Learning to be Quick to Listen

Catholics don’t celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus because it's a random organ. We don’t have feast days for Jesus’ arms or kidneys, for instance. Rather, the feast honors his divine-human love for us, a love that the Catechism refers to as “our hidden center.” This devotion goes all the way back to the Middle Ages, but its celebration as a solemnity became especially important in the seventeenth century as a response to the devastating heresy of Jansenism . The Jansenist heresy created a deep and lasting spiritual anxiety for Catholics, largely because it painted a distorted picture of God as an “implacable judge” rather than a merciful Father. Jansenism wrongly taught that God predestined some people for hell, that most people lacked the perfect contrition required to be forgiven in the sacrament of confession, and that unworthy reception of Communion was a grave risk. The resulting vision was a cold, distant God who was not to be loved but feared. This led o...

Saint Anthony of Padua, though often associated with finding lost articles, was primarily known in his lifetime as a powerful and eloquent preacher. Originally a Canon Regular of St. Augustine, he was inspired to join the newly formed Franciscan order after witnessing the martyrdom of the first Franciscan missionaries in Morocco. His conversion to the mendicant life under St. Francis of Assisi transformed him, deepening his commitment to poverty, humility, and evangelical preaching. Gifted with profound theological knowledge and a captivating speaking style, he traveled across Italy and France, drawing immense crowds with his clear and passionate sermons, converting many and combating heresy with his unwavering faith and intellectual rigor. Beyond his public ministry, St. Anthony was a mystic who enjoyed profound spiritual experiences, most notably a vision of the Infant Jesus. This intimate connection with the Christ Child is a hallmark of his iconography, often depicting him c...