve felt abandoned, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love.
For the times I’ve been betrayed, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been rejected, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been forgotten,Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been disappointed, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been let down by the Church, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been lonely, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been desperate, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been lost, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been dejected, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been used, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been neglected, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been starved for love, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been deprived of affirmation, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve lost my way, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve gone astray, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve made the wrong choice, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve felt abandoned, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love.
For the times I’ve been betrayed, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been rejected, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been forgotten, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been disappointed, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been let down by the Church, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been lonely, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been desperate, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been lost, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been dejected, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been used, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been neglected, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been starved for love, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve been deprived of affirmation, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve lost my way, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve gone astray, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve made the wrong choice, Jesus, heal my heart with Your love

Whenever I feel unseen, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel ignored, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel unimportant, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel useless, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel alone, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel abandoned, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel like it would be better if I didn’t exist, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel misunderstood, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel used, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel forgotten, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel angry, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel anxious, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel depressed, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel envious, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel lustful, Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel afraid, Jesus, come close to me.

For the times I’ve used others, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve failed to see, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve hardened my heart to a person in need, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve failed to do the right thing, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve given in to peer pressure, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve lied when someone needed me to tell the truth, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve looked away when someone needed my help, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve closed my ears to the cries of the helpless, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve chosen comfort over courage, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve turned my back on someone who was hurting, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve ignored my feelings, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve silenced the cry of my heart, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I haven’t been Your mercy for others, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve invalidated my own feelings, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve believed the lies of others, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve repeated the lies of others, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve suppressed righteous anger, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve given up in despair, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve failed to share You with someone who needed You, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve wrongly hid my faith from others, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve misrepresented You in my words and actions, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve caused scandal by my words or actions, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve brought hatred instead of love, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve brought division instead of peace, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve brought gossip instead of charity, please forgive me, Jesus.
For the times I’ve torn down when I could have built up, please forgive me, Jesus.

When I doubt the power of Your love, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I doubt Your love for me, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I struggle to trust, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I doubt that I am worthy of love, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I doubt that I have a place in anyone’s heart, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I wonder if I am enough, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I doubt I have what it takes, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I feel helpless, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I feel useless, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I doubt that I have anything to offer, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I doubt that I can make a change, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I doubt that my efforts matter, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I feel hopeless, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I want to give up on my neighbor, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I want to give up on my enemy, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I want to give up on the Church, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I want to give up on myself, Jesus, help me to believe.
When I want to give up on You, Jesus, Jesus, help me to believe.

Jesus, I need You.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Jesus, I love You.
V. Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
R. Make my heart like unto Yours.

Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Good Shepherd who rescues the lost. You are the Divine Physician who heals the sick. You are the Savior Who washes away our sin in your Blood. You are the Beloved Son who shares your sonship with us along with the love of the Father. We know that even if we do not feel it, You will continue this work of healing in our hearts. We trust that You love us and desire our wholeness and flourishing. Fill each of our hearts as we worship You and receive You in all Your love in this Holy Eucharist. We make this prayer in Your Name, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Consecration to the Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey

Part 2: Return to the Heart- Day 6

INTRODUCTION

Having emptied our hearts of some of the clutter of the world, we reflect in these days on the importance of the heart. The heart is where we find our real self. We make our ascent to union with God particularly with our heart. The centrality of our heart in Christian spirituality reveals the affective dimension of love and prayer. We learn to pray from the heart, listening to God and even abiding with Him there in the deep interior center of our soul. A prayer of simplicity, of pure receptivity is a prayer of abiding from the heart. We could even say that “I am my heart” and we learn to listen to the thoughts of our hearts. Our Christian faith permeates us our whole being as we learn to see with the eyes of our hearts. This week we focus on our hearts in its movements, thoughts, stillness and as an abiding place for God in the Spirit. We take these days to reconnect with the heart so that we can open our hearts in the coming weeks to the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Day 6: The Heart is Where We Find the Real Self

READING 1
Matthew 6:19-21

Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

READING 2
From The Heart: An Analysis of Human and Divine Affectivity by Dietrich von Hildebrand

In order to understand the nature of the heart, we must realize that in many respects the heart is more the real self of the person than his intellect or will.

In the moral sphere it is the will which has the character of a last, valid word. Here the voice of our free spiritual center counts above all. We find the true self primarily in the will. In many other domains, however, it is the heart which is the most intimate part of the person, the core, the real self, rather than the will or the intellect. This is so in the realm of human love: conjugal love, friendship, filial love, parental love. The heart is here not only the true self because love is essentially a voice of the heart; it is also the true self insofar as love aims at the heart of the beloved in a specific way. The lover wants to pour his love into the heart of the beloved, he wants to affect his heart, to fill it with happiness; and only then will he feel that he has really reached the beloved, his very self.

Furthermore, when we love a person and long for a return of our love, it is the heart of the other person which we want to call ours.

REFLECTION

The Second Vatican Council teaches that “man… cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself.”1 Furthermore we cannot make a sincere gift, unless we are self-possessed. And we cannot be self-possessed unless we have self-knowledge. And, as von Hildebrand explains, this knowledge, possession and gift are matters of the heart. To use Jesus’s image, the heart is where we keep our treasures. And it is in sharing those treasures that we share our hearts.

Our hearts are complicated and the process of self-knowledge and self-possession are ongoing aspects of our human formation. We struggle to know our hearts because we also struggle to accept what we find there. Our dreams, desires, hopes and loves can be too vulnerable, and when we are wounded by rejection and disappointment, they can end up buried beneath disordered desires, distractions, addictions, impulses and compulsions. These areas become shrouded in shame and difficult to face.

This return to the heart is a necessary step towards truly finding ourselves by making a sincere gift of ourselves. And this is a necessary pre-requisite for cultivating deeper intimacy with the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

PRAYERS
Litany of the Wounded Heart
Radiating Christ

  1. Gaudium et Spes x 24. ↩︎

Consecration to the Heart of Jesus Through the Hearts of Mary and Joseph

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey

the Messages of Fatima

Seven Messages from Our Lady of Fatima
The Grace of God Will Be Your Comfort ( WEB )

“[Jesus] wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world. I promise salvation to those who embrace it; and these souls will be beloved of God like flowers arranged by me to adorn His throne.”

“…Pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war, for she alone can be of any avail.”

Day 5: God Reveals Himself to Those With Childlike Hearts


READING 1
Matthew 11:25-27

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

READING 2
From Benedict XVI’s homily to the International Theological Commission (Dec. 1, 2009)

We have heard that our Lord praises the Father because he concealed the great mystery of the Son, the Trinitarian mystery, the Christological mystery from the wise and the learned, from those who did not recognize him. Instead he revealed it to children, the nèpioi, to those who are not learned, who are not very cultured. It was to them that this great mystery was revealed.

… [I]n our time there have also been “little ones” who have understood this mystery. Let us think of St Bernadette Soubirous; of St Thérèse of Lisieux, with her new interpretation of the Bible that is “non-scientific” but goes to the heart of Sacred Scripture; of the saints and blessed of our time: St Josephine Bakhita, Bl. Teresa of Calcutta and St Damien de Veuster. We could list so many!

But from all this the question arises: “Why should this be so?” Is Christianity the religion of the foolish, of people with no culture or who are uneducated? Is faith extinguished where reason is kindled? How can this be explained? Perhaps we should take another look at history. What Jesus said, what can be noted in all the centuries, is true. Nevertheless, there is a “type” of lowly person who is also learned. Our Lady stood beneath the Cross, the humble handmaid of the Lord and the great woman illumined by God. And John was there too, a fisherman from the Sea of Galilee. He is the John whom the Church was right to call “the theologian”, for he was really able to see the mystery of God and proclaim it: eagled-eyed he entered into the inaccessible light of the divine mystery. So it was too that after his Resurrection, the Lord, on the road to Damascus, touches the heart of Saul, one of those learned people who cannot see. He himself, in his First Letter to Timothy, writes that he was “acting ignorantly” at that time, despite his knowledge. But the Risen One touches him: he is blinded. Yet at the same time, he truly gains sight; he begins to see. The great scholar becomes a “little one” and for this very reason perceives the folly of God as wisdom, a wisdom far greater than all human wisdom.

We could continue to interpret the holy story in this way. Just one more observation. These erudite terms, sofòi and sinetòi, in the First Reading are used in a different way. Here sofia and sìnesis are gifts of the Holy Spirit which descend upon the Messiah, upon Christ. What does this mean? It turns out that there is a dual use of reason and a dual way of being either wise or little….

Then there is the other way of using reason, of being wise—that of the man who recognizes who he is; he recognizes the proper measure and greatness of God, opening himself in humility to the newness of God’s action. It is in this way, precisely by accepting his own smallness, making himself little as he really is, that he arrives at the truth. Thus reason too can express all its possibilities; it is not extinguished but rather grows and becomes greater. Sofìa and sìnesis in this context do not exclude one from the mystery that is real communion with the Lord, in whom reside wisdom and knowledge and their truth.

Let us now pray that the Lord will give us true humility. May he give us the grace of being little in order to be truly wise; may he illumine us, enable us to see his mystery in the joy of the Holy Spirit.

REFLECTION

We empty our hearts by embracing simplicity with a childlike faith. This is the path to true wisdom, to having a heart that can truly see. In seeking truth we do not need to be great scholars, but to approach divine revelation with humble trust, opening our hearts to the Lord in love. As St. Paul said, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor 8:1). Pope Benedict XVI tells us to beware of being puffed up, of having hearts that are bloated by a false self-perception that overestimates our greatness and underestimates the greatness of God. Let us ask ourselves, “How do I approach the Scripture? My studies? My relationship with God? My ministry? Am I puffed up? Am I building up? How can I be more like the little ones so that I may be truly wise?”

PRAYERS

Prayer of Abandonment by St. Charles de Foucauld
Litany of Trust

Consecration to the Heart of Jesus Through the Hearts of Mary and Joseph

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey

the Ascension . Holy Day on Thursday

The Ascension of the Lord

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” The lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up by his Ascension into heaven, and indeed begins it. Jesus Christ, the one priest of the new and eternal Covenant, “entered, not into a sanctuary made by human hands. . . but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” There Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he “always lives to make intercession” for “those who draw near to God through him”.As “high priest of the good things to come” he is the center and the principal of the liturgy that honors the Father in heaven. CCC 662

“Since the Ascension God’s plan has entered into its fulfillment. We are already at ‘the last hour’. ‘Already the final age of the world is with us, and the renewal of the world is irrevocably under way; it is even now anticipated in a certain real way, for the Church on earth is endowed already with a sanctity that is real but imperfect’ ” CCC 670

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Image from the Healing Eucharist

Day 4: The Struggle to Empty the Heart

READING 1
Romans 7:15-20

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which wells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me.

READING 2
From St. Augustine’s Confessions, Book 8

Then, in that great struggle within my inner abode—which I had forcibly provoked with my soul in that little room of ours, my heart—being disturbed as much in my countenance as in my mind, I rush in upon Alypius and cry out: ‘What is wrong with us? What does this mean, this story you heard? Unlearned men are rising up and storming heaven, while we with our teachings which have no heart in them, here we are tumbling about in flesh and blood! Is it because they have led the way that we are ashamed to follow, yet are not ashamed of the fact that we are not following?’ I said some such words, and then my mental agitation tore me away from him; while he kept silent, terrified as he looked upon me. Not even my voice sounded as usual. Forehead, cheeks, eyes, complexion, the way I spoke, gave more indication of my mental condition than did the words I uttered. A little garden belonged to our residence, and we used it as we did the rest of the house, for our host, the landlord, did not live there. The tumult in my breast carried me out there, where no one could hinder the burning struggle which I had entered upon against myself; to what solution, Thou didst know, but I did not. Yet, my madness was healthful and my dying was life-giving; I was aware of the extent of my evil, but I was unaware of the extent of the good I would shortly attain. So, I withdrew to the garden, and Alypius followed in my footsteps. There was no lack of personal privacy for me when he was present. Moreover, how could he abandon me in such a frame of mind? We sat down as far away from the building as possible. I was shaken in spirit, angered by a most violent indignation at the fact that I did not enter into an agreement and covenant with Thee, O my God, for all my bones cried out that I should make this step, and extolled it to the heavens with praises. Entry into this agreement did not require boats or chariots or movement of the feet; I did not even have to go as far as we had gone from the house to the place where we were sitting. For, not merely to go, but actually to reach that disposition, meant nothing else than to wish to go—strongly and completely of course, not just a half-wounded wish, turning now to this and now to that, nor a will threshing about in a struggle wherein, when one part rises up, another part is cast down.

REFLECTION

St. Augustine experienced what St. Paul described as he struggled with interior disturbance in his heart. He described his heart as “that little room” and he wrestled there with shame and confusion over decisions that he had made. There was “tumult” in his breast as he pondered the “healthful madness” and “life-giving dying” he was undergoing in his shaken spirit. He was wrestling with the decision to be fully committed to the Lord, to become truly Christian. He knew that it did not require external things like boats and chariots, but only an interior movement—a strong and complete wish. St. Augustine gives us permission to admit our own interior struggles, especially in places where we have only half-heartedly committed to Christ or are holding out and holding on to our own forms of worldliness. As we empty our hearts, let us ask ourselves if there is anything we are holding on to that needs to be released and offered up to the Lord. Is there any way you are being asked to commit more whole-heartedly to the Lord in following Him?

PRAYERS

Prayer of Abandonment by St. Charles de Foucauld
Litany of Healing and Repentance in the Eucharist

Consecration to the Heart of Jesus Through the Hearts of Mary and Joseph

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey

Our Lady of Fatima . Wednesday

the Easter Season

Our thoughts in this present life should turn on the praise of God, because it is in praising God that we shall rejoice for ever in the life to come; and no one can be ready for the next life unless he trains himself for it now. So we praise God during our earthly life, and at the same time we make our petitions to him. Our praise is expressed with joy, our petitions with yearning.

We have been promised something we do not yet possess, and because the promise was made by one who keeps his word, we trust him and are glad; but insofar as possession is delayed, we can only long and yearn for it. It is good for us to persevere in longing until we receive what was promised, and yearning is over; then praise alone will remain.

Because there are these two periods of time – the one that now is, beset with the trials and troubles of this life, and the other yet to come, a life of everlasting serenity and joy – we are given two liturgical seasons, one before Easter and the other after. The season before Easter signifies the troubles in which we live here and now, while the time after Easter which we are celebrating at present signifies the happiness that will be ours in the future. What we commemorate before Easter is what we experience in this life; what we celebrate after Easter points to something we do not yet possess. This is why we keep the first season with fasting and prayer; but now the fast is over and we devote the present season to praise. Such is the meaning of the Alleluia we sing.

Both these periods are represented and demonstrated for us in Christ our head. The Lord’s passion depicts for us our present life of trial – shows how we must suffer and be afflicted and finally die. The Lord’s resurrection and glorification show us the life that will be given to us in the future.

Saint Augustine

Day 3: Emptying Our Hearts of Unquiet; Becoming Focused and Intentional

READING 1
James 5:11-13

Behold, we call those happy who were steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, that you may not fall under condemnation. Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise.

READING 2
From a sermon given during the last synod he attended, by Saint Charles, bishop

My brothers, you must realise that for us churchmen nothing is more necessary than meditation. We must meditate before, during and after everything we do. The prophet says: “I will pray, and then I will understand.” When you administer the sacraments, meditate on what you are doing. When you celebrate Mass, reflect on the sacrifice you are offering. When you pray the office, think about the words you are saying and the Lord to whom you are speaking. When you take care of your people, meditate on how the Lord’s blood that has washed them clean so that “all that you do becomes a work of love.”

This is the way we can easily overcome the countless difficulties we have to face day after day, which, after all, are part of our work: in meditation we find the strength to bring Christ to birth in ourselves and in other men.

REFLECTION

How is your meditation? The Catechism teaches, “To the extent that we are humble and faithful, we discover in meditation the movements that stir the heart and we are able to discern them” (CCC 2706). Paying attention to the movements that stir in our hearts when we attend Mass, pray the Liturgy of the Hours, minister to others, or otherwise fulfill the obligations of daily life, helps us to pay attention to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit throughout our day. The more attentive and responsive we are to these inspirations, the more our hearts are conformed to the Heart of Christ and the more the Holy Spirit is able to reproduce His life within us. Meditation also helps us to empty our hearts of all that interferes with this deepening union “to the point of rendering [us] wholly possessed by the divine Beloved, vibrating at the Spirit’s touch, resting filially within the Father’s heart.”11

PRAYERS

Prayer of Surrender of St. Ignatius

Litany of Penance by St. John Henry Newman

  1. Pope St. John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte x 33. ↩︎

Consecration to the Heart of Jesus Through the Hearts of Mary and Joseph

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey