The Sacred Heart of Jesus

by John Eudes

Saint John Eudes was born at Ri, a country parish near Caen, Normandy, in 1601. Endowed with extraordinary talents and filled with burning zeal for the salvation of souls, he devoted 50 years of life, until his death in 1680, to the preaching of missions and to the organization of ecclesiastical seminaries. He founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, generally known as the Eudist Fathers, for missionary and seminary work; the Order of Our Lady of Charity with its two observances of the Refuge and of the Good Shepherd; the Society of the Most Admirable Heart for lay persons aspiring to perfection in the world; and lastly, Confraternities of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary for the propagation among the faithful of the devotion, of which he was the first apostle. He wrote the first Mass and Office for the special feast in honor of the Sacred Heart and of the Holy Heart of Mary, which he established thirty years before the revelations of the Sacred Heart to Saint Margaret Mary. For those who relish a rich interior life, Loreto Publications is delighted to provide you with the seraphic insights of Saint John Eudes, one of the greatest spiritual writers of all time. Known as the apostle of devotion to the Sacred and Admirable Hearts of Jesus and Mary, John Eudes is very much needed in this apathetic age. An atrophic, and chilling frigidity of soul seems to be threatening the very lifeblood of Catholic altruism. Although the sacramental lifeblood of grace, with all of its divine efficacy, is inexhaustible in its source, even still, the maternal hands of the Lord s holy mother, who longs to dispense the higher gifts of God with such largesse, can be tied on account of our lukewarmness. Behold this Heart which has loved man so much, Jesus said to Saint Margaret Mary as He unveiled that pulsing reality to her enraptured eye. This is the Heart of Our Savior that was pierced by a lance. This is the Heart Saint John Eudes presents to us in the unforgettable exposé. Like Saint John the Apostle, Father Eudes had the privilege of what could be nothing less than direct intimate access to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. One can only conclude after reading this book that here was a man driven by the Holy Spirit to cast fire upon the earth with the pen of a scrivener lost in divine abandon. God is wonderful in His saints, and with holy gusto Loreto seconds the accolade given to Saint John Eudes by a grateful the wonder of his age.

Genres: Catholic

214 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2011

About the author

John Eudes, C.J.M. (French: Jean Eudes) was a French missionary and priest, who founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary and the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, and was the author of the propers for the Mass and Divine Office of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church.

Reviews

[Megan Ellery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily added to my top spiritual reads. This book has truly transformed the way I approach prayer and the Lord. Fr. Matt recommended I get this book two years ago when I started spiritual direction with him and, as he says, “it’s my favorite book, next to the Bible.” Picked it up two years ago and could not make it past the first chapter but man, does the Lord know His timing and it felt like it was exactly what I needed this time around.

This book truly brought me to a place of more fully realizing my incapacity to love well, especially to love the Lord as I ought to, but to rejoice in that I can claim Jesus’ love as my love and love God with perfect love! Everything that the Father has is mine!

Saint John Eudes should forreal be a Doctor of the Church

[Hugo Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is admirable to find so much reverence for the Sacred and Immaculate hearts and to see just how early these and highly these teachings were regarded, instituted or officiated by the Church. How sad it is to know The Great Terror of the French revolution buried such sentiments for so long that they had to be reevaluated in out time through translations made from the original French.

The English translation of the Latin prose of the liturgical celebration was so weak and tepid that it actually pained me to see how some statements that elevate Mary are actually very much subdued. It is clear that St. John Eudes considered Our Lady to have such a high place as to completely separate her from humanity and places here in a completely unique place in the glory of heaven -- somewhere between, and sharing of, Divinity and humanity, of the created and Uncreated. Yes, I go so far. Mary is the ONLY creature that can and has achieved what the Eastern Orthodox call theosis. All other creatures partake and participate. But Mary has received a place within the household of the Trinity without the addition of Persons because She is espoused, the bride of the Holy Spirit. So the one to be born was called the Son of God, Luke 1.

Overall a beautiful contemplation on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.