Fr. Croiset and Reverence for the Blessed Sacrament

The Sacred Heart of Jesus

The following is taken from a meditation by Fr. John Croiset, SJ (d. 1738 AD) for the Feast of the Sacred Heart:

"What answer could Catholics give to heretics if these latter reproach them with the want of reverence of many Catholics in church. . . If they say, you, Catholics, believe that Jesus Christ is really present on the altar in this Host, . . . if you believe in the Divine Presence in your churches, how comes it that you do not show more respect there?  We have contempt for your Sacraments, a heretic might say, but do you yourselves not teach us to despise them?"

Though we may take some comfort from the knowledge that a lack of reverence for the Eucharist among Catholics is not new, I believe Fr. Croiset would be shocked by the lack of reverence seen among Catholics today.

Fr. John Croiset, SJ and Devotion to the Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart of Jesus

Fr. John Croiset, SJ was spiritual director to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the great apostle and visionary of devotion to the Sacred Heart.   St. Margaret Mary told Fr. Croiset that it was Jesus's ardent wish that he assist her in making devotion to the Sacred Heart, until then a private devotion of chosen souls, generally known to all of the faithful.  After St. Margaret Mary's death, Fr. Croiset duly compiled an account of her revelations concerning the Sacred Heart, together with her prayers concerning this devotion, into a volume entitled The Devotion to the Sacred Heart which was  published in 1691 AD.  In 1704, due to Fr. Croiset's failure to observe certain formalities, the book was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books, where it remained for two centuries.    During this time Fr. Croiset's book was nearly forgotten.  However, a certain bishop, wishing to call attention to devotion to the Sacred Heart within his diocese, came upon the text, and finding that it had been placed upon the Index, called for the Sacred Congregation of the Index to re-examine the book.  The Sacred Congregation determined that no error could be found in the work, and so it was at last removed from the Index.   The following is taken from a meditation for the Feast of the Sacred Heart found it Fr. Croiset's "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart:"

The ardent desire of Jesus Christ to unite Himself to us.

Consider that union of hearts is the ultimate effect towards which love tends.  This union of hearts was the object which Jesus Christ had in mind when he instituted the Eucharist.  In this adorable Mystery, He acts like one passionately inflamed with love for men, since in It love makes Him in a manner go out of Himself in order to live only in the object of His love.  "At this holy Table," said St. Augustine, "Christ has consecrated the Mystery of union with us. . . ."
"I will love Thee, O most Sacred Heart of Jesus that was wounded for me, wounded on the Cross for my sins, wounded in the Blessed Sacrament with love for me.  I will honor Thee for the rest of my life, I will consecrate Thee the days that remain; Thou shalt be my place of repose, my dwelling place and my place of refuge.  "This is my place of rest, here will I dwell."

A meditation upon the Blessed Sacrament

                                                            St. Anthony of Padua Church, St. Louis, MO

From "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart" by Fr. John Croiset, SJ:

The ardent desire of Jesus Christ to unite Himself to us

Consider that union of hearts is the ultimate effect towards which love tends.  This union of hearts was the object which Jesus Christ had in mind when He instituted the Blessed Eucharist.  In this adorable Mystery, He acts like one passionately inflamed with love for men, since in It love makes Him in a manner go out of Himself in order to live only in the object of His love.  “At this holy Table,” said St. Augustine, “Christ has consecrated the mystery of union with us.”

Fine day for visiting the Blessed Sacrament

                           Main altar, St. Mary's Church, St. Benedict, Kansas

Of course, every day is a fine day for visiting the Blessed Sacrament.

From Fr. John Croiset, SJ's "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart," here is a recommended reflection for a daily visit:

"Offer yourself to Jesus Christ to be united more closely to Him, asking Him to fill you with His spirit and His sentiments, and above all, ask Him to be permitted to enter His Sacred Heart never to leave it."

Have you visited the Blessed Sacrament today?

Well, why not?

Here is some advice on visiting the Blessed Sacrament from "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus" by Fr. John Croiset, SJ:

[W]e give here the advice of St. Francis de Sales: "Many people have made a collection of aspirations which indeed are very useful; but, in my opinion, you should not confine yourself to any set formula of words; you can express with your heart or with your lips those sentiments which love will suggest to you, for love will furnish you with all the aspirations that you desire."

Have you visited the Blessed Sacrament today?

Well, why not?

From "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus," by Fr. John Croiset, SJ, regarding visits to the Blessed Sacrament:

"During our visits to the Blessed Sacrament we should meditate much and speak little.  A loving, adoring silence, which might be called the language of the heart, is much more pleasing to Jesus Christ in these visits, than a great number of vocal prayers said hurriedly and with little attention."

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Part 11)

Let us consider what Fr. John Croiset tells us are the effects of the perfect love of Jesus.  The effects are many.  Let us look first at love of the poor:

"Among Christ's followers the poor stand in a special relation to Jesus Christ, they wear His livery; so when we assist them, it is Jesus Christ Himself that we assist in their person. It is, then, evident that charity towards the poor should be  an ordinary effect of true love for Jesus Christ.  This love for Jesus Christ should inspire us not only with compassion for the poor, it should inspire us also with love and respect for them; such love for Jesus Christ has induced even great kings to serve His poor with their own hands."

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Part 10)

As June is specially dedicated to the Sacred Heart we have been paying particular attention to this devotion throughout the month.  See a review of previous posts here.

Now we will consider what Fr. Croiset tells us regarding the "marks of perfect love of Jesus Christ and of true devotion to His Sacred Heart:"

"A person, then, who is solidly virtuous and who loves Jesus Christ perfectly is a man without self-love, without guile, without ambition; he is a man who is at all times severe on himself, granting himself no indulgence, but kind towards others and interpreting all that they do in a good sense.  He is honest without being affected, polite without being cowardly, obliging without seeking his own interest; he is extremely exact without being scrupulous, he keeps himself continually united to God without contention; he is never idle, yet never allows excessive eagerness to appear, he is never too much preoccupied or distracted with his occupations because he keeps his heart always free and is constantly concerned with the great affair of his life, his eternal salvation."

Devotion to the Sacred Heart (Part 9)

Since June is specially dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus we have been paying particular attention to this devotion throughout the month.  The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a moveable feast, and will actually take place this year  in July (July 1). 

In "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart," by Fr. John Croiset, SJ, which was commissioned by Our Lord Himself, through St. Margaret Mary, Fr. Croiset tells us that the obstacles to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus may be reduced to four: "great tepidity in the service of God, self-love, secret pride, and certain passions which people have not taken care to mortify from the beginning of their conversion."

We have also seen that, according to Fr. Croiset, there are two principal means of overcoming these obstacles.  The first is true mortification and the second is humility, which we discussed here and here. 

We also saw here the seven means suggested by Fr. Croiset for acquiring perfect love of Jesus Christ and a tender devotion to His Sacred Heart. 

In addition, we have considered here what Fr. Croiset tells us are proper motives and sentiments with which Devotion to the Sacred Heart ought to be practiced.   We also saw here how Our Lord chose the day for the feast of the Sacred Heart.

We have begun to look more deeply into Devotion to the Sacred Heart.  We have already considered daily practices of Devotion to the Sacred Heart recommended by Fr. Croiset.  We have also meditated upon the motives which Fr. Croiset says should urge us to visit the Blessed Sacrament.  Now we will consider practices recommended by Fr. Croiset for a daily visit to the Blessed Sacrament.

"Offer yourself to Jesus Christ to be united more closely to Him, asking Him to fill you with His spirit and His sentiments, and above all, ask Him to be permitted to enter His Sacred Heart never to leave It.  Then consider Jesus Christ as your Head, and yourself as one of His members, as one of His associates, one of His brethren to whom He has given over all His merits and bequeathed all the recompense due to Him from His Heavenly Father for His holy labors and death on the Cross.   It is in this capacity of associate of the Eternal Word, of one of His brethren, of His members, that we dare to appear before God with confidence, to speak to Him familiarly, and, in union with the Eternal Word, in a manner to oblige Him to give us a favorable hearing, to grant our requests and bestow on us His graces in virtue of this association, this union which we have with His Divine Son and, in particular, in virtue of the infinite value and dignity of the Victim which we offer to Him in the Blessed Sacrament.  Then finish the visit by a spiritual Communion, accompanied by a perfect consecration of all your affections and desires to the Sacred Heart."

Devotion to the Sacred Heart (Part 8)

Since June is specially dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus we have been paying particular attention to this devotion throughout the month.  The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a moveable feast, and will actually take place this year  in July (July 1). 

In "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart," by Fr. John Croiset, SJ, which was commissioned by Our Lord Himself, through St. Margaret Mary, Fr. Croiset tells us that the obstacles to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus may be reduced to four: "great tepidity in the service of God, self-love, secret pride, and certain passions which people have not taken care to mortify from the beginning of their conversion."

We have also seen that, according to Fr. Croiset, there are two principal means of overcoming these obstacles.  The first is true mortification and the second is humility, which we discussed here and here. 

We also saw here the seven means suggested by Fr. Croiset for acquiring perfect love of Jesus Christ and a tender devotion to His Sacred Heart. 

In addition, we have considered here what Fr. Croiset tells us are proper motives and sentiments with which Devotion to the Sacred Heart ought to be practiced.   We also saw here how Our Lord chose the day for the feast of the Sacred Heart.

Now we will look more deeply into Devotion to the Sacred Heart.  We have already considered daily practices of Devotion to the Sacred Heart recommended by Fr. Croiset.  Now we will meditate upon the motives which Fr. Croiset says should urge us to visit the Blessed Sacrament.  Fr. Croiset writes:

"If we are sick, unhappy, or afflicted, let us have recourse to Jesus Christ, let us go to Him, who is our good Father, and tell Him of the misfortunes which have happened to us and of the evils which threaten us.  If we have some important decision to make, if we want to restore peace in some family, if we want to bring about the conversion of some person, if we are remiss in the service of God, inconstant, imperfect, let us run to Jesus Christ and ask him humbly and with respectul familiarity for the graces that we need, and above all let us ask with great confidence."

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Part 7)

Since June is specially dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus we have been paying particular attention to this devotion throughout the month.  The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a moveable feast, and will actually take place this year  in July (July 1). 

In "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart," by Fr. John Croiset, SJ, which was commissioned by Our Lord Himself, through St. Margaret Mary, Fr. Croiset tells us that the obstacles to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus may be reduced to four: "great tepidity in the service of God, self-love, secret pride, and certain passions which people have not taken care to mortify from the beginning of their conversion."

We have also seen that, according to Fr. Croiset, there are two principal means of overcoming these obstacles.  The first is true mortification and the second is humility, which we discussed here and here. 

We also saw here the seven means suggested by Fr. Croiset for acquiring perfect love of Jesus Christ and a tender devotion to His Sacred Heart. 

In addition, we have considered here what Fr. Croiset tells us are proper motives and sentiments with which Devotion to the Sacred Heart ought to be practiced.   We also saw here how Our Lord chose the day for the feast of the Sacred Heart.

Now we will look more deeply into Devotion to the Sacred Heart.  In particular, we will consider daily practices of Devotion to the Sacred Heart recommended by Fr. Croiset.

Practice of the Devotion for morning:

"In the morning on rising, after the example of many saints, we should prostrate ourselves in the direction of the nearest church where the Blessed Sacrament is kept, and thus prostrated make an act of Faith."

Practice of the Devotion while attending Mass:

"Above all, everyone should endeavor to bring home to himself that the Sacrifice of the Mass is the same as that of Calvary and should assist at it with the most profound respect and reverence, like people who believe that the Sacrifice of Calvary is here renewed."

Practice of the Devotion for afternoon:

"The afternoon is a most suitable time for visiting Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament in order to honor His Sacred Heart by our love and homage.  As it is the time when people think least about Jesus Christ and when few people visit Him, those who visit Him at this time are sure of  being well received."

Practice of the Devotion for evening:

"St. Aloysius Gonzaga was accustomed before going to sleep to recite three Hail Marys, in order to put himself under the protection, and as it were, in the heart of the Blessed Virgin.  Then he made a profound bow in the direction of the church to adore the Blessed Sacrament, asking the Sacred Heart of Jesus to watch unceasingly over Holy Church, and especially over those who love Him tenderly, and begging to be preserved through His mercy from all the snares of the devil; protesting that it was in the Sacred Heart that he wished to take his rest and saying with the Psalmist: "In peace in the self same," that is, in the my supreme Good, "I will sleep and I will rest." (Ps 4:9)

Devotion to the Sacred Heart (Part 6)

                   How Jesus Christ chose the day for the feast of the Sacred Heart

Since June is specially dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus we have been paying particular attention to this devotion throughout the month.  The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a moveable feast, and will actually take place this year  in July (July 1). 

In "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart," by Fr. John Croiset, SJ, which was commissioned by Our Lord Himself, through St. Margaret Mary, Fr. Croiset tells us that the obstacles to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus may be reduced to four: "great tepidity in the service of God, self-love, secret pride, and certain passions which people have not taken care to mortify from the beginning of their conversion."

We have also seen that, according to Fr. Croiset, there are two principal means of overcoming these obstacles.  The first is true mortification and the second is humility, which we discussed here and here. 

We also saw here the seven means suggested by Fr. Croiset for acquiring perfect love of Jesus Christ and a tender devotion to His Sacred Heart. 

In addition, we have considered here what Fr. Croiset tells us are proper motives and sentiments with which Devotion to the Sacred Heart ought to be practiced. 
Next, we will see how, according to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and Fr. Croiset, Our Lord chose the day for the feast of the Sacred Heart.

"When one day during the octave of Corpus Christi, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, under the inspiration of a very special grace, was filled with the desire to make some return to our loving Saviour by giving love for love, the Son of God Himself appeared to her and said:  "You cannot give Me a greater return of love than by doing what I have so often demanded."  Then He revealed to her His Sacred Heart and said: "Behold this Heart which has so loved men even to exhausting and consuming Itself to testify to them Its love; and in return, I receive from the generality of men nothing but ingratitude through the contempt, irreverence, sacrileges and coldness which they show Me in the Sacrament of My love; but what is still more painful to Me, is that there are hearts consecrated to me that treat Me thus.  For that reason I demand that the First Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi be set apart for a special feast to honor My Heart; that, on this day, reparation be made to It with special solemnity, that the faithful receive Holy Communion in reparation for the indignities which It has received on the altars; and I promise that My Heart will expand to pour out in abundance the treasures of Divine love on those who render It this honor."

Devotion to the Sacred Heart (part 5)

   

                       Proper Sentiments and Motives for Devotion to the Sacred Heart

Since June is specially dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus we have been paying particular attention to this devotion throughout the month.

In "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart," by Fr. John Croiset, SJ, which was commissioned by Our Lord Himself, through St. Margaret Mary, Fr. Croiset tells us that the obstacles to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus may be reduced to four: "great tepidity in the service of God, self-love, secret pride, and certain passions which people have not taken care to mortify from the beginning of their conversion."

We have also seen that, according to Fr. Croiset, there are two principal means of overcoming these obstacles.  The first is true mortification and the second is humility, which we discussed here and here. 

We also saw here the seven means suggested by Fr. Croiset for acquiring perfect love of Jesus Christ and a tender devotion to His Sacred Heart. 

Now we will turn to what Fr. Croiset calls "The Practice of This Devotion."   We will begin by considering the motives and sentiments with which Devotion to the Sacred Heart ought to be practiced.  Fr. Croiset tells us our motive should be:

"to make reparation, as far as is in our power, by our love and adoration and by every kind of homage, for all the indignities and outrages which Jesus Christ has suffered in the course of the ages and which He still suffers daily at the hands of wicked men in the Blessed Eucharist.  It is with this spirit and these sentiment that we should perform the practices which are here proposed."

Overcoming Obstacles to Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Since June is specially dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus we will be paying particular attention to this devotion throughout the month.

In "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart," by Fr. John Croiset, SJ, which was commissioned by Our Lord Himself, through St. Margaret Mary, Fr. Croiset tells us that the obstacles to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus may be reduced to four: "great tepidity in the service of God, self-love, secret pride, and certain passions which people have not taken care to mortify from the beginning of their conversion."

According to Fr. Croiset, there are two principal means of overcoming these obstacles.  The first is true mortification, which we discussed earlier.  The second means is sincere humility.  Of sincere humility, Fr. Croiset writes:

"'Jesus Christ," says St. Augustine "does not say to us: 'Learn of Me to work miracles,' but 'Learn of Me because I am meek and humble of heart' (Matt. 11:29), in order to show us that without humility there can be no true piety."  People are sufficiently persuaded of the necessity of this virtue; the difficulty is to know in what true humility consists.  Many think themselves truly humble if they have a low opinion of themselves, but they are not pleased when others have the same opinion of them.  It is not enough to know that we have no virtue of merit; we must believe it, and be satisfied when others believe it.  The first step towards acquiring this virtue is to demand it constantly from God; the next, to convince ourselve of our imperfections by frequent and serious reflection on ourselves.   The remembrance of what we have been, and of what we might have become without the grace of God, are powerful helps to keep us humble.   Really good people think little about others, but pay attention to themselves.  Really humble people are not scandalized because their weakness is perfectly known to themselves: they see themselves so near the abyss, and fear so much to fall in, that they are not surprised that others do fall in. . . .The truest marks of humility are: to cherish those who despise us, not to avoid the humiliations which present themselves, not to take pleasure in vain thoughts and projects about the future which serve only to nourish secret pride, never to speak in praise of ourselves, never to complain of what God permits to happen to us, or wish to be pitied, not to be troubled about our falls; to excuse the faults of our neighbor, to defer in everything to others, to distrust ourselves in our undertakings, and to have a low esteem of what we accomplish; finally, to pray much and speak little.

Means for surmounting obstacles to Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Since June is specially dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus we will be paying particular attention to this devotion throughout the month.

In "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart," by Fr. John Croiset, SJ, which was commissioned by Our Lord Himself, through St. Margaret Mary, Fr. Croiset tells us that the obstacles to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus may be reduced to four: "great tepidity in the service of God, self-love, secret pride, and certain passions which people have not taken care to mortify from the beginning of their conversion."

According to Fr. Croiset, there are two principal means of overcoming these obstacles.  The first is true mortification.  Of mortification, Fr. Croiset writes:

"Mortification is a necessary disposition for the true love of Jesus Christ; this was the  first lesson that Jesus Christ Himself gave those who wished to be His disciples; without mortification no one can expect to be a true follower of Him.  "If any man," says He, "will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." (Lk. 9:23).  And again He says: "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife and children, and brethren, and sister, h, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." (Lk. 14:26)  Accordingly, all the saints had this distinguishing mark of perfect mortification.  When people praised the virtue of anyone in the presence of St. Ignatius, he would ask:  "Is that person truly mortified?"  By that he wished to intimate that true mortification is inseparable from true piety, not only because virtue cannot exist long without general and constant mortification, but also because without mortification there can be no true virtue."

Fr. Croiset on unmortified passion

We have seen how Fr. Croiset lists "unmortified passion"  among the major obstacles to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Here is Fr. Croiset on unmortified passion:

"[T]here are generous souls who resolve to conquer all obstacles and who make serious efforts, but who will not go against their natural bent; they spare some failing that is in harmony with their inclination; and this one enemy spared, this one unmortified passion, this one fault which they will not correct, this one bond which they will not break, makes them limp along all their life, and prevents them from arriving at this high perfection to which they are called."

Fr. Croiset's Definition of "Self-Love" and of "Secret Pride"

We have seen how Fr. Croiset lists "self-love" and "secret pride"  among the major obstacles to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

Here is Fr. Croiset on self love:

"Self-love dictates that the practices of virtue to be adopted are those which give us least trouble and suit our tastes best."

Here is Fr. Croiset on secret pride:

"From this spirit of vanity comes the immoderate desire to appear important and the extreme eagerness to succeed in everything that we do.  In vain do we endeavor to find reasons to assure ourselves that we are seeking only the glory of God; we have only to listen to the voice of our conscience to know that it is for our own glory that we are laboring; the inordinate fear that we may not succeed, the sadness and discouragement when we have failed, the joy and exultation when we are praised and honored, are so many visible proofs that deep-seated vanity is the motive of our actions."

Fr. Croiset's Definition of Tepidity

We have seen how Fr. Croiset lists "tepidity" as one of the obstacles to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Here is Fr. Croiset's definition of tepidity:

"A tepid soul is in a state of blindness caused by the passions which tyrannize over it, by the continual dissipation in which it lives, by the multitude of venial sins which it commits and by the withdrawal of the graces of Heaven brought on it by its own resistance."

Obstacles to Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Since June is specially dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus we will be paying particular attention to this devotion throughout the month.


The following is taken from "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart," by Fr. John Croiset, SJ, which was commissioned by Our Lord Himself, through St. Margaret Mary.

"We have already seen what great sweetness is found in the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that is to say, that the fruit of this devotion is a very ardent and very tender love of Jesus Christ accompanied by interor joy, heavenly consolations, sweetness and unalterable peace which surpass all understanding, all which are gifts inseparable from the perfect love of Jesus Christ.  We are going to consider what are the obstacles which prevent people from reaping this fruit.  All these obstacles may be reduced to four: great tepidity in the service of God, self-love, secret pride, and certain passions which people have not taken care to mortify from the beginning of their conversion.  From these four heads as from four fatal fountains, proceed all those faults and imperfections which stop so many souls on the road of piety, which shipwreck the finest projects and the most generous resolutions, and finally which render unfruitful the holiest practices of devotion."

The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Jesuits (cont.)

Since the month of June is specially dedicated to the Sacred Heart, we continue our examination of this devotion, paying particular attention to the role of the Society of Jesus.  From the time of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the great mystic teacher of devotion to the Sacred Heart, the Jesuits were instrumental in spreading this devotion.  In recent years, however, the Jesuits appear to have dropped this mission, having privately determined the devotion to be outmoded.

In one of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque's letters to her spiritual director, St. Claude de la Columbiere, SJ, she relates that Our Lord Himself had confided to her that "it is principally by means of the Fathers of the Company of Jesus that He wishes to establish everywhere this solid devotion [to the Sacred Heart of Jesus]."  To this end, Our Lord, through St. Margaret Mary, commissioned Fr. John Croiset, SJ , to publish a book concerning devotion to the Sacred Heart.  Fr. Croiset duly published "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart" in 1691 AD.  The book enjoyed a large circulation, and devotion to the Sacred Heart spread quickly.  However, in 1704 Fr. Croiset's book was cited by the Congregation of the Index for the omission of certain formalities, and was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books.   Consequently, Fr. Croiset's book fell into obscurity. 

In another of her letters, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque had foreseen this fate for Fr. Croiset's book, predicting further that since the book was in perfect accord with the expressed wish of Jesus Christ Himself, no error would be found in the text, and after a period suitable to Our Lord's purposes, the book would be restored to circulation.   This is precisely what happened.  Early in the 20th century, the first Archbishop of Sarajevo, wishing to consecrate his archdiocese to the Sacred Heart, and considering Fr. Croiset's book the finest available regarding devotion to the Sacred Heart, requested the Sacred Congregation of the Index to re-examine the work.  The Congregation did so.   Finding no error in the text, and without making any revision, the Congregation removed the book from the Index, and permitted its publication.

The following is taken from "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart" by Fr. John Croiset, SJ:

[I]t is easy to see what is meant by the devotion to the Sacred Heart: by this devotion we mean the ardent love which we conceive for Jesus Christ at the remembrance of all the marvels which He has wrought to show His tender love for us, especially in Sacrament of the Eucharist, which is the miracle of His love; we mean the keen regret which we feel at the sight of the outrages which men commit against Jesus Christ in this adorable Mystery; we mean the ardent desire which presses us to leave nothing undone to make reparation for these outrages by every possible means.