{"id":9572,"date":"2026-05-16T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/?p=9572"},"modified":"2026-05-15T17:00:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T21:00:16","slug":"day-8-a-spirituality-of-the-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/consecration-to-the-hearts-of-jesus-mary-and-joseph\/day-8-a-spirituality-of-the-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 8: A Spirituality of the Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


READING 1<\/strong>
Luke 12: 49-50<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus said: \u201cI came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READING 2<\/strong>
From Behold the Pierced One <\/em>by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the terms of the encyclical [Haurietis Aquas<\/em> of Pope Pius XI], however, spirituality of the senses is essentially a spirituality of the heart, since the sense and spirit meet, interpenetrate and unite. Spirituality of the senses is spirituality in the sense of Cardinal Newman\u2019s motto: Cor ad cor loquitur<\/em> (heart speaks to heart), which sums up, in perhaps the most beautiful way, what spirituality of the heart is, a spirituality focused on the Heart of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The encyclical adds another important set of motifs to these reflections on the tradition of devotion to the Sacred Heart. For the heart is an expression for the human nadry (passions)\u2014i.e.; not only man\u2019s passions but also the \u201cpassion\u201d of being human. Over against the Stoic ideal apatheia<\/em>, over against the Aristotelian God, who is Thought thinking itself, the heart is the epitome of the passions, without which there could have been no Passion on the part of the Son. The encyclical cites Justin, Basil, Chrysostom, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, John Damascene, exhibiting different variations of the same theme, which it sees as common ground in patristic Christology: … passionum nostrarum particeps factus est<\/em> (he has come to share in our \u201cpassions\u201d)….<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The topic of the suffering God has become almost fashionable today, not without reason, as a result of the abandonment of a theology which was one-sidedly rationalist and as a result of the rejection of a portrait of Jesus and a concept of God which had been emasculated, where the love of God had degenerated into the cheap platitude of a God who was merely kind, and hence \u201charmless.\u201d Against such a backdrop Christianity is diminished to the level of philanthropic world improvement, and Eucharist becomes a brotherly meal. The theme of the suffering God can only stay sound if it is anchored in love for God and in prayerful attention to his love. The encyclical Haurietis Aquas<\/em> sees the passions of Jesus, which are summed up and set forth in the Heart, as the basis, as the reason why, the human heart, i.e., the capacity for feeling, the emotional side of love, must be drawn into man\u2019s relationship with God. Incarnational spirituality must be a spirituality of the passions, a spirituality of \u201cheart to heart\u201d; in that way, precisely, it is an Easter spirituality, for the mystery of Easter, the mystery of suffering, is of its very nature a mystery of the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

REFLECTION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Heart of Jesus integrates human passions into divine love as He expresses His divine love through a human heart. \u201cHis human emotions became the sacrament of that infinite and endless love.\u201d1<\/a><\/sup> Our Christian spirituality is a spirituality of the heart, in which we begin by pondering and, indeed, receiving the passionate love that God has for each one of us. \u201cBehold the Heart that loved the world so much!\u201d Jesus told St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. In gazing upon the passion of love in His Heart, a love we did not and could not earn, then challenges us to let a response of love well up in our own hearts. Will we allow Jesus to draw us into a \u201cheart to heart\u201d with Him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRAYERS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Litany of the Closed Heart
Radiating Christ<\/p>\n\n\n

  1. Pope Francis, Dilexit Nos x 60. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n

    Consecration to the Heart of Jesus Through the Hearts of Mary and Joseph<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Copyright \u00a9 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    READING 1Luke 12: 49-50 Jesus said: \u201cI came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!\u201d READING 2From Behold the Pierced One by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger In the terms of the encyclical [Haurietis Aquas of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"Pope Francis, Dilexit Nos x 60.\",\"id\":\"c8ce391d-2548-4ba8-adb2-1f58faeb25c9\"}]","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-consecration-to-the-hearts-of-jesus-mary-and-joseph"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7bfMR-2uo","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9715,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/consecration-to-the-hearts-of-jesus-mary-and-joseph\/prayers-for-part-2-return-to-the-heart\/","url_meta":{"origin":9572,"position":0},"title":"Prayers for Part 2: Return to the Heart","author":"Father Boniface Hicks, O.S.B.","date":"May 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"RADIATING CHRISTSt. 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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Consecration to the Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph"","block_context":{"text":"Consecration to the Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/consecration-to-the-hearts-of-jesus-mary-and-joseph\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Murillo_trinita_celeste_e_terrestre_1675-82_ca.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Murillo_trinita_celeste_e_terrestre_1675-82_ca.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Murillo_trinita_celeste_e_terrestre_1675-82_ca.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Murillo_trinita_celeste_e_terrestre_1675-82_ca.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Murillo_trinita_celeste_e_terrestre_1675-82_ca.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Murillo_trinita_celeste_e_terrestre_1675-82_ca.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9685,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/consecration-to-the-hearts-of-jesus-mary-and-joseph\/prayers-for-part-1-emptying-our-hearts\/","url_meta":{"origin":9572,"position":1},"title":"Prayers for Part 1: Emptying Our Hearts","author":"Father Boniface Hicks, O.S.B.","date":"May 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"PRAYER OF SURRENDERBy St. Ignatius Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,My memory, my understandingAnd my entire will,All I have and call my own.You have given all to me.To you, Lord, I return it.Everything is yours; 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all the bolder as he sees his own weakness, for all his confidence is in God, who delights to reveal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marian Consecration"","block_context":{"text":"Marian Consecration","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/spiritual-practices\/marian-consecration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/b4e7f6c00ccb090d69057ad9675c8656-Edit-Editpix.jpg?fit=896%2C594&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/b4e7f6c00ccb090d69057ad9675c8656-Edit-Editpix.jpg?fit=896%2C594&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/b4e7f6c00ccb090d69057ad9675c8656-Edit-Editpix.jpg?fit=896%2C594&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/b4e7f6c00ccb090d69057ad9675c8656-Edit-Editpix.jpg?fit=896%2C594&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":877,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-practices\/sacred-heart-of-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":9572,"position":3},"title":"Sacred HEART of Jesus","author":"monks4christ","date":"June 19, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Amazingly, in gazing upon the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are looking at the hidden center of God. \u00a0What do we find there? \u00a0Burning love! 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The choice of this year is in commemoration of the 250th\u00a0anniversary of the founding of our nation. There are resources available for the day of consecration on the USCCB website:\u00a0https:\/\/www.usccb.org\/weholdthesetruthsFor those who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Consecration to the Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph"","block_context":{"text":"Consecration to the Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/consecration-to-the-hearts-of-jesus-mary-and-joseph\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1000007892-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1000007892-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1000007892-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1000007892-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1000007892-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1000007892-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5400,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/pope-benedict-xvi\/jesus-is-a-knight\/","url_meta":{"origin":9572,"position":5},"title":"Jesus is a Knight ?","author":"monks4christ","date":"October 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Actor portraying Jesus is a Knight of Columbus . 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