(St. Thomas Beckett Church in Veneta, Oregon)

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Holy Face of Jesus both revolve around the idea of making reparation. Making up to Our Lord, through our love and sympathy and personal repentance, for all the sins of the world. But did you ever think of the fact that the worse this crazy world of ours gets, the more Our Lord appreciates it personally when we make reparation to Him?

E. Seton, in her 1915 book, Devotion to the Holy Face, tells us that Our Lord said the following words to St. Gertrude:

"A kindness shown to men in the time of adversity is more acceptable than in the time of prosperity; so I the more gratefully accept this fidelity which is shown to Me when the world is especially persecuting Me with sin."

He also told St. Gertrude:

"I, to Whom the Father has committed all judgment, shall faithfully render to every one after his death 'good' measure for all the labors of his pious works, and shall add moreover the measure 'pressed down' of My most salutary Passion and Death, whereby all man's merit is marvelously ennobled, I will take them with this record to the Father, that He also, out of the omnipotence of His paternal kindness, may superadd to them His measure 'shaken together and running over' for these benefits kindly done to Me in this persecution which worldly men during these days harass Me."

So if we offer our meditations, prayers and sacrifices in reparation to Our Lord for all the sins committed against Him, particularly in the form of blasphemy, He will reward us, and recompense us even more because we did it during a time of terrible sin in the world.

When we receive Our dear Lord in Holy Communion, or in a spiritual communion if we can't get to the church, we often picture Him as a visitor to the home of our heart. Maybe we picture Him as a shivering Baby in the stable, or as a beautiful Toddler, or even as the dusty Preacher going up and down the streets of Palestine, needing some lunch at the home in Bethany. But here is what E. Seton says about the tumultous times we live in...

"Yes, our dear Lord comes to us, as [He] once [did] to St. Gertrude at Carnival time, worn, mud-stained and bleeding, begging, 'Open your heart, My daughter, I want to go in and lie down. I am weary of these days of sin.'"

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Will you let Him come in and lie down in your heart?