A Benedictine Monk - In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart -- The Journal of a Priest at Prayer

PRAISE FOR
In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart
The Journal of a Priest at Prayer

The immeasurable and unceasing love of God, revealed to us in the glorious pierced Heart of Jesus, ever present in the Holy Eucharist, must be the foundation of the life of every priest. In Sinu Jesu recounts the graces experienced in the life of one priest through the healing and strengthening power of Eucharistic adoration. At the same time, it issues an urgent call to all priestsand, indeed, to all Christiansto be renewed in holiness through adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament and consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces. It is my fervent hope that In Sinu Jesu will inspire many priests to be ever more ardent adorers of the Eucharistic Face of Jesus, and thus find the strength and courage to show forth the Face of Christ in the midst of our profoundly secularized society.HIS EMINENCE RAYMOND LEO CARDINAL BURKE, Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta

Reading In Sinu Jesu has opened my heart to a deeper awareness of what occurs when I spend time before the Savior hidden and revealed in the Holy Sacrament. This can be summed up in one word: Friendship. Deep consolation and a renewed gratitude for Him as He draws His friends to Himselfthese are the fruits of following the meditations of this book. It will fill hearts with encouragement and joy.FR. HUGH BARBOUR, O.Praem., Prior, St. Michaels Abbey of the Norbertine Fathers

Upon first reading the words of the Journal of a Priest at Prayer, a seed was planted deep within me. The words spoken to him in the intimacy of the chapel bring such comfort, courage, and lighta longing to be with the Lord, gazing upon and adoring His Eucharistic Face and offering ourselves and our lives in reparation for sins against Love. I rejoice that the Lord has chosen this moment in time to share His desire for Eucharistic adoration through the publication in its entirety of In Sinu Jesu .FR. DAVID ABERNETHY C.O., Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, Pittsburgh

In Sinu Jesu has the power to inflame the desire for Eucharistic adoration. It is a powerful expression of Our Lords thirst to draw us deeper into His friendship, to heal wounds, and thus to renew the Church. For several years now its inspired words have accompanied me in my priestly ministry: attracting, comforting, strengthening, and touching my heart whenever I am in danger of forgetting my first love. May this book cause a revolution of Love and conquer many hearts! FR. JOACHIM SCHWARZMLLER, Krefeld, Germany

In Sinu Jesu is a beautiful and powerful work saturated with the kind of contagious love and holiness that can only come from reclininglike His beloved discipleupon Christs breast, hearing Him whisper words of consolation and encouragement for us all. Its pages breathe a Johannine spirituality that welcomes also the Blessed Mother into our homes and hearts, drawing us toward more intimate, joyous union with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.KEVIN VOST, Psy.D., author of The Porch and the Cross

We sometimes dismiss the interior voice, thinking that because it is within, it must be our own. But does God not dwell deep within us? Can he not speak, then, to the heart? This listener has heard Christ invite priests and all the faithful back to the Sacrament of Love. He has heard a call to draw near to the place where Christ tabernacles in the midst of his people, there to adore the Eucharistic Face of Christ. Here the power bestowed in the sacrament of orders is strengthened for a more selfless ministry.DAVID W. FAGERBERG, University of Notre Dame, author of Consecrating the World

In Sinu Jesu

When Heart Speaks to Heart
The Journal of a Priest at Prayer

In Sinu Jesu

When Heart Speaks to Heart
The Journal of a Priest at Prayer

By
A Benedictine Monk

Introduction by
A Benedictine Oblate

First published in the USA
by Angelico Press
Angelico Press 2016

All rights reserved

NIHIL OBSTAT
Peter A. Kwasniewski, PhD
Censor Deputatus

IMPRIMATUR
+ Most Reverend Michael Smith, DCL
Bishop of Meath
Mullingar, October 11, 2016

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, without permission

For information, address:
Angelico Press
4709 Briar Knoll Dr.
Kettering, OH 45429
angelicopress.com

ISBN 978-1-62138-219-5 (pb)
ISBN 978-1-62138-220-1 (cloth)
ISBN 978-1-62138-221-8 (ebook)

Cover photograph of a stained glass window
from the Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart
at Georgetown University, by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.
Cover design: Michael Schrauzer

Introduction

by a Benedictine Oblate

THIS BOOK is a remarkable testament of a friendship that transcends all earthly measures. In its pages, we see the Hound of Heaven pursuing a priest with the exquisite gentleness of one who would win his hearts love, the inexorable purpose of one who would show him mercy, and the compassion of one who would bring healing and peace.

It also resoundingly demonstrates the truth that when God chooses one out of manywhen He chooses an Abraham or a Moses, the blessed Virgin Mary, or the founders of monastic movements and religious congregationsHe always does so in order to bless a multitude, fashion a people, form a nation. He does something extraordinary for one, so that His word may radiate outward to countless souls and His grace be sought with renewed eagerness. He chooses the one not as an isolated exception or arbitrary preference, but as the humble centre around which a great circle will be drawn, a blazing hearth around which many can gather, be warmed, and find fellowship.

We could call it the principle of incarnation: God does not save us one-sidedly or generically, He does not speak vaguely or at random. He comes to us as a man, as this man, with His own voice, articulate words, clear doctrine, and commandments of life, to which we must respond with the very powers He placed within us for that response. He comes with the offer of His friendship, and invites us to reciprocate. In spite of our smallness, our weakness, and our unworthiness, He seeks us as His own, and grants us His precious and very great promises, that we may escape from the corruption that is in the world, and become partakers of His divine nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4).

In 2007, Our Lord and Our Lady began to speak to the heart of a priest who was greatly in need of their interventionsomething that could truthfully be said of all of us in our spiritual poverty. The priest was prompted to write down what he heard, first and most obviously for his own benefit, but increasingly, for the benefit of others who Concerning the genesis of the manuscript reproduced in these pages, he shared with me the following:

Here is the text as I have transcribed it over the years from the notebooks that I started keeping in 2007. The vocabulary and the style are mine, but the substance of what I wrote came during prayer, without any effort or prior reflection on my part. There would be an inner movement to write, and I would write until the inspiration stopped. After writing, there would be a grace of quiet union with Our Lord or with Our Lady. On a few occasions, there were words from saints or from holy people.

Although I have at times suffered from doubts over the authenticity of what was happening, my spiritual director throughout most of the period covered herein identified what was happening as a