www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West The Sacred Heart, a naturalist devotion?

Ray,

That's ok. You can join me for a healthy portion of crow. I tend to dine from time to time on it here, usually because I hit "submit" far sooner than I should. (Ah, if only life and e-mail had undo buttons...)

I share your frustration, though, and concur for the most part with Todd's sentiment: live and let live.

I do think there is value in seeking first to understand the perspective of the other party, rather than attributing things to them that they do not hold or would firmly reject. Not sure how Father Michael did his research, but clearly based on the quotes above he misunderstood the nature of SHD in the Latin Church.

Gordo

Dear Gordo,

Thanks very much for your interesting post. I enjoyed the Sacred Heart Auto League immensely, especially the wonderful b/w photographs of the founder. There were real priests and real cars in those days!

I am sorry to have upset Ray and anyone else with the quotes from the book. It's just that the term naturalism is used a lot but I hadn't seen much further explanation. I happened to have been reading Fr Michael's book recently and saw that he did address it. Likewise, the claim that this is an ancient devotion is also used a lot, but I haven't seen any evidence for antiquity beyond the medieval period. The New Advent article took me one step back from St Margaret Mary to St Gertrude the Great, the Papal encyclical of Pope Pius XII seemed to refer only to an interpretation of Gospel passages. The devotion that I grew up with as a Catholic was very clearly that of the 17th-century vision of St Margaret Mary.

In Ireland it is also very common to see twin images of both Our Lord and Our Lady depicted with the Sacred Heart. It is not an image that I find myself attracted to, and it would seem odd to me to address prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus or to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

I do very much enjoy exploring the different traditions surrounding both the Holy Name and the Holy Face in the west and the east, the Sacred Heart though does not seem to be shared in quite the same way. That doesn't, of course, make it wrong, I am happy to accept that it isn't part of the eastern tradition and as I said earlier, personally it's not something I miss.

Now, are you sure you won't join the SH Auto League? Because they are giving a free keyring to new members! But, at least we can all agree on the need for careful and prayerful driving.

Brigid

Perhaps I should after watching those dreadful Irish safe driving commercials!!! You know the one where the car flips? (I visit Dublin 4 or 5 times a year and always make it a point to watch at least some Irish television.)

Nothing inspires a change in driving habits like fear! Well, that and belonging to the SH Auto League...

Gordo

A lemon-pepper rub should help improve the taste of crow along with grilling it lightly as to not make it overly tough to chew.

Maybe from material mailed to him from the Sacred Heart Auto League?

There is great antiquity in the theology and spirituality of the heart. The fact that the expression of an ancient tradition changes in its externals as it becomes a devotional act in the context of time and place is not reason to absolutely deny the patrimony of the practice.

That would be like saying that the current divine liturgy is not ancient, or perhaps not even truly litugy, because it is not precisely the same, not at all the same, as the most ancient liturgies.

Mary

Actually, I prefer Tokyo Crow Sukiyaki marinaded with a special Teriyaki sauce (1/2 cup of saki, 1/2 cup soy souce, 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger, and one clove of minced garlic) on a low heat hibachi charcoal grill for about 4 hours. The lemon-pepper rub sounds intriguing. I may try it on my next visit!

Of course, given the size of Tokyo crows, you may be lucky not to end up as the main course or perhaps a clan member dedicated to a life of indentured servitude.

[Linked Image]


An authentic theological source to be sure! Clearly the Vatican was listening when it came up with the revised 10 commandments.

Gordo

Apart from the writings of the Philokalia and the relatively recent talks of Metropolitan Kallistos Ware on the heart,are there any resources you would recommend that cover this topic on the centrality of the heart and Eastern Christian spirituality?

God bless,

Gordo

Yes. Father George Maloney's translation of Pseudo-Macarius. The Fifty Spiritual Homilies and The Great Letter.

http://www.synod.com/01newstucture/pagesen/legacy/serrosethology.html

This is an article by Father Seraphim on Father Michael. It is an editor's nightmare, but so is much of what I write, so pardon the technical messiness of this draft.

Note that Father Seraphim's estimation of Father Michael is indicative of what many in Orthodoxy see as "fair" representations of Catholic teaching.

Clearly Father Seraphim and I would not agree on the "fair" estimations, presumptions and attributions of Father Michael, with respect to many Catholic teachings.

But there are many things that we would agree on, and may yet find our way to doing so in life everlasting, God willing.

Mary

I agree with Father Seraphim that the tone of Father Michael's writings (at least from what Brigid posted) do not illustrate some of the shrillness and impatience you see at times from Orthodox anti-Catholic polemicists. I would rather engage someone who offers a thoughtfully presented critique, even if inaccurate, to someone who can barely contain their disdain.

God bless,

Gordo

The difficulty with this position is caught in the fact that the inaccuracies are employed by those who are more than happy to be shrill, to be disdainful, and to work to perpetuate the schism based upon errors, outright falsehoods and half truths.

So I do not grant Father Michael any room for his inaccuracies.

As a God-loving man and priest, however, I owe him my respect.

Mary

He said it best, I think. If this devotion works for Latins, then blessed are they in the name of the Lord. If it doesn't work or fit into tradition for us Easterners, then we are free to do something else. The real danger I have seen is individuals getting so attached to a devotion that they try to take it out of context, create a history for it that is beyond verifiable facts, and demand that all others adopt it - not that anyone here has done anything of the sort, because they have not. I don't want to touch off another argument about this. However, the Sacred Heart Auto League is just going to have to do without me.

No, my point is that it doesn't seem that this devotion is something that goes back into an ancient shared heritage, as one can argue for devotions to the Holy Name and the Holy Face. The Sacred Heart devotion arises out of a specific historical and cultural context, one that is firmly western. That doesn't automatically equate to it's therefore being wrong, bad or anything else, but neither does it mean that it is necessarily representing a shared ancient tradition. Fr Michael, a respected and loved figure from Russian Orthodoxy who was steeped in the patristic tradition, found it foreign and seemed in his note to be attempting to pinpoint the reasons why. He talked about it as something that had been introduced into the Latin church, if there is evidence that there was a devotion to the heart of Christ pre-Schism, it would be interesting to see it. I am a struggling convert on a steep learning curve and all I have read to date on the Orthodox theology of the heart is concerned with the view of the human person and the process of divinization. I haven't encountered a specific devotion to the heart of Christ, or the concept of addressing prayers to it.

Brigid

I think their mileages varied!

It seems to me that you are saying that because the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus does not look like a particular devotion in the east that the roots of the devotion cannot be part of the ancient theology of the heart?

Is that what you are saying?

Mary