SH7 – The Sacred Heart and Abandonment – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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The Sacred Heart and Abandonment- Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff

Msgr. John Esseff discusses the profound devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, particularly for priests. He shares the story of a devoted priest who promoted this devotion and received the grace to touch the most hardened hearts. Despite his dedication, the priest ended up abandoned and forgotten in a refugee camp, experiencing profound suffering. Esseff reflects on how this priest’s experience mirrors Jesus’ own abandonment on the cross and highlights the spiritual union with Christ through suffering.

The Sacred Heart promises not only the ability to touch hardened hearts but also eternal salvation and union with Jesus. He addresses various forms of suffering, illustrating that true devotion to the Sacred Heart involves sharing in Christ’s suffering. He recounts a poignant encounter with a devoted priest in a refugee camp, noting how this experience deepened his own priesthood.

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Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

1. Reflect on Devotion to the Sacred Heart: How does your personal devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus manifest in your daily life and ministry?
2. Suffering and Union with Christ: In what ways can you see your own sufferings as a participation in Christ’s sufferings on the cross?
3. Spiritual Gifts and Their Purpose: How do you use the spiritual gifts you have received for the benefit of others, and do you also seek the personal graces God wants to give you?
4. Perseverance in Faith Amid Abandonment: Have you ever felt abandoned in your faith journey, and how did you find comfort in the promises of Jesus?
5. Living the Paschal Mystery: How do you embrace the Paschal Mystery in your life, particularly in moments of persecution or suffering?
6. Understanding True Blessings: How do you differentiate between temporal and spiritual blessings, and which do you find yourself seeking more?
7. Role of the Cross in Blessings: In what ways can you see the cross not just as a symbol of suffering, but as a sign of love and blessing in your life?
8. Support for the Abandoned and Forgotten: How can you offer support and companionship to those who feel abandoned or forgotten, following the example of the priest in the refugee camp?

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Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. He was ordained on May 30, 1953, by the late Bishop William J. Hafey, D.D. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton, PA. Msgr. Esseff served a retreat director and confessor to St. Teresa of Calcutta. He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity around the world. Msgr. Esseff encountered St. Padre Pio, who would become a spiritual father to him. He has lived in areas around the world, serving in the Pontifical Missions, a Catholic organization established by St. Pope John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world especially to the poor. Msgr. Esseff assisted the founders of the Institute for Priestly Formation and serves as a spiritual director for the Institute. He continues to serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians and other religious leaders around the world.

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